Frequently-Asked Questions About Professional Development

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Minimum Requirements for Registration

  • What are the Professional Development requirements for registrants in Newfoundland and Labrador?
    Registrants are required to participate in a minimum of 15 hours of professional development activities between December 1 and November 30 each year. Of the 15 hours, a minimum of 7.5 hours must be from accredited learning activities with the remaining 7.5 hours being from either accredited or self-assigned learning activities.

 

  • When is documentation of professional development activities due?
    Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians are required to record all professional development activities in their online Professional Development log no later than November 30th of each year in order to be eligible to renew their registration for the following year.

 

  • Can all 15 hours of required learning be from one program?
    Yes, there is no restriction against this. While registrants are encouraged to obtain professional development from a variety of sources, it is not mandatory. If you have completed one course or program that fulfills the full requirement you may enter it as such.

 

General Documentation Questions

  • What should I document under take-home messages?
    Take-home messages should describe what was actually learned from the program. These statements should be specific and reflect the Learning Objectives for a given program. For example, an acceptable statement would be “Because vaccines are sensitive biological products, maintaining and monitoring the proper storage and transportation temperature is very important.” not, “storage of vaccines”

 

  • What should I document in the evaluation section?
    In the evaluation section, registrants are asked to indicate whether or not the learning was applicable to their practice and, if so, how they intend to incorporate the learning into
    practice. If the registrant feels that the activity was not necessarily applicable to their practice, they are still expected to indicate what benefit was gained by completing the activity. For example, “This program was very relevant as we are planning to implement injection services at our pharmacy in the near future.” or, “While this program was not particularly relevant to my current practice, it was a great overview and update of this practice area.”

 

  • I took a program with several learning modules. Do I need to record each module individually?
    It depends on the documentation of completion that you received. If you received a separate record of completion for each module, then yes, you would document each module separately. If you received only one record of completion once all the modules were completed then you can document this as one entry using the following advice:

    • Rather than listing every Learning Objective for the program (which would likely be extensive), summarize them into 5 or 6 “high level” Learning Objectives that describe what you set out to learn by completing this program. For example: “Understand the rationale and background for immunization” and “Demonstrate understanding of the proper storage, handling and transport of vaccinations”.
    • For Key Learnings & Integration into Practice, since this information should describe what you actually learned from the program, your documentation should reflect the Learning Objectives set out above and how you intend to integrate this learning into your practice.

 

  • I attended a conference with many different sessions but only received one record of completion. Do I need to record each session individually?
    Yes, since at a conference, each session would typically be focused on a separate and distinct topic, the learning gained would also vary from session to session. As such, each one should be documented with its own learning objectives, take-home messages, and evaluation.

 

  • What should I retain for supporting documentation for an accredited program?
    Once you have completed an accredited program you should be given or emailed a Record of Participation, Statement of Completion, etc. by the program coordinator or presenter. This is all that you need to retain as supporting documentation for an accredited program.

 

  • What should I retain for supporting documentation for non-accredited learning?
    This is much more variable depending on the type of learning. For example, if it was still a “formal” program, just not an accredited program, then the invitation, agenda, or email confirmation would usually suffice. If you are claiming credits for the preparation of a presentation or publication of a journal article, then a copy of the presentation or article would typically be expected. For Service as a Preceptor, use of the designated form is expected, as described below.

 

Special Situations

  • How do I document my service as a preceptor?
    The Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians allow registrants to self-assign 0.5 credits per week up to a maximum of 6 credits per year for service as a preceptor. Registrants who self-assign credits for acting as a preceptor must document the credits in their online Learning Portfolio and use the form, Documentation of Self-Assigned Credits for Service as a Preceptor (available on the Professional Development page) as supporting documentation in case of an audit. A separate entry and form must be used if acting as a preceptor to more than one student, intern, or technician candidate in a given year.

    When you are recording these credits in a professional development record, proceed as follows:

    • For PD Category, choose “Non-Accredited Learning”
    • For Activity Provider, enter “N/A” or “Not Applicable”
    • For Program Accredited By, choose “Non-accredited”
    • For Date of Completion, enter the ending date of the student or intern’s rotation
    • For Number of Credits, document appropriately according to the completed form
    • For Accreditation #, leave blank or enter “N/A” or “Not Applicable”
    • For Program Title, enter “Service as a Preceptor”
    • For Learning Objectives/Description of Activity, enter “Acted as a preceptor to (name of student/intern/technician candidate) from (start date) to (end date) for a total of (total number of weeks) weeks”
    • For Key Learnings & Integration into Practice, document what you learned from this experience as well as how you will integrate the learning into your practice
    • When asked to upload supporting documentation, upload a copy of the completed form

 

  • How many credits can I claim for taking a First Aid or CPR course?
    In accordance with the Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians, a registrant may self-assign 1 credit per year for completion of CPR or First Aid courses.

 

  • I wrote the PEBC Qualifying Exam this year. How many credits can I claim and how do I document them on my learning portfolio record?
    You may claim 15 credits upon successful completion of Parts I and II, or 5 credits upon successful completion of Part II only. It can be documented as accredited learning as follows:

    • For PD Category, choose “Accredited Learning”
    • For Activity Provider, enter “PEBC”
    • For Program Accredited By, choose “Other” and type “PEBC” in the blank field
    • For Date of Completion, enter the date on your PEBC results letter
    • For Number of Credits, enter 15, 10, or 5, as applicable, in accordance with the NLPB Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians
    • For Accreditation #, leave blank or enter “N/A” or “Not Applicable”
    • For Program Title: type PEBC Qualifying Exam, Parts I and II, PEBC Qualifying Exam, Part I, or PEBC Qualifying Exam, Part II, as applicable
    • For Learning Objectives/Description of Activity, enter “N/A” or “Not Applicable”
    • For Key Learnings & Integration into Practice, enter “N/A” or “Not Applicable”
    • When asked to upload supporting documentation, upload a copy of your PEBC results letter

 

Further information, including good examples of how to document your learning, can be found by visiting the Professional Development page of the website. To view the Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians in their entirety, visit the Professional Development page of the website.

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