November/December 2008 - Ontario College of Pharmacists

egistration Q&A
Chris Schillemore, R.Ph., B.Sc.Phm. M.Ed.
Manager, Registration Programs
QMy fluency score will expire before I am licensed.
What should I do?
The Registration Committee has approved a policy allowing
registration advisors to extend the validity of language proficiency
test scores if you are currently enrolled in the International
Pharmacy Graduate program at the Leslie Dan Faculty
of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, or are completing
your Structured Practical Training at the student or intern
level in Ontario. If your fluency scores expired before you
started training at the student level, or if there are any concerns
about your fluency, your request will be referred to a
panel of the Registration Committee. The panel will consider
current use of the language and decide whether it will
extend the validity of your test score or require you to complete
another test. Panels will consider any evidence you
may wish to provide in support of your request; however,
they make their decisions on a case-by-case basis.
For information on the language proficiency tests and
scores that meet OCP’s language requirements, go to
www.ocpinfo.com > Licensing > Training & Assessments
> Fluency.
QI am making a request for an exemption from a
registration requirement. When will my request
go to a registration panel?
The deadline for submitting your request to a specific panel
is the first day of the month before the panel is to meet; for
example, all documents for the February panel must be received
by January 1. The Regulated Health Professions Act
(RHPA) Procedural Code requires the College to give applicants
notice of their right to provide any documentation
to support a request within 30 days.
Client Services cannot forward your file to the Registration
Programs department to make a request to a panel until
they receive the following:
• all documents required to complete your pre-registration
file
• the Pre-Registration form [available at www.ocpinfo.com
> Licensing > Forms > Pre-Registration Form (Filing Fee
Form)]
• the student or intern application form
• the appropriate fees
• a letter explaining your request, along with documentation
to support your request for an exemption.
Since it may take more than the 30 days given in the notice
for you to obtain documents from other jurisdictions,
incomplete files will not be forwarded to the Registration
Programs department until the outstanding documentation
is received.
Client Services staff must confirm your identity, pharmacy
education, status in Canada, licensure and good standing
in other jurisdictions, good character, examination results,
and language proficiency before sending your request
to the Registration Programs department. It is important to
respond to requests from Client Services for outstanding information
as quickly as possible so that your application can
be referred to a panel.
Once your pre-registration is complete, the Registration
Programs Assistant will review your request and documents.
You will receive a formal referral letter from the
Registrar, as required by the RHPA Procedural Code, listing
the reasons for your referral to a panel as well as the date
of the meeting. The letter also states that you have 30 days
to submit additional material to support your request. The
Registration Programs Assistant may contact you to suggest
specific documents that you submit to support your
request to the panel.
While OCP staff make every effort to forward your
file to the next available panel, missing documentation can
cause delays. For more information, please go to www.ocpinfo.com
> Licensing > Member Registration > Registration
Panel Requests.
22 pharmacyconnection • November/December 2008