Ahead of implementing the new standards on February 1, 2025, the ACP team is working to prepare for how the new Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians (SPPPT) and Standards for the Operation of Licensed Pharmacies (SOLP) will be reflected in each of ACP’s core programs.
Members of each of ACP’s four core programs, including complaints resolution, continuing competence, professional practice, and registration, addressed what some of those changes will look like for regulated members by considering four key questions.
Complaints resolution
ACP’s complaints team resolves concerns and complaints from both the public and regulated health providers about the conduct of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and the operation of licensed pharmacies. Complaints director, James Krempien, shared his perspective on these questions on behalf of ACP’s complaints team.
- How will the new standards impact pharmacists and pharmacy technicians?
“The new standards allow pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to provide better patient care. They provide more direction and guidance to support regulated members in fulfilling their responsibilities under the Code of Ethics—they offer a road map.
The organization of the new standards into outcome standards to describe the expected patient outcome and descriptive standards to provide specific details of how to achieve the required outcome provides clarity and direction for regulated members.”
- What changes will regulated members need to make to adhere to the new standards?
“My best advice is to read through the standards and make sure you understand them—don’t guess. Have regular discussions with your colleagues and peers to build a common understanding and application of the standards and continue to reflect on the Code of Ethics and the Professionalism Framework to help guide you in implementing the standards into your practice.”
- How will ACP’s complaints resolution processes change to align with the new standards?
“The complaints process won’t change. The scope of what is considered unprofessional conduct might change, but how we address complaints is not changing. For example, the new SPPPT changes the scope of permitted prescribing for self, family, and those with a close personal relationship. Once the new standards come into effect, pharmacists will no longer be permitted to prescribe to these individuals for minor conditions. This is one example of something that may have been previously accepted practice but may now be considered unprofessional conduct. However, how ACP would address complaints will not change.”
- How will the new standards impact patient care?
“I believe the new standards will benefit both patients and pharmacy professionals. By having the outcomes more clearly defined, there should be less ambiguity about practice expectations. I think the new standards also empower pharmacy teams to take a more person-centred approach towards providing care, which will only benefit the relationship between patients and their pharmacy care providers.”
Continuing competence
ACP’s continuing competence team develops the annual prescribed learning activity, supports pharmacy professionals in the completion of their annual Continuing Competence Program (CCP) requirements, and provides individualized support to those working to improve their professional practice in the Practice Improvement Program.
CCP lead Dania Al-Ani discussed how the new standards present valuable learning opportunities for regulated members.
- How will the new standards impact pharmacists and pharmacy technicians?
“The standards will apply to pharmacy professionals working in any practice setting and will provide clarity about the different roles and responsibilities of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and indicate where role overlap may exist.
We recommend regulated members review the new standards and critically reflect on your current practice. Identify where there may be gaps in your practice and pursue learning opportunities to address these gaps and align with the expectations of the standards.”
- What changes will regulated members need to make to adhere to the new standards?
“The new standards present a great opportunity for professional learning, particularly in applying the learning to practice. Completing and implementing learning for the new standards will, at the same time, allow for regulated members to meet their annual CCP requirements.
For example, the new standards allow pharmacists with authorization to inject to administer drugs by injection to individuals two years of age or older. We encourage the pharmacists planning on providing injections for children between two and five years of age to have the training and competencies needed to provide injections to this population by proactively taking additional education from an accredited program.
We encourage pharmacy professionals to embrace the new standards and support each other by promoting collaboration not only with other healthcare professionals and colleagues but also with patients and to establish person-centred care within their pharmacies. Additionally, pharmacy professionals are encouraged to foster professional learning opportunities about the new standards and work with team members who may be disengaged or experiencing challenges with these changes.”
- How will ACP’s continuing competence processes change to align with the new standards?
“Regulated members can anticipate some changes within competence to ensure alignment with the new standards. This includes updates to our prescribed learning activities, ensuring competence assessments used in the program reflect the new standards, collaborating with other teams within ACP to create education about the new standards, and ensuring future education and learning activities align with the new standards.”
- How will the new standards impact patient care?
“The new standards are relevant and modern, which are important factors to keep up with the changing healthcare landscape. Having person centredness as the foundation of the standards will help foster trusting relationships between patients and pharmacy professionals and will positively move pharmacy practice forward.
The prescribed learning regulated members have completed over the past two continuing education cycles enable and empower them to provide person-centred care. The learning and reflection regulated members have done provide a basis in which they can continue to grow in their understanding of person-centred care and their professional approach in providing this care.”
Professional practice
The professional practice team assesses pharmacies and the practices of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians for compliance with all applicable legislation, standards, and guidelines. Pharmacy practice consultants (PPCs) help pharmacy teams meet ACP’s standards through quality assurance and quality improvement initiatives. Harsh Trivedi and Tim Fluet, two of ACP’s PPCs, discussed how the new standards will impact pharmacy teams and what PPCs will be looking for during pharmacy inspections.
- How will the new standards impact pharmacists and pharmacy technicians?
“The new standards provide a modernized framework for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacies in Alberta to better serve, support, and protect the public’s health and well-being. Standards are presented in an outcomes format and there is a responsibility for all regulated members to ensure their process is meeting or exceeding the outcomes expectation.
The importance of patient engagement and professional relationships is accentuated throughout the standards. The new standards emphasize the importance of pharmacy professionals approaching patient care with a focus on collaborating with the patient because person-centred care is fundamental to the standards.
Pharmacy practice consultants will continue to prioritize person-centred care during assessments. For example, in terms of clinical documentation, we focus on how the patient is involved in the decision-making process—how does the documentation reflect what the patient wanted and their goals and expectations of therapy?”
- What changes will regulated members need to make to adhere to the new standards?
“All regulated members should take the time to review the new standards thoroughly and reflect on their own style of practice. Central to this is their own person-centred care process. It’s really about the mindset—pharmacy professionals will need to reflect on how they involve patients to ensure they are providing person-centred care and how they implement professionalism and leadership within their pharmacy team.
From an operational and practice perspective, pharmacy teams will need to review the standards holistically to ensure their practices and operations align with new requirements. Licensees are encouraged to refer to The Link for a summary of important changes to consider ahead of implementation next February.”
- How will ACP’s assessment processes change to align with the new standards?
“ACP standards have always been the foundation of our assessment process and our assessment process has always focused on building professional relationships with pharmacy teams to promote sustained positive change in practice. If anything, the new ACP standards have been modernized to better reflect the current and evolving state of pharmacy practice in Alberta. The new standards will better support us in advancing the quality of care patients can expect to receive from their pharmacy teams.”
- How will the new standards impact patient care?
“The patient’s experience at their pharmacy will be improved in many ways. The emphasis on professionalism in the standards as well as on inclusiveness should make the patient feel welcome the moment they walk through the pharmacy door. The standards were designed to promote patient engagement with regulated members and to encourage the patient to play an active role in their own care. This is an important part of fostering strong professional relationships and ensuring clinical decisions support the needs and goals of the patient. When regulated members are empowered to practise to the new standards and build professional relationships with patients, person-centred care outcomes will be met.”
Registration
ACP’s registration team is responsible for overseeing the registration of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and the licensing of pharmacies, ensuring they meet the necessary requirements to be admitted to the register. Registration lead Arlene Raimondi discussed how the new standards affect registration processes for regulated members.
- How will the new standards impact pharmacists and pharmacy technicians?
“Changes to the standards will be reflected across the board, so regulated members will see updates to structured practical training, the Jurisprudence Learning Module, the Licensee Education Program, and more. Our programs will all be reviewed and updated as needed to ensure alignment with the new SPPPT and SOLP.”
- What changes will regulated members need to make to adhere to the new standards?
“From the perspective of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, it will be important to proactively review the standards so you are prepared for practice with up-to-date knowledge.
For example, pharmacists with authorization who plan to administer drugs by injection to individuals two years of age or older will need to secure the appropriate training before providing any injections to this younger population.
Licensees will also need to consider if changes will be required for either the physical structure of their pharmacy or their practice. For example, the new SOLP now requires that drugs are displayed and advertised independently of homeopathic products by means of physical separation or signage such that a member of the public can easily distinguish drugs in the pharmacy from any homeopathic products. This may require the licensee to make changes in the pharmacy, or at least, how these products are merchandized.”
- How will ACP’s registration processes change to align with the new standards?
“From a pharmacy licence perspective, regulated members can expect to see some changes to forms and processes that reflect the new standards. For example, our Foundational Requirements document will be updated to reflect the new standards in the SOLP. Our team will strive to support regulated members with the tools they need to be successful in navigating these changes.”
- How will the new standards impact patient care?
“The new standards are designed to optimize patient care, making sure that regulated members have the environment, the tools, the training, and the support needed to provide effective person-centred care. Our programs, such as structured practical training, will reflect these principles to ensure regulated members are prepared to effectively deliver person-centred care.”
Like pharmacy teams, the ACP team must prepare for the launch of the new standards, which will include making some changes and updates to support regulated members. We look forward to working collaboratively with pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, and licensees to successfully implement the standards next February.
