Having your skills recognized is the challenge of foreign pharmacists – Pharmacists who immigrate to Canada face many obstacles when they try to have their skills and professional knowledge recognized. The process is long and expensive, and the requirements to be satisfied are different from one province to another.
According to the Canadian Pharmacists Association, some 39,000 pharmacists are licensed in the country. Among these drug experts, a number completed their training abroad. In 2011, the Canadian Institute for Health Information estimated that 27.4% of pharmacists in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon had graduated outside Canada. They therefore were able to have their achievements recognized… but how?
Provincial regulation of pharmacists
In Canada, pharmacists are provincially regulated, which means that the requirements to be satisfied vary significantly place to place in the country.
In order to facilitate recognition of the achievements of immigrant pharmacists, the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) has created the Pharmacists’ Gateway Canada. This portal is intended to inform foreign pharmacists on how to obtain a license to practise in Canada.
A unique process adapted to each province
The immigrant pharmacist’s approach to having their professional skills and achievements recognized involves five major steps. The process is as follows:
- Registration on Pharmacists’ Gateway Canada.
- Assessment of the foreign pharmacist’s academic qualifications and knowledge by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC):
– Review of the application. Note: a four-year undergraduate degree in pharmacy is the minimum requirement for any applicant.
– Assessment review. This step consists of determining if the candidate’s training is comparable to that received in Canada.
– Review of skills. This is divided into two parts, a written test consisting of multiple-choice questions and an Objectively Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) consisting of scenarios. - Filing of an application for registration with the provincial pharmacy regulating body.
- Successful completion of a structured practical training program. This is an internship in the workplace meeting the provincial competency standards for pharmacy practise.
- Issuance of a license to practise by the professional order of the province where the applicant wishes to practise.
Once the process has been completed, the foreign pharmacist will have to meet certain provincial legal and language skills requirements. It is also possible that additional training may be required.
Obtaining a license to practise for a foreign pharmacist can take several months to more than two years. In 2008, the average time to issue a license was 26 months. It should also be noted that the associated costs vary depending on the province, but are usually several thousand dollars.
The unique case of Quebec
Although foreign pharmacists wishing to practise in Quebec can complete the process in place in Canada, the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec in 2011 set up a supplementary program intended for foreign pharmacists. The training, available in French only, has been revised to reflect replacing the Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy with an undergraduate doctorate in the province.