Structured Practical Training (SPT) is a supervised, competency-based training program designed for provisional pharmacy technicians (candidates). The SPT Program enables pharmacy technician candidates to apply their knowledge and skills in real practice settings while being assessed for readiness for independent practice. Successful completion of SPT is required to join the pharmacy technician register in Alberta.
To complete the SPT program, candidates must
At completion of the SPT program, provisional pharmacy technicians will have demonstrated that they
SPT focuses on skill development and assessment, rather than simply completing a required number of hours or onboarding at your place of employment. All practical experiences must be completed under the supervision of a qualified preceptor (or co-preceptors) approved by ACP, at an approved pharmacy, and in accordance with the SPT Program Rules for Pharmacy Technicians.
The SPT program includes
Candidates may be required to complete additional hours to meet all program expectations and pass final assessments.
Before beginning any practical experiences, candidates must
If you’re having trouble navigating the SPT Program, refer to the step-by-step guide for more information.
After completing all prerequisites, candidates must
The in-person training officially begins only after the candidate completes the self-assessment, and the preceptor has confirmed completion. Any activities or hours completed before this point will not count towards completion of the SPT program.
The SPT Program is separate from any practicums completed as part of your pharmacy technician program. The objectives of the SPT Program are for candidates to gain additional experiences at two different practice sites and be assessed by two different preceptors for readiness to practise in Alberta. To successfully complete this entry-to-practice requirement, you will need to demonstrate that you
The SPT Program is about developing your skills and being assessed over a set training period; it is not about the completion of hours or onboarding at your place of employment. It is about gaining confidence in practice and demonstrating that you are ready to practise safely and effectively as a pharmacy technician. In order for your preceptor to adequately observe your competencies and complete their assessment of you, they must
observe your practice and progress over the set training period. This is why you cannot combine hours or switch preceptors during a practical experience.
Candidates are required to find their own practice site and preceptor(s) meeting the criteria outlined in the SPT Program Rules for Pharmacy Technicians. ACP does not provide a pre-approved preceptor list.
In addition to meeting the criteria, the proposed practice site must provide sufficient practice opportunities for you to complete all activities (e.g., direct patient care) and the proposed preceptor must be available routinely to supervise and provide feedback and guidance.
When searching for a potential site, you may want to provide a resume and cover letter that states you are looking for a preceptor and practice site to complete the SPT Program.
No, you must have different preceptors for each practical experience. Each practical experience must be completed at a different practice site. One of your preceptors must be a pharmacy technician.
The requirement for two distinct practice sites and preceptors supports a more comprehensive and objective assessment of readiness to practise. Exposure to different workflows, patient populations, and preceptors helps ensure that you can apply your knowledge and skills consistently in different practice settings, rather than within a single environment. The requirement to be assessed by two different preceptors while practising at different sites also provides greater confidence that candidates are ready to practise.
The primary purpose of the SPT Program is to assess readiness to practise and ensure you can demonstrate competence across varied practice environments.
No, you cannot complete a practical experience at two different practice sites at the same time as it does not support the objectives of the SPT Program.
The SPT Program is about developing your skills and being assessed over a set training period (minimum 240 hours); it is not about the completion of hours. It is about gaining confidence in practice and demonstrating that you are ready to practise safely and effectively as a pharmacy technician in Alberta. In order for your preceptor to adequately observe your competencies and complete their assessment of you, they must observe your practice and progress over the set training period.
Yes, you can complete your practical experience at a site that does not directly compound. The compounding activity focuses on the process of compounding (including determining levels of requirements, personnel and training requirements, policies and procedures, master formulation records, and completing risk assessments). Hypothetical prescriptions are available for candidates to process if there is no opportunity to compound onsite. However, ACP recommends that candidates participate in the compounding process if available at the site.
No, you must provide direct patient care as part of your practical experience. Two of the required activities (the BPMH activity and patient education activity) must be completed with a patient.
ACP understands that many candidates may complete a practical experience at their place of employment. While this is a conflict of interest because it may question the objectivity of the preceptor’s role in training and assessing a candidate, ACP is permitting this arrangement to support candidates with securing a practice site for at least one of their practical experiences. However, this conflict of interest must be disclosed to ACP by the candidate when submitting their Structured Practical Training enrollment form.
To facilitate a good learning environment and a fair assessment, a preceptor may not have more than two candidates under their preceptorship at the same time. This ensures the preceptor has dedicated time to appropriately supervise their candidates, provide feedback on their progress, and complete timely and accurate assessments.
No, to meet the program’s objectives, you are required to complete each practical experience under one preceptor (or approved co-preceptors) and at one site. If you change your preceptor(s) or site before completing a practical experience, you must restart the practical experience with the new preceptor or at the new site. Previously completed activities or hours will not be carried over.
Yes, you must be supervised in accordance with the SPT Program Rules for Pharmacy Technicians and the Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians (SPPPT). You must not be scheduled to work independently without a supervising regulated member or preceptor present.
Your preceptor(s) should be supervising you for the majority of your time (four days per week or 75 per cent of scheduled hours). When your preceptor is not available to supervise, you must be supervised by a pharmacy technician on the pharmacy technician register or a pharmacist on the clinical pharmacist register.
Your preceptor should be supervising you for the majority of your time (four days per week or 75 per cent of scheduled hours) since they are responsible for assessing you and monitoring your progress. The responsibilities of a preceptor may be shared with a co-preceptor as long as both preceptors
The SPT Program is a structured training period where candidates are learning and being assessed for readiness to practice. Commitment and dedication to this learning process is required by the candidate to meet the objectives of the SPT Program, which is why a candidate is required to commit to practising in person at the pharmacy for at least 20 hours per week while completing a practical experience. At the same time, a candidate should not rush the learning process. To prevent burnout, candidates should not exceed the standard hours of work, which is why a candidate can only complete a practical experience for a maximum of 40 hours per week.
A practical experience is a structured practical training experience that is intended to be completed over a set training period, while practising standard work hours. Once you start a practical experience, you should not plan to take significant periods of time off during your practical experience, as this would be disruptive to your learning. Commitment and dedication to the learning process is required to meet the objectives of the SPT Program. You should ensure that you are able to commit to the set training period prior to starting a practical experience.
Yes, if you are on the provisional pharmacy technician register, you may practise in a pharmacy outside of a practical experience. You must not be scheduled to work independently without a supervising regulated member (a pharmacy technician or a pharmacist).
Practising in a pharmacy prior to starting the SPT Program may be beneficial to help prepare for the Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam or to gain more experience.
While completing a practical experience at an approved practice site, you may also be working outside of the SPT Program at your regular place of employment. Only hours completed at the approved practice site for a practical experience may be counted towards the set training period required in the SPT Program.
This is up to the practice site. To complete a practical experience, you must be committed to completing the activities of the SPT Program. Any employment obligations are separate from the SPT Program. Any hours completed as a pharmacy assistant would not count towards completing a practical experience. Many candidates may need to complete their practical experience outside of a paid position.
The SPT Program is not about completing hours. To successfully complete the SPT Program
Additional time is often required for you to
To support your success in completing the SPT, you should
No, you cannot transfer any hours completed outside of the SPT Program.
The SPT Program is separate from any practicums completed as part of your pharmacy technician program. The objectives of the SPT Program are for you to gain additional experiences in two different practice sites and be assessed by two different preceptors for readiness to practise in Alberta.
The SPT Program is about developing your skills and being assessed over a set training period; it is not about the completion of hours or onboarding at your place of employment. It is about gaining confidence in practice and demonstrating that you are ready to practise safely and effectively as a pharmacy technician in Alberta.
The most likely reason is that there are slides in the Jurisprudence Learning Module that you have yet to complete.
On May 19, 2026, individuals on the provisional pharmacy technician register were provided detailed information about our transition policies and options for proceeding with the SPT Program. You may only proceed in the former SPT Program if you
You must have already received confirmation that you are able to proceed with the former SPT Program. If you have not received emailed confirmation from ACP, you must complete the redesigned SPT Program.
If you are completing the former program, all documentation must be submitted to ACP in accordance with the former SPT Rules and before December 31, 2026.
If you are unable to complete the former program by December 1, 2026, and submit the documentation before December 31, 2026, you will be required to start over in the redesigned SPT Program. Time spent in the former SPT Program will not count towards the redesigned SPT Program.
No, you cannot transfer any hours between programs. The redesigned program has different rules, structure, activities, and assessments, so hours are not transferrable. It’s important to note that the SPT Program is not about completing hours. The minimum hours are a guide, but it is possible that people require additional time before demonstrating readiness for practice.
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