Structured Practical Training Program

You must complete the following requirements before you can begin your SPT:

1. Submit a Pharmacy Technician-in-Training Application form and receive approval from the College
2. Find a qualified SPT supervisor and practice site
3. Submit a Pharmacy Technician Structured Practical Training Notification and receive approval from the College. The SPT Training Notification form will be available in your online portal once you are approved as a pharmacy technician-in-training.

For more information on this steps, please see the Structured Practical Training Program Manual

The SPT program is completed by the pharmacy technician-in-training over a minimum of 240 hours (six weeks) or 360 hours (9 weeks) of work in a patient-care setting; however, it can be extended to a maximum of six months.

Graduates of a CCAPP-accredited pharmacy technician program who list less than three years post-graduation, must complete a minimum of 240 hours of structured practical training.  Graduates of a CCAPP-accredited pharmacy technician program who list three or more years post-graduation, must complete 360 hours of structured practical training.

The practice site must be a licensed community pharmacy or hospital pharmacy where staff are engaged in patient care and where all requirements of the SPT program can be effectively completed. Activities and services conducted at the practice site must include dispensing, compounding, and product preparation. Your primary supervisor or pharmacist delegate must be present at the SPT site during all of your SPT program activities.

An SPT supervisor can be either a listed pharmacy technician or a licensed pharmacist with the College who meets appropriate qualifications.

Pharmacy technician supervisors must meet ONE of the following qualifications:

• Pharmacy technicians who graduated from a Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) accredited course and has been listed with the College for at least two years; OR
• Pharmacy technicians who completed their accreditation through the National PharmacyTechnician Bridging Program and Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) evaluations and has been with the College for at least one year; OR
• Be approved by the College Registrar.

Supervisors must meet ALL of the following qualifications:

• Possession of a licence (pharmacist) or listing (pharmacy technician) free from practice conditions;
• Capability to review the pharmacy technician-in-training’s assignments for accuracy and completeness; AND
• Be free from conflict of interest with regard to the pharmacy technician-in-training.

A conflict of interest is any real or perceived relationship that jeopardizes fairness or objectivity. Relationships with family members, close friends, or business partners can be cause for a conflict of interest. Your SPT supervisor and practice site must be free from these relationships, or such a relationship needs to be declared to the College Registrar and considered for approval. Conflict of interest considerations extend to ALL staff at an SPT practice site.

During your SPT, you must demonstrate all competencies outlined in the SPT Manual and the SPT evaluation forms contained in the SPT Submission Forms package. Formally, you will receive two or three evaluations from your supervisor:

1. Part I Evaluation after 120 hours.
2. Part II Evaluation after 240 hours.
3. Part III Evaluation after 360 hours (only for those completing a 360 hour SPT program).

After you review each of these documents with your supervisor, you must submit them to the College within seven days of completing that portion of your SPT.

You must successfully complete the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba Pharmacy Technician Jurisprudence Examination (JP Exam) prior to the completion of the first 120 hour block of the SPT Program. As a pharmacy technician-in-training, you cannot complete any of the remaining hours of the SPT program until you have successfully passed the JP Exam. Your supervisor must see evidence that you have successfully completed the JP Exam by reviewing the confirmation letter emailed to you by the College.

No. A pharmacy technician-in-training cannot work more than 40 hours per week at their supervising pharmacy.

Demonstration of Product Release Proficiency (DPRP) is a pharmacy technician-in-training demonstration of 200 consecutive technical checks of product preparation or prescription fills with one hundred per cent accuracy. The items that you check must be done using an independent double check. An independent double check means that a second qualified individual verifies the product preparation or prescription fill.

You can start your DPRP at any time during your SPT, but your supervisor must be confident in your ability to perform the checks. You can complete a maximum of 50 checks per day. If you make an error, you must begin the process again regardless of how many checks you performed before making the error. For example, if you make a mistake on your 199th check, you must begin again.