Extended Practice Pharmacist

As outlined by section 96 of the Pharmaceutical Regulation, a member is qualified as a specialist in an area upon providing evidence satisfactory to the registrar that he or she has one or more of the following qualifications:

• board certification from the American Board of Pharmacy Specialties in one of the following specialties, is currently practising, and has practised for at least 1000 hours in the two years before applying for registration, in a healthcare setting in one of the following specialty areas:
  • ambulatory care pharmacy;
  • nuclear pharmacy;
  • nutrition support pharmacy;
  • oncology pharmacy;
  • pharmacotherapy;
  • psychiatric pharmacy.
• board certification in geriatric medicine from The Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy, (now the American Board of Pharmacy Specialties) is currently practising, and has practised for at least 1,000 hours in the two years before applying for registration, in a geriatric healthcare setting;
• a postgraduate clinical degree of Pharmacy (Pharm D, M.Sc. or Ph.D.) from a program approved by the council, is currently practising, and has practised for at least 1,000 hours in the two years before applying for registration, in a healthcare setting and in the specialty. See the “Council Approved Education and Certification Programs” section below for a list of programs.
• successful completion of the Canadian Diabetes Educator Certification Board examination, is currently practising, and has practised for at least 5,000 hours in the five years before applying for registration, in a diabetes healthcare setting;
• successful completion of the Certified Respiratory Educator examination administered by the Canadian Network for Respiratory Care, is currently practising, and has practised for at least 5,000 hours in the five years before applying for registration, in a respiratory healthcare setting;
• certification by the National Certification Board for Anticoagulation Providers, is currently practising, and has practised for at least 5,000 hours in the five years before applying for registration, in a related healthcare setting;
• certification from any other program approved by the council as equivalent to a program described in this section, coupled with a similar practising requirement. See the “Council Approved Education and Certification Programs” section below for a list of programs.

Note: The practice hour requirements listed under section 96 of the Pharmaceutical Regulation must be completed after the Extended Practice Pharmacist applicant has finished their clinical degree or certification program.

Council has approved the education and certification programs below as specialty qualification programs for an EPPh designation.  If you are interested in completing an education, certification or degree qualification program that is not listed below or is not listed in the Pharmaceutical Regulation, please email registration@cphm.ca for more information.

The following programs require applicants to practice for at least 1,000 hours in the two years before applying for registration:

• Accredited Canadian Hospital Residency Program (ACPR): Canadian Hospital Pharmacy Residency Board
• American Academy of HIV Medicine: HIV Pharmacist (AAHIVP)  
• Board certification from the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) for the following specialty areas:

• • • Cardiology Pharmacy
    • Critical Care Pharmacy
    • Geriatric Pharmacy
    • Infectious Diseases Pharmacy
    • Pediatric Pharmacy
    • Solid Organ Transplantation
    • Emergency Medicine Pharmacy

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) for Working Professionals Bridging Program: Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN)
• Canadian CCAPP-accredited Entry to Practice (ETP) Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program
• PharmD for Practicing Pharmacists: University of Alberta
• PharmD for Practicing Pharmacists: University of Toronto
• Postgraduate Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.): University of British Columbia
• Postgraduate Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.): University of Colorado
• Postgraduate Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.): University of Minnesota
• Postgraduate Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.): Purdue University
• Postgraduate Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.): University of Toronto
• Postgraduate Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.): Wayne State University
• Postgraduate Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Pharmacy: University of Manitoba

The following programs require applicants to practice for at least 5,000 hours in the five years before applying for registration:

• International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) Certificate in Travel Health: ISTM Certificate of Knowledge^TM

*Note that some of these programs have been discontinued by the respective universities, but applicants who have completed the programs may still apply for an EPPh designation.

Consistent with the Pharmaceutical Regulation definition of collaborative care, applicants for registration as an Extended Practice Pharmacist are required to confirm that they are in a collaborative practice setting by describing how they meet the following criteria:

• Patients are common to the pharmacist and the physician (or registered nurse extended practice / NP). i.e., both are providing care to the patient(s);
• The pharmacist and the physician (or registered nurse extended practice / NP) understand and acknowledge that they share decision-making, risks and responsibilities in the care of the patient(s) described in #1;
• The pharmacist and the physician (or registered nurse extended practice / NP) share and / or have immediate access to relevant diagnostic and health information; and
• There are established procedures for timely communication between the pharmacist and the physician (or registered nurse extended practice / NP) respecting patient care issues and decisions.

All licensed pharmacists are entered into DPIN as prescribers. Pharmacist prescriber numbers consist of the prefix ‘X’ followed by the pharmacist’s licence number. For example, ‘X12345.’ Pharmacists use this prescriber number when issuing a prescription or entering a prescription into DPIN that has been authorized by a pharmacist prescriber.

Applicants may submit the Application for Initial Registration as an Extended Practice Pharmacist, and all other supporting documents listed on the application to CPhM by Canada Post (200 Tache Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R2H 1A7), or drop them off in the black deposit box to the left of the main entrance.