Share your Experiences with Workplace Practices in NL Pharmacies

Monday, June 3rd, is your last opportunity to complete the Work Environment and Business Practices in NL survey. If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to click the link below to share your experiences. This survey is voluntary and will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

To participate, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2JMYCMG

If you are unable to access the survey by clicking the link, copy and paste the link into your web browser’s address bar.

This survey is designed to collect information from you about the factors in practice environments that are impacting or have the potential to impact your wellness and the quality and safety of care you can provide. Your participation will help NLPB understand and address workplace issues to the best of our ability and support you in providing quality and safe care to the public we collectively serve.

All responses to this survey are anonymous and you will not be asked to provide any directly identifying information. However, NLPB recognizes that the answers to some demographic questions (for example, “where do you currently practice?”) may minimize the pool of individuals with whom responses are included when NLPB conducts our data analysis. We have included these questions as they may provide valuable information as to the nature and scope of any workplace issues identified through the survey. We assure you that future reporting on the results of the survey will use aggregate data only, and any information or responses that could potentially lead to the identification of survey participants will not be released. If you do not wish to answer one of these demographic questions, please select the “Prefer Not to Answer” option.

We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences and assist us with this important initiative.

NLPB is currently undertaking a review of the Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians and we are inviting registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to share their feedback.

This consultation is being conducted using a secure online survey. Individual survey responses are anonymous and confidential.

To access the 5-10 minute survey, please click the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H5RWZYW

If you are unable to access the survey by clicking the link, copy and paste the link into your web browser’s address bar.

Please note: You can leave the survey at any time and resume later if you use the same computer and web browser as when you began the survey. If you attempt to resume the survey on another computer or using a different browser, you will have to restart the survey from the beginning.

The deadline to complete and submit the survey is Friday, June 14, 2024.

The feedback received during this consultation will inform and support recommendations regarding these requirements that will be submitted to the NLPB Board of Directors for approval this year.

If you have any questions regarding the purpose of the survey or the use of survey data, please contact Melanie Healey, Deputy Registrar and Director of Practice & Registration, at mhealey@nlpb.ca or (709) 753-5877 ext. 103.

We appreciate your time and look forward to your feedback.

As communicated previously, and in accordance with its policy on Natural Health Products (NHPs), by the end of June the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) had planned to complete the removal of all NHPs from the National Drug Schedules (NDS), by delisting single-ingredient ephedrine and pseudoephedrine.

In light of this removal and ongoing concerns that this would create a gap in oversight that could expose individuals to significant health and safety risks, over the past number of months, Health Canada, in collaboration with pharmacy regulatory bodies and other stakeholders, has been developing an Interim Order to govern the sale of these single-ingredient ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products. The intention of the Order is to align with the way Schedule II products are currently governed (i.e., sold behind the counter at pharmacies), and, as such should not disrupt pharmacy practice.

This Order, in effect as of May 17, 2024, is an urgent, but temporary, measure that will allow Health Canada to manage risk while they continue to work on a long-term solution.

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.