Qualifying Examination Blueprint
Introduction
The Pharmacist Qualifying Examination blueprint is based on the 2024 NAPRA Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice. The exam blueprint informs candidates about what the exam will test and guides PEBC to design exams that are comparable from one administration to the next, giving all candidates equal opportunity to show whether they have the competencies that are necessary to practise pharmacy safely and effectively in Canada. Therefore, all candidates should review this blueprint thoroughly and determine whether they are ready to practise pharmacy or if they need more preparation or experience in any competency area before taking the Qualifying Examination.
Competencies are defined as a combination of professional knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and judgments required for safe and competent performance (i.e., safe and effective practice). They provide an overview of what a pharmacist must be able to do at entry to practice, without supervision, when the need arises. Standards of practice describe what can be expected of a pharmacy professional as ”good practice”, providing detail about how to perform many of the tasks required to provide safe and effective pharmacy services. The national standards of practice are outlined in NAPRA’s Model Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians. To meet these standards, pharmacists need to have and apply the competencies described. Competencies are presented as behaviours since they are meant to be observable, with the underlying knowledge required to support these behaviours. To be certified by PEBC and registered as a pharmacist, candidates are required to demonstrate that they have these professional competencies at entry to practice, by successfully completing the Qualifying Examination.
Qualifying Examination questions in Part I (MCQ) and station tasks in Part II (OSCE) are linked to these national competencies. The proportion of the overall Qualifying Examination that focuses on the six major competencies is shown in the column on the right as a percentage (%) of the Total Exam. These percentages indicate how much of the Qualifying Examination for both Parts combined is focused on each competency area. This also indicates the relative importance of each competency in the exam results and final certification decisions. When both Parts assess the same competencies, they will often assess different aspects or elements of the same competency. Providing Care: Clinical Care has the highest overall weighting and the highest weighting in each Part (MCQ and OSCE). This reflects the paramount importance of this competency to achieve best possible patient outcomes.
Approximate weightings for each competency area within each Part of the exam (i.e. MCQ in relation to OSCE) have also been provided in the right columns. For example, Providing Care: Distribution has higher weightings in Part I (MCQ) than in Part II (OSCE), whereas Communication and Collaboration is more highly weighted in Part II (OSCE) than in Part I (MCQ). Whereas, for Leadership and Stewardship the weightings across both Parts of the exam are the same, and fairly similar for Professionalism.
The role of the pharmacist in the Canadian health care system has evolved significantly over the past several years. Thus, pharmacists’ required knowledge and skills at entry to practice have also evolved, in order to fulfill their expanded scope of practice and meet patients’ needs. As such, the blueprint now includes the following two competencies under Professionalism: promote equity, diversity and inclusion in the practice environment; and promote a culture of patient safety and continuous quality improvement.
The competencies for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians may either be common or specific to each role, with each professional taking responsibility for their respective roles while working collaboratively. Pharmacists are primarily responsible for drug therapy advice and decision-making, focusing on the clinical aspects of providing patient care. Pharmacy technicians are primarily responsible for the technical distribution functions and for referring patients to the pharmacist for drug therapy advice. In many workplaces, pharmacists take or share responsibility for these technical functions, and must be competent in Providing Care: Distribution.
Although some aspects of the scope of practice of the Canadian pharmacist may differ among jurisdictions and workplaces, the core competencies expected of pharmacists at entry to practice are the same. In all settings, when providing patient care, the pharmacist works in collaboration with the patient, pharmacy technicians and other health care professionals to achieve the best possible health outcomes for the patient.