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Regulation of pharmacy technicians must change

Unions representing health care professionals across Canada say a new and more reasonable regulation process is badly needed.

Ottawa (10 Jan. 2011) - The Canadian Health Professionals Secretariat (CHPS) is calling for changes to the process for regulating pharmacy technicians in Canada.

CHPS has sent a letter to the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) arguing that the current process of regulating technicians is "unnecessarily heavy handed" and should be changed.

"We urge the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada to work with the provincial colleges to develop a new registration process which finds a more reasonable balance between ensuring public safety and minimizing the time and costs to our members who have been working as pharmacy technicians for many years," CHPS says.

The letter is addressed to Peter Gdyczynski, the PEBC president, and is signed by the CHPS co-chairs, Elisabeth Ballermann, president of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE) and Mike Luff of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE).

Specifically, the letter outlines five key concerns about the requirements and steps to regulation that have been developed by the national board and provincial pharmacy colleges across the country. They are:

  • Technicians are not deemed qualified for registration because they graduated prior to the arbitrary date (2008) set for the accreditation of pharmacy technician education programs across the country.
  • They must 're-qualify' to do a job they have been doing for years.
  • There is no 'grandparenting' process for existing technicians.
  • The personal costs of the bridging program, in terms of time and money, are too high.
  • Technicians lack job security if they do not pursue registration. 

Members of CHPS include the following health care unions:

  • Health Sciences Association of BC (HSABC/NUPGE).
  • B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU/NUPGE).
  • Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE).
  • Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union (SGEU/NUPGE).
  • Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan (HSAS).
  • Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU/NUPGE).
  • Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals (MAHCP).
  • Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE).
  • New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employees (NBUPPE/NUPGE).
  • Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE).
  • P.E.I. Union of Public Sector Employees (PEIUPSE/NUPGE).
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE).
  • Association of Allied Health Professionals Newfoundland & Labrador (AAHP).

The full text of the letter is available at the link below.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE

More information:
• CHPS letter to Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada