Over the past five years, there has been substantial focus placed on the regulated status of pharmacy technicians. In 2007, NAPRA prepared theProfessional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice. These competencies describe the roles and responsibilities of pharmacy technicians as regulated health care professionals, articulating that pharmacy technician’s expertise focuses on the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the technical elements of prescription and patient information, and of product and drug distribution. Pharmacy technicians are responsible and accountable for ensuring the safety and quality of prescription-product preparation and release, and pharmacy technicians collaborate with pharmacists in health and wellness promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management, and in supporting the autonomy of patients. Individual provinces/territories have adopted or adapted these competencies while developing related legislation, regulations and policies.
As a next step NAPRA developed Model Standards of Practice for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians (MSOPPT). The format adopted for the MSOPPT draws from that of the Model Standards of Practice for Canadian Pharmacists, which includes four domains related to medication expertise, collaboration, safety/quality and professionalism/ethics. For the Pharmacy Technicians, these domains have been adjusted to reflect technician’s focus on the technical aspects of pharmacy practice.
The current standards were approved by the NAPRA Board of Directors on November 5, 2011.
Standards of Practice
National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities
