Now that the new standards are in effect, as per the Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians, pharmacists with authorization to administer drugs by injection may administer drugs by injection to children between two and four years of age after completing the following steps:
- Successfully complete a Canadian Council on Continuing Education in Pharmacy (CCCEP) accredited program or a program at a Canadian university that provides training specifically for administering injections to children under five years of age.
- Submit evidence of this training to ACP by completing the “Injections for children under five years old” form in myACP. Your evidence of training may be subject to audit.
- Receive confirmation from ACP that you may proceed with administering injections to children under five years of age.
Once you’ve received confirmation from ACP, you may proceed with administering injections to children under five years of age in accordance with the Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians.
Do I have to complete a specific program that focuses on administering injections to children under five years of age?
Yes, if you intend to administer injections to this age group, you must complete a training program that focuses on this population. Available programs (e.g., Injections & Immunizations to Children, Mastering Injections in Pediatrics, Strategies for Administering Injections to Young Children) are listed on the CCCEP website.
At this time, the CCCEP competency-mapped accredited immunization and injection training program that you completed to apply for authorization to administer drugs by injection only included limited content for administering injections to children between two and four years of age; therefore, you are required to complete a specific program that focuses on administering injections to children under five years of age.
Specific training that focuses on this age group started with the graduating class of 2026 for the University of Alberta (U of A) PharmD program. Any former U of A graduates are required to complete a specific program that focuses on administering injections to children under five years of age.
What if the injection training I completed included a substantial focus on administering injections to children under five years of age?
If you believe you completed a CCCEP-accredited training program or program at a Canadian university that provided a substantial focus on administering injections to children under five years of age, please identify the name of the program on the “Injections for children under five years old” form in myACP. Your program will be reviewed for eligibility.
For more information about applying to administer drugs by injection to children between two and four years of age, refer to the Authorization to administer drugs by injection webpage.
