Professional Development Requirements
As per the Pharmacy Act, 2024, every pharmacist and pharmacy technician must participate in continuing professional development (PD). The College of Pharmacy of Newfoundland and Labrador has a legislative responsibility to ensure that pharmacy professionals remain competent throughout their careers to provide safe and effective care. With changes in the scope of practice, along with newly emerging medications and therapies, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must engage in continuous learning and improvement of existing skills and knowledge.
Minimum Requirements
Accredited Learning Activities
Formal activities that have been reviewed by an accredited body and assigned a “CEU” or “credit” value approximately equal to the number of hours the program takes to complete.
CEUs should be documents as assigned by the accrediting organization.
Accepted Activities
Supporting Documentation
Non-Accredited Learning Activities
A learning activity that has not been formally reviewed by an accrediting body or approved by the College but still meets certain minimum requirements.
CEUs should be assigned in increments of 0.25 CEUs with one hour of relevant and meaningful learning being equivalent to 1 CEU, with limits set on the number of CEUs that can be assigned in certain circumstances.
Accepted Activities
Supporting Documentation
Assessing Learning Needs
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are encouraged to conduct an informal self-assessment early in the PD cycle to aid in identifying learning needs for the upcoming year. While formal documentation of learning needs is not required, it may be helpful to document a list of learning needs or topics to focus on during the PD cycle.
Factors to consider
Choosing Learning Activities
Before completing a learning activity, pharmacy professionals should assess its quality and, if non-accredited, ensure that the learning is appropriate for a healthcare professional and not intended for the general public.
Factors to consider
Documenting Learning Activities
Once completed, both accredited and non-accredited learning activities must be documented, including the program title or activity description; the date the activity was completed; whether the activity is accredited or non-accredited; the accreditation number and who the program is accredited by, if applicable; number of CEUs or hours of learning; a brief description of the learning will benefit the pharmacy professional’s practice; and supporting documentation. Follow the steps below to document the learning activity in the CPNL Registrant Portal.
The CPNL Registrant Portal includes a 30-minute inactivity log-out security feature. Accounts will automatically be logged out after 30 minutes of inactivity and the system does not recognize typing as an activity. Please save your progress every 30 minutes to avoid loss of information.