Whether you are a pharmacy student in first to third year or a fourth year about to graduate, you can join the frontlines in community pharmacy today.
Who qualifies?
Who qualifies as a temporary limited pharmacist or limited pharmacist?
After you graduate from the UBC PharmD program this year, you will no longer be eligible to remain a Student Pharmacist Registrant, but as there are no Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) exams scheduled you will not be eligible for the Full Pharmacist Registration category either.
As a graduate who has not completed the PEBC exam, you will be eligible to register as a Temporary Limited Pharmacist or Limited Pharmacist however.
Before graduation, you will remain a Student Pharmacist Registrant.
What is this new Temporary Registrant category?
The Provincial Health Officer requested all health regulators to begin emergency registration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the College of Pharmacists of BC has amended the Health Professions Act bylaws pertaining to Temporary Registrants in order to ensure there is enough support in pharmacies during this health emergency. Learn more.
Scope of Practice:
A Temporary Limited Pharmacist and Limited Pharmacist can practice to the same scope as a full pharmacist, but only under the supervision of a full pharmacist approved by the registration committee for that purpose.
What is the difference between a temporary limited and limited pharmacist?
The Temporary Registrant category is only available when activated by the College registrar in response to a crisis. Once the crisis is deemed over, those under the Temporary Registrant will no longer be registered.
The other major difference is that there are no College registration fees for the Temporary Registrant categories, while the Limited Pharmacist fee is $739 per year.
Insurance Coverage
There is a general misconception that since you are under direct supervision of a full pharmacist registrant that you have insurance through that pharmacist’s insurance coverage. This is not the case. When you are on a practicum as a student, you are covered by UBC’s General Liability insurance.
You need to ensure you either purchase insurance yourself or ensure that your employer has purchased personal malpractice insurance for you specifically. If the pharmacy you are working for purchases insurance for you, the insurance policy must have your name on it and you should make sure to get a copy of the policy as well. Remember that there are no guarantees that someone else’s insurance coverage will cover you.
As you know, insurance coverage is also a College requirement to register as a Temporary Limited Pharmacist or Limited Pharmacist.
Click here to learn more about the special insurance coverage rate of $200 per year BCPhA is providing to support Temporary Limited Pharmacists and Limited Pharmacists.
How much does it cost to apply?
The fee to register as a temporary limited pharmacist is $28.00 for the Criminal Record Check done by the College. The College has waived the annual registration fee for all Temporary Registrants.