PEBC Exams Information to get Pharmacist License for Foreign Pharmacy Graduates in Canada

This article will provide you with all the information (including the PEBC evaluation exam and PEBC qualifying exam information) required to become a pharmacist in Canada.

If you graduated in pharmacy in a country other than Canada and U.S.A. and would like to get a pharmacist license in Canada there are some procedures you should follow. They are,

1. First of all your back-home degree should be evaluated by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada.(PEBC, Canada)
2. Then you have to pass two exams conducted by PEBC called the ‘Evaluating Exam and the Qualifying Exam’.
3. Once you pass the above two exams (PEBC Evaluation and Qualifying exams) you will be given a certificate called ‘Certificate of Qualification’ by PEBC
4. Now it’s your turn to choose which province you would like to practice and obtain an English score according to that province's regulations.
5. Next, you have to finish sufficient hours of training in the pharmacy (usually there are 2 stages of training, studentship, and internship)
6. Finally, pass the Law exam (Jurisprudence exam) and get the ‘Pharmacist License’.

Let me explain to you how each procedure follows:

Evaluation of Pharmacy degree by PEBC:

• One important thing you all must know is, that to practice pharmacy in Canada, all applicants trained outside of Canada must have PEBC’s ‘certificate of qualification.
• The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) is the national certification body for the pharmacy profession in Canada. Evaluation of documents is the first step you start with to get the certificate from PEBC which includes the evaluation of certain documents to make sure that you have a degree in pharmacy that is acceptable to the PEBC.

Documents required for Evaluation:

• Application form with Fee
• Documents to support identity such as birth certificate or Marriage certificate
• Immigration record of landing (only if you have landed in Canada)
• University degree certificate
• Transcript, (an original, current dated, and mailed directly to the PEBC office).
• Licensing statement (currently dated letter from licensing authority stating that your license is in ‘good standing'.

Some Tips:

1. Fill out all parts of the application.
2. Make sure you have signed the application.
3. Have signature on photograph witnessed by a notary.
4. Submit the right amount of fee in Canadian Dollars.
5. All the required documents are certified by a Notary Public, commissioner for oaths, etc., but not by a Consulate.

Evaluating and Qualifying Exams:

Evaluating Exam:

Once the Document evaluation is done, the next step is to pass the Evaluation exam. This exam is designed to determine if you have completed a program of study comparable to that of Canadian standards. It will evaluate your knowledge in all areas of current pharmaceutical education in Canada. 

The PEBC Evaluating exam will be administered twice during the testing year. It is a two-day exam with a 3.5-hour multiple-choice exam. You are only eligible to take the exam when your Document evaluation is completed.

Note: There are 2 separate application forms and fees for ‘Document evaluation’ and ‘Evaluating Exam’.

Some Tips:

• If you want to take the exam without any delay, apply both for ‘Document Evaluation’ and ‘Evaluating Exam’ otherwise you may miss the deadline for submission of your exam application.
• If you are not in a rush to take the exam but would like to complete the ‘Document Evaluation’ process, you can still apply as you have 5 years to pass the evaluation exam.

Qualifying Exam:

• The qualifying exam is the final exam to pass for PEBC certification. You must pass your Evaluation exam to be qualified for the qualifying exam.
• The qualifying exam (Part I and II) is comprehensive and objective.
• Qualifying Exam – Part I is a multiple-choice question (MCQ) exam. It is a 2-day (3.5 hr/day) written exam. Questions in Part I are basically related to pharmacy practice.
• Qualifying Exam Part II: This part of the qualifying exam is an ‘Objective structured clinical examination’(OSCE), and it is taken on a different day than part I. It consists of a series of 7-minute tasks or "stations" simulating common and/or critical practical situations. These simulations often involve interactions with a standardized patient client or health professional. 

Certificate of Qualification by PEBC:

Once you pass 2 parts of a qualifying exam, you get PEBC Certification. PEBC certification alone is not enough to practice pharmacy in Canada. That is only a part of the licensing process. The next part is to get the license in the province you desire to work. Every province has its own regulation to provide the license.

Each province in Canada has additional requirements such as, practical experience, language proficiency and law exam etc. to be a licensed pharmacist in that province.

If you like to know more about licensing procedures in provinces other than Ontario, check individual State or Provincial Regulatory Authorities of Pharmacists in Canada.

English Fluency Exam:

Language proficiency is one of the requirements in the licensing process in Canada, but each province has its own options for the type of English test you take and the score you should get. For example, Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta accept, TOEFL (IBT), TOEFL (CBT) with TSE, MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic module, Can Test (to be taken only in Canada).

French tests, such as TestCan, and Test of Business French. (only in Ontario).

Structural Practical Training:

Before you start training in the Pharmacy, you have to register with that province’s regulatory body. Each province has its own guidelines for registration.

In Ontario, there are different stages of registration as you go ahead with each step.

Different stages of registration in Ontario are,

1. Pre-registration
2. Registration as a Student
3. Registration as an Intern
4. Registration as a Pharmacist

Stage 1: Pre-registration:

All applicants must Pre-register with OCP (https://www.ocpinfo.com) as the first step in the licensure process. Once the ‘pre-registration’ process is done, you will be assigned with a number ‘Student number’ with which you will contact the college for follow-ups.

NOTE: Pre-registration status with OCP expires five years from the date of pre-registration. To reactivate your file, you will be required to submit a Pre-Registration Form and fee again.

ALSO READ: Registration Procedures for International Pharmacy Graduates in Canada

Stage 2: Registration as a Student:

To be registered with the College (OCP) as a ‘Student’, as per current regulation, you have to either complete all the PEBC exams with valid English Language Fluency or complete a part of the IPG (International Pharmacy Graduate) program which is offered by the ‘University of Toronto’. 

This requirement might change with time, however, if you pre-register with the OCP, you will be informed of all the changes. Once you are registered with the College as a ‘Student’, you can perform all the controlled acts, such as, ‘dispensing’ ‘Selling’, or ‘compounding’, in the pharmacy during your studentship.

Tip:

1. Remember that once you pass your English, it should be valid till the end of the licensing process. So, plan your English accordingly. Usually English is valid for 2 years.
2. While working as a student you can plan to take the law exam as it is valid for four years in Ontario.

NOTE: ‘Studentship’ is a part of your official training in the pharmacy (either Community or Hospital) under the supervision of a registered pharmacist (Preceptor).

To be registered with the college as a student you have to submit the following:

• As an International Pharmacy Graduate, you have to complete a minimum of 32 weeks of studentship.
• Based on your previous pharmacy experience in Canada, the number of exams you have completed from PEBC so far, and whether you have taken any IPG program, the college takes a decision on how long you should do your studentship.

Stage 3: Registration as an Intern

• Once you have successfully completed your ‘studentship’, you have to register with the College as an ‘Intern’. Internship training is a bit advanced where you will be working independently as a pharmacist.
• The duration of the Internship is usually around 12 weeks or 600 hours, but that decision will be taken by the college. One thing you must remember here is that your English proficiency should still be valid to be registered with the college as an Intern.
• To register as an Intern with the college, you have to submit the following: 

1. Internship application form
2. Internship application fee
3. Valid English proficiency
4. Validity of the affidavit of good character since you pre-register with the college

The final procedure is to pass ‘The jurisprudence exam’ and register as a Pharmacist:

• To reach this state, you have to pass one final exam is called ‘The jurisprudence exam’ also called ‘Law exam’. As every province has its own regulating body, passing this exam is a must to be registered as a pharmacist in that province.
• For list boards please check Provincial Regulatory Authorities of Pharmacists in Canada
• Jurisprudence Examination Information for Ontario

1. General Information
2. Examination procedure
3. Examination policy
4. Examination format
5. Jurisprudence seminar

General Information:

The pharmaceutical Jurisprudence exam is based on the Ontario College of Pharmacist’s standards and policies, and Federal and Provincial acts and their regulations, which control the production, distribution, advertising, sales, and use of drugs in Ontario. This exam is to assess the student's knowledge, and ability to interpret and apply all legislation that impacts current pharmacy practice in Ontario. One must pass this exam to be registered as a pharmacist.

Examination Procedure:

1. This exam is held 4 times a year
2. The duration of the exam is 2 ½ hours
3. The National Drug Schedules and Summary of Federal and Provincial Laws will be provided in the
4. Exam (Open Book model), so you should be familiar with the schedules but don’t have to memorize them.
5. Although this exam can be taken at any stage in the registration process, it is recommended to pass it before the ‘Internship’.
6. The passing mark is determined by summing up the minimum performance level across all items for a particular test.
7. Every candidate who fails the exam is provided with feedback for each section of the exam and the overall performance relative to the group. This feedback gives an idea of which areas you need to focus on.
8. There is no specific passing score for this exam. Pass score depends on the degree of difficulty of the questions on that exam which means what percentage of students will answer the questions correctly.

Examination policy

• This exam is valid for 4 years from the date of passing
• Students can attend this exam at any stage in the registration process
• Applicants can write this exam a maximum of 3 times in a year
• Results will be available within 4 to 6 weeks
• Specific acts focused on the exam are,

1. Regulated Health Professions Acts and Code
2. Pharmacy Act and Regulations
3. Ontario College of Pharmacists Bylaws and Policies
4. Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act and Regulations
5. Drug Interchangeability and Dispensing Fee Act
6. Ontario Drug Benefit Act and Regulations
7. Food and Drugs Act and Regulations and Schedules
8. Controlled Drug and Substances Act and regulations and Schedules

• This exam is also offered in French.

Examination format:

1. The jurisprudence exam is a written exam with multiple-choice questions. The following Acts and Regulations are covered in the exam. The percentage of questions in each area is,
2. Federal Drug Schedules and their sales, storage, prescription, and record-keeping requirements. (This section is open book and Drug schedules will be provided in the exam). Requirements for narcotic and controlled drug prescriptions. (33 %)
3. Filling and labeling prescriptions (transfers, copies, faxing, mailing, etc.) (17 %)
4. Billing and pricing of prescriptions (8 %)
5. Opening/closing of a pharmacy, ownership, advertising, accreditation standards, etc, (12 %)
6. Ethics, standards, and professional responsibilities (17 %)
7. Others such as registration requirements, complaints, discipline, the scope of practice, etc., (12 %) Some model questions are given on the Ontario College of Pharmacists website.

Final step..........

After completing your internship, the law exam (Jurisprudence exam), and the PEBC certification exams with a valid English fluency score, you will be finally registered with the college as a ‘pharmacist’.

1. To be registered with the college as a ‘pharmacist’, you must submit:
2. Application for Certificate of Registration as a Pharmacist
3. Pharmacist application fee
4. Pharmacist annual fee (to renew your license, you have to pay a fee to college every year)
5. Structural Practical Training Fee (studentship and internship training).

ALSO READ: Guideline for Registration of Pharmaceutical Premises in Nigeria