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Requirements (pharmacy technician)

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Entry to practice

To be eligible for the pharmacy technician register, you must complete the following requirements:

  1. Complete ACP’s Jurisprudence Learning Module.
    • The Jurisprudence Learning Module is an online module that reviews the different federal and provincial legislations and standards of practice that govern Alberta pharmacy practice.
    • The module includes nine chapters. Once all the chapters are complete, you will receive a certificate.
  2. Complete the Ethics & Jurisprudence Exam.
    • You must be on the provisional register to book this exam.
    • Ethics & Jurisprudence Exam results are valid for two years from the date of successful completion.
  3. Complete ACP’s Structured Practical Training (SPT) program 
    • You must be on the provisional register to complete the SPT program.
    • The SPT program consists of a minimum of 800 hours, but additional hours can be expected in order to demonstrate entry-to-practice competencies. According to the SPT rules, Canadian graduates of a CCAPP-accredited pharmacy technician program may start at Level 2 of the SPT program if they start their SPT within two years of graduation. If it has been more than two years since graduation, Canadian graduates are required to complete the entire SPT program, starting at Level 1.
  4. Successfully complete the PEBC Qualifying Exams.
    • PEBC Qualifying Exam results must be current within three years at the time of application to the pharmacy technician register. If exam results exceed the three-year limit, you will be required to retake both Part I and Part II of the PEBC Qualifying Exam prior to registering as a pharmacy technician in Alberta.
  5. Obtain personal professional liability insurance (minimum $1 million).
    • Pharmacy technicians must maintain a minimum of $1 million of personal professional liability insurance (claims made or occurrence based) regardless of employment status. The policy must be in the technician’s name. You do not require insurance while you are on the provisional register.
  6. You’re ready to apply!

Documentation required at initial registration

As part of your application for initial registration with ACP, you must upload the following supporting documentation via the application process.Your supporting documentation must be prepared as follows:

  • The supporting documents must be in PDF format.
  • The content of the PDF documents must be clear and legible, including the notary stamp or photo if applicable, and meet the Scanning guidelines and checklist for document submissions.
  • Notarized copies require a notary public to certify and attest that the document is a true copy.

Prepare and notarize (where applicable) the following documents.

  1. Notarized identification form which includes a passport photo that was taken within the last 12 months.
  2. Notarized copy of a primary ID which may be one of the following:
    • Canadian birth certificate,
    • Canadian passport,
    • Canadian citizenship card,
    • Canadian permanent resident card or letter of confirmation of permanent residence,
    • Canadian work permit, or
    • Student permit (must not limit the applicant from working in a health profession).
  3. Notarized copy of a secondary ID which may be one of the following:
    • passport from another country,
    • valid Canadian driver’s licence,
    • provincial identification card, or
    • Canadian Forces identification.
  4. Registration statutory declaration
    • The statutory declaration must be declared before a notary public or a commissioner for oaths within the past six months. Out of province declarants must use a notary public.
  5. Enhanced Police Information Check
    • The Enhanced Police Information Check must be current within the past six months. This document does NOT need to be notarized.
    • An Enhanced Police Information Check includes the following:
      • Criminal record check
        • A search of adult convictions held within the RCMP National Repository of Criminal Records.
      • Local police information
        • A search of additional convictions located outside of the National Repository and judicial matters reported by local police jurisdictions.
  6. Evidence of name change (if applicable)
    • If the name on any document is different from your legal name, you must submit a copy of either your name change or marriage certificate to confirm that you legally changed your name. This document does NOT need to be notarized.

Disclosure forms

If you need to disclose information to ACP, refer to the list below and send completed forms to registrationinfo@abpharmacy.ca or include as part of your application.

English language proficiency requirements

An applicant for registration as a regulated member must be sufficiently proficient in English to be able to engage safely and competently in the practice of pharmacy technicians. Evidence of English language proficiency for provisional pharmacy technicians is based on the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities’ (NAPRA) approved language proficiency standards.

Graduates of a Canadian Council for Accredited Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) accredited pharmacy technician program located in Canada and provided in English will not be required to undergo additional language proficiency testing unless directed otherwise by ACP.

If you are an internationally educated pharmacy technician, you are required to take a language proficiency test (academic version of the IELTS or the OET) and achieve a minimum score in each of the categories for reading, writing, speaking, and listening in a single testing session per the NAPRA-approved language proficiency requirement policy.

English language proficiency results must be current within two years at the time of application to the provisional register.

ACP will continue to accept test results based on NAPRA’s former Language Proficiency Requirements for Licensure as a Pharmacy Technician in Canada until September 1, 2024. After September 1, 2024, ACP will only accept test results based on the former requirements if the test was completed prior to September 1, 2024, and the test is still valid (completed within two years).

  1. Where can I locate information on testing centres for the English language proficiency tests?
  2. If there is a choice between general and academic testing, which option should I choose?
    • If there is a choice between a general and academic test, the college requires an academic score.
  3. Will ACP accept a French language testing score?
    • No. You must provide a NAPRA-approved English language testing score at the time of registration.
  4. If my pharmacy technician program was completed in an English medium outside of Canada, am I exempt from the language proficiency requirement?
    • No. You are required to take a language proficiency test and achieve a minimum score in each of the categories for reading, writing, speaking, and listening per the NAPRA-approved language proficiency standards.
  5. Are there any exemptions to the English language proficiency requirement?
    • You may be exempt if you graduated from a high school, community college, private career college or university program located in Canada, and you provide evidence that
      • the program was of at least 3 years’ duration,
      • was provided in English, and
      • you successfully completed three consecutive English language courses. Second-language or additional language courses are not acceptable as evidence.
    • Your evidence should be notarized and provided directly to ACP.