The PostScript – Issue 97

Now Hiring – Director of Quality and Pharmacy Licensing (Interim)

NLPB is currently seeking applications for a full-time, 1-year leave replacement for the Director of Quality and Pharmacy Licensing (Interim) position.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Registrar and CEO, the Director of Quality and Pharmacy Licensing is responsible for the development and oversight of the NLPB Quality Assurance (QA) portfolio and oversight of pharmacy licensing processes. This position involves overseeing other staff, managing projects, developing policies, supporting assigned committees, and providing leadership to the NLPB QA team and pharmacy community.

Qualifications

    • Registered pharmacist in good standing with NLPB or another Canadian pharmacy regulatory authority, with a minimum of 10 years of pharmacy practice experience.
    • Experience in quality assurance and continuous quality improvement, project management, human resources, policy development, change management, regulation, and/or health administration is considered an asset.
    • While experience in pharmacy practice is preferred, as this position requires additional key skillsets beyond that of a pharmacy professional, consideration will be given to other professionals with relevant backgrounds, education, and experience in the above-noted.

For more details regarding this opportunity, visit nlpb.ca/now-hiring-director-of-quality-and-pharmacy-licensing-interim/

Qualified applicants are invited to submit a resume and a cover letter outlining why you are interested in this opportunity and how your work experience has prepared you for this role to careers@nlpb.ca. The application deadline for this position is February 5, 2024. While NLPB appreciates all applicants, only those short-listed for an interview will be contacted.

 

 

 

Registration to Open for MUN Pharmacy Technician Injection Training Program

Registration will open for Memorial University’s School of Pharmacy Pharmacy Technician Injection Training Program on January 22, 2024.

The program is comprised of two components:

  • Online independent study content – $100 registration fee
  • In-person training session – $150 registration fee

CCCEP Number: 1253-2023-3703-B-T
Total CEUs (entire program): 10.0

The online independent study content must be completed prior to the in-person training.

Registration for the online independent study content opens on January 22, 2024, and closes at midnight on January 28, 2024. Registration for the in-person training session(s) will open in early February, with more dates to be announced soon.

Click to download the Online Independent Study Content Registration Form. The completed registration form must be returned by email to pharminfo@mun.ca.

For any questions about registration, please email pharminfo@mun.ca.

 

Call for Expression of Interest – Pharmacy Practice Advisory Committee

NLPB is currently seeking a community pharmacist to join the Pharmacy Practice Advisory Committee.

The Pharmacy Practice Advisory Committee is a standing committee of NLPB whose role is to advise the board on current or new standards related to registrants’ scope of practice. In fulfilling its role, the committee may be consulted regarding::

  • standards of practice related to scope of practice of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians,
  • implementation plans and strategies to assist pharmacy professionals with meeting standards of practice and the expectations of contemporary pharmacy practice, or
  • revision to the Code of Ethics.

If you are interested, please submit your name, contact information, a brief bio, and a few lines about why you are interested in being part of the committee to inforx@nlpb.ca by February 23, 2024.

 

 

Scheduling Status of Vaccine for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Last fall, the vaccine, Arexvy was authorized by Health Canada for use in adults 60 years of age and older to prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is currently reviewing this vaccine with usage-related recommendations and a chapter update to the Canadian Immunization Guide to follow. The NL provincial government has also not yet completed its review of this vaccine’s place on the provincial immunization schedules or added content regarding the vaccine’s use to the NL Provincial Immunization Manual.

Since both of these documents are key references for pharmacy professionals to utilize when assessing and administering vaccines to patients, until such times as these revisions have been made, pharmacy professionals are advised to exercise caution when determining the appropriateness of administering this vaccine to patients.

Additionally, since this vaccine has also not yet been reviewed by the National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee (NDSAC), it is currently listed in Schedule I of the Provincial Drug Schedules, and has not yet been added to Schedule B of the Authorization to Prescribe Regulations. As such, pharmacists are not currently authorized to prescribe this vaccine.

More information will be communicated regarding this vaccine as it becomes available.

 

 

Apply for Positions on NAPRA’s National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee

The National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee (NDSAC) is a committee of the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) which serves to advise NAPRA on matters relating to the National Drug Schedules (NDS) program. The primary function of the eight-member committee is to review and analyze submissions regarding scheduling placements for non-prescription drugs and to make recommendations for scheduling.

NAPRA will have two (2) vacancies on the NDSAC arising in 2024 and is inviting applications for the following positions:

  • An academic expert in drug use, with teaching and/or research experience preferably in the area of nonprescription pharmacotherapy, self-care or minor ailments prescribing
  • An individual with expertise in pharmacotherapy and/or drug utilization and/or epidemiology, preferably a practising pharmacist or physician

For more information, including committee member requirements, visit napra.ca/invitation-for-applications-for-napras-national-drug-scheduling-advisory-committee-3/

Completed applications, résumés/CVs and letters of recommendation must be forwarded to the attention of Sarah ter Huurne (ndsac@napra.ca). Applications must be submitted no later than February 13, 2024.

 

 

Registration and Pharmacy Licence Certificates Available for Download

The 2024 registration and pharmacy licensing certificates are now available for download through NLPB’s Registrant and Pharmacy Portals.

The certificate format has recently been updated. Pharmacists-in-charge should note that the pharmacy licence certificate will no longer display authorizations including Lock & Leave, Central Fill Services, and participation in OAMT. This change does not affect the pharmacy’s approval for these services.

Current Pharmacy licence certificates must be displayed in a conspicuous place in the pharmacy. Pharmacists-in-charge are advised to log into the NLPB Pharmacy Portal, click on the “Certificates” link in the side menu, and click the “Download Certificate” button to download a pdf copy of your pharmacy licence certificate.

If you have any questions, please contact licensing@nlpb.ca.

Should you wish to download a copy of your 2024 registration certificate, please log into the NLPB Registrant Portal, click on the “Certificate of Registration” link in the side menu, and click the “Download/Print Certificate” button.

If you have any questions, please contact registration@nlpb.ca.

 

 

Verifying Pharmacy Staff Registration

Pharmacists-in-charge (PIC) are responsible under the Pharmacy Regulations, 2014, for “ensuring that pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, interns and students who are employed by the pharmacy are registered” with NLPB.

PICs are advised to visit the NLPB Public Register to ensure that all pharmacy professionals employed by the pharmacy are actively registered with NLPB and included in the pharmacy’s staff listing. Additionally, throughout the year, PICs are required to confirm that a pharmacy professional is actively registered to practice pharmacy before scheduling them to work (e.g., relief or new hires).

When viewing the Staff Listing under the pharmacy profile in the Public Register, PICs can verify that a person is actively registered by clicking the “View Registration” button next to their name.

  • Any regulated pharmacy professional listed without the “View Registration” button next to their name is not actively registered with NLPB and is not permitted to practice pharmacy in the province. If this is the case for any person currently employed by a pharmacy, PICs should direct them to pause their work immediately and contact registration@nlpb.ca to verify the status of their registration.
  • If someone is employed by the pharmacy but not listed, they should be added to the Staff Listing. For instructions on entering staff in the NLPB Pharmacy Portal, please refer to the NLPB Pharmacy Portal User Guide – Adding & Updating Staff Listing.

 

 

MedSTEP NL Program – Implementation and Resources

NLPB’s MedSTEP NL web resources for community pharmacies launched in September 2023 alongside the publication of the Standards of Practice for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Medication Incident Reporting (MIR), which describe the minimum acceptable standards for the MedSTEP NL program and are intended to promote consistency in CQI and MIR throughout the province.

MedSTEP NL includes elements of reporting, analyzing, documenting, and shared learning from medication incidents and near-miss events with the objective of continuously reviewing and improving the quality and safety of pharmacy practice in the province.

The deadline to complete the first step in the MedSTEP NL implementation plan was December 31, 2023. At this time all pharmacists-in-charge (PIC) and pharmacy staff members should have reviewed and now understand the standards of practice for CQI and MIR and accompanying resources and the PIC should have begun to develop a pharmacy policies and procedure manual for MedSTEP NL.

The next implementation deadline for the program is to choose a reporting platform and export data to the National Incident Data Repository (NIDR) by March 31, 2024. To complete this implementation step, community pharmacies must ensure the following:

  • Pharmacist-in-charge (PIC) reviews and understands MedSTEP NL criteria for a MIR platform.
  • PIC either:
  • PIC signs and submits a data-sharing agreement with NIDR
  • PIC obtains a Medication Safety Self-Assessment tool included in the chosen reporting platform or from another source.
  • PIC completes the pharmacy policies and procedures manual for MedSTEP NL
  • Pharmacy staff, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy assistants, review and understand the policies and procedures for MedSTEP NL

Visit the website, nlpb.ca/medstep-nl for an overview of the program, requirements, implementation, and more.

 

 

Project ECHO NL: Substance Use (Cycle 1)

Session 8: Harm Reduction and Alcohol Use
Wednesday, January 31 (8:30-9:30 am NST; 8:00-9:00am AST)

Speakers: 

  • Françoise Guigné, MD, CCFP, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Director, Care of Underserved Populations Enhanced Skills Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland
  • Jane Henderson, B.A., B.Ed., M.A, Provincial Harm Reduction Consultant, NL Centre on Substance Use

Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe harm reduction in the context of high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder
  2. Explain how harm reduction approaches are part of the continuum of care for patients with high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder
  3. List harm reduction strategies for alcohol use
  4. Define managed alcohol programs (MAPs), summarize supporting evidence, and list examples of MAPs in the Newfoundland and Labrador context

 

Sessions take place on Zoom.

To register for Session 8, please complete the registration form here by Monday, January 29.

Please direct any questions about Project ECHO NL: Substance Use to Brittany.Howell@easternhealth.ca.

 

Regular reminders

  • Registrant Contact Information – Registrants are responsible for ensuring that the contact information on their registrant profile, including email address and practice site, is accurate at all times. The NLPB primarily uses email communication to send newsletters, renewal reminders, practice site assessment information, professional development audit information, calls for interest for committees, and other alerts. If the email address on file is incorrect, important information may be missed and/or disclosed to the wrong person. If your contact information changes, please update your information on file by logging into the NLPB Registrant Portal.
  • Application Submission – NLPB receives many applications for processing. Unfortunately, some of the applications submitted are illegible, incomplete, or missing supporting documentation or payment, leading to delays in processing and approving the application. In order to ensure that your application is processed in a timely manner, please take a moment before submission to ensure that all fields are completed and legible and that all supporting documentation is included. All supporting documentation should adhere to NLPB’s Scanning Guidelines and Checklist for Document Submissions Policy. These small steps will help improve the process for both the applicant and NLPB.

This e-newsletter contains information on a wide variety of topics intended to enhance the practice of pharmacy in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. As it is published and circulated to all registrants on a monthly basis, it is the expectation of NLPB that all registrants are aware of the matters contained therein.

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