Friday Five (September 12, 2025)

1. Register Today: Regulatory Reform Project Information Webinar 
2. Continuing Competency Matters 
3. CPhM Fax Number 
4. Preparing for the Renewal Period: Learning Plan 
5. Palliative Care Exemption for Compounding – Email to Pharmacy Managers 
6. Registration Now Open for OAT 101: Introduction to Clinical Practice  
7. Professional Development Opportunities & Upcoming Events

Register Today: Regulatory Reform Project Information Webinar 

On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) is hosting an information webinar on the Regulatory Reform Project. Leading the webinar are Leanne Matthes and Liz Ambrose, two highly experienced consultants with extensive backgrounds in healthcare regulation.  

Leanne Matthes has worked in healthcare regulation since 2008 and lead the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM) through its transition to regulation under the The Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA). Since retiring from CRNM in 2021, she has been providing consulting services to numerous Manitoba regulators, specializing in policy development, regulatory changes, and leading governance practices.  

Liz Ambrose brings a combination of clinical experience and policy expertise to the project.  Originally trained as a registered nurse, she worked for Manitoba Health and was seconded to the Legislative Unit to assist with drafting the CRNM Practice Regulations and General Regulations. Her work with various regulatory bodies, including the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists and Manitoba Association of Registered Respiratory Therapists, has provided her with a thorough understanding of the complexities involved in transitioning health professions under the RHPA. 

During the webinar, Leanne and Liz will outline key elements of the RHPA, highlighting its differences from The Pharmaceutical Act, the steps required to bring pharmacy professionals under regulation of the RHPA, and the impact this will have on pharmacy technicians in particular. They will also provide a clear overview of the transition process and what pharmacy professionals can expect moving forward. 

To register for the September 24, 2025, Regulatory Reform Project Information Webinar, please visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7117565011506/WN_GkG13RjKRC-vECVvDL-qRg   

For more details about the Regulatory Reform Project, and to access the webinar recording afterward, please visit: https://cphm.ca/advancing-pharmacy-regulation-under-the-rhpa/ 

Continuing Competency Matters  

In the last Continuing Competency Matters the changes in continuing education that most pharmacy provincial regulatory authorities (PRA) have made were reviewed, including the shift towards continuing professional development (CPD), emphasizing reflection and increasing documentation requirements. 

Best practices in CPD from other health professions add the additional step of requiring registrants to use measures of the quality of their own practice within a CPD cycle ([i]). Ideally this means registrants use existing practice quality data from third parties such as, for medicine in Manitoba, their performance on the Primary Care Quality Indicators (Manitoba Primary Care Quality Indicators).  

Unfortunately, practicing pharmacists do not have routine access to their individual or pharmacy-level performance data. In fact, few evidence-based quality indicators specific to pharmacy have been identified and measured. The Ontario College of Pharmacists has explored the relative performance rates on indicators measuring appropriateness of dispensed medications, medication-related hospital visits, medication reviews post discharge, patient-reported experiences and member experience (OCP Quality Indicators 2022). However, pharmacists and pharmacies did not know their scores, making it difficult to use the data to guide CPD or practice improvement. 

Green Shield Canada developed their Pharmacy Quality Rating in 2017 that provided pharmacy-specific relative performance on quality indicators developed primarily by Pharmacy Quality Solutions in the USA (Green Shield Indicators 2019). (CPhA on Green Shield). However, it was limited to pharmacies participating in Green Shield’s program, and the phase 3 emphasis on reimbursement levels was argued to shift focus from quality to pay for performance. *   

Some quality-of-care indicators used by other health providers and health systems could be adapted for pharmacy. The Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP), in collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan Faculty of Pharmacy, is currently developing and evaluating the use of patient feedback for community pharmacies and colleague/peer feedback for hospital pharmacists as possible quality-of-care measures to help pharmacists  identify areas for practice improvement (SCPP CAP update), (SCPP PREMs PEER). Since there are no systems in Canada that routinely access the required data and report it to community pharmacies as performance feedback for practice improvement, SCPP is also developing resources that offer practical examples of how pharmacists can use their experiences in daily practice to guide their CPD (SCPP examples).  

For registrant’s perspective, members of the QA Committee have provided feedback on perceived feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of these best practices. However, additional feedback from practicing pharmacists – especially from community pharmacists – is needed to better understand current practice realities and needs. CPhM is, therefore, looking for pharmacists practicing in community pharmacy (at least one day per week on a regular basis) to participate in one of two Focus Group discussions with consultant Nancy Winslade. We are looking for a range of participants from different pharmacy types, locations, and roles, including both staff pharmacists and managers/owners.  

Dates being considered are Oct 22, 23, 27 and 28 and each session will run for 1.5 hours in the evening. If you are interested in participating, please use this link to submit your information for consideration: https://forms.office.com/r/vj7qwA6j0F 

* The current reporting and status of Green Shield’s Initiative is unclear.

i. Sherman L, Aboulsoud S, Len-Borque R et al. An overview of global CME/CPD Systems. Medical Teacher. 2024;46(11):1428-1440 (see page 1437).

CPhM Fax Number 

Please be reminded that the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) retired its former fax number (204-237-3468) on July 1, 2025. 

All fax communications must now be sent to the updated number: 204-233-1411. 

To ensure uninterrupted correspondence, kindly update your records accordingly. 

Thank you for your attention to this important update. 

Preparing for the Renewal Period: Learning Plan 

As part of the licence and listing renewal process, all pharmacy professionals are reminded that completion of the professional development requirements and the Learning Plan must be finalized prior to submission of their renewal application. 

The following guidance is provided to support pharmacy professionals in accurately completing and saving their entries: 

• Location of the “Add New Activity” Fields: 
  • Please be advised that the fields to add new learning activities now appear at the bottom of the Learning Plan page. This layout change may differ from previous years. Pharmacy professionals are encouraged to scroll to the end of the section when entering new activities. 
• Saving Entries: 
  • To prevent loss of data, pharmacy professionals are strongly advised to enter no more than 2–3 learning activities at a time and to select “Submit” before continuing with additional entries. This helps ensure that data is saved correctly and reduces the risk of technical timeouts. 
• Reporting Issues: 
  • If you experience any difficulties saving your entries or encounter error messages, please take a screenshot of the issue and forward it to Registration@cphm.ca for support. 

For more information and step by step instructions, please visit page 11 in your Registrant Portal guide: https://cphm.alinityapp.com/Client/PersonGroup/OpenDoc/1000051?ts=20250911072532.  

By reviewing your profile now and making any required updates, you will save time during the renewal process.  

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.    

Palliative Care Exemption for Compounding – Email to Pharmacy Managers 

On September 8, 2025, the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) sent an email to all pharmacy managers regarding the Sterile Compounding Exemption for Palliative Care Patients. Council is seeking pharmacy managers feedback to understand how community pharmacies in Manitoba are using the Sterile Compounding Exemption for Palliative Care Patients (the exemption). Council approved an extension of the exemption allowing for the drawing-up of comfort care medications for palliative care patients in a setting that does not meet the NAPRA Model Standards for Sterile Compounding. Your feedback will help inform Council’s future decision-making regarding the exemption.   

The short survey contains 1-7 questions and will take about two minutes or less to complete. The survey will close on October 20, 2025.  

Registration Now Open for OAT 101: Introduction to Clinical Practice   

Registration is now open for the next offering of Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) 101 – Introduction to Clinical Practice, taking place on November 13 and 14, 2025 in Thompson, MB and November 20 and 21, 2025 in Winnipeg, MB.  The workshop is generally offered annually.   

• Thompson Session: https://www.cpd-umanitoba.com/events/opioid-agonist-therapy-101-introduction-to-clinical-practice-november-13-14-thompson/  
• Winnipeg Session: https://www.cpd-umanitoba.com/events/opioid-agonist-therapy-101-introduction-to-clinical-practice-november-20-and-21-2025/  

Currently, any pharmacy providing methadone for OAT must have at least one extensively knowledgeable pharmacist that has completed the OAT 101 Workshop. The pharmacist with specialized training at a pharmacy is responsible for training all pharmacists who will be dispensing methadone.  All pharmacists dispensing methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone for OAT or who are interested in learning more about opioid use disorder are also strongly encouraged to complete this course.     

For more information on the training requirements, please review the Opioid Agonist Therapy Guidelines for Manitoba Pharmacists Resource Library | College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (cphm.ca). 

Professional Development Opportunities & Upcoming Events 

Optimizing Prescription Writing: Essentials and Updates in 30 Minutes 

• Click here to access the prerecorded webinar 
• 1.0 CEU

2025 Mandatory Professional Development – Advancing Equity in Pharmacy: Supporting Gender Diversity and 2SLGBTQ+ Patients 

Pharmacy professionals who were unable to attend the live webinar on February 5, 2025, must view a recording of the 2025 mandatory continuing education session by clicking here. 

Targeting Social Isolation and Loneliness 

• To register for the self-paced e-modules and for further information click here. 
• 2.0 CEU