Continuous Professional Development
All active pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must engage in ongoing continuous professional development (CPD), or continuing education (CE), to maintain and improve their skills and knowledge base. A minimum of 15 CPD units is the requirement for licensure and supports the College’s mandate of protecting and promoting the health and well-being of New Brunswickers by ensuring the competency of its registrants.
Registrants must use the College’s learning portfolio, accessible through their online profile page, to document their Continuous Professional Development activities. The College encourages registrants to enter their activities throughout the year.
The entry of CPD units for the upcoming year can be entered only after your current year’s renewal has been finalized, including payment.
Accessing NBCP’s Learning Portfolio
- Login to your NBCP Profile
- Click on “My Learning Plans.”
- Click the + sign to start entering a new year of CPD activities. Once this has been opened, activities can be added by clicking on the arrow across from the current year.
(Please note: You will have access to view past years CPD portfolios, but are not able to make any changes once it has been submitted with renewal.)
- Click “Add” to enter a new continuing education activity and upload supporting documentation.
- Click save at the bottom of the page before leaving or what you have entered will be lost.
New Pharmacists / International Pharmacy Graduates:
If between November 1 of the previous year and November 30 of the current year, 15 hours or more were spent completing the Pharmacist Apprentice Internship Manual, and a pharmacist licence was obtained, the new pharmacist is deemed to have met the CPD requirement for the renewal period (November 1 to November 30) for the coming year only. For example, if you completed the internship manual after November 1, 2024 and obtained a license before the next renewal period, then during the renewal process for the year 2026, the new pharmacist is deemed to have met the continuing education requirement.
New Pharmacy Technicians:
If between November 1 of the previous year and November 30 of the current year, 15 hours or more were spent completing the Structured Practical Evaluation Manual and, a pharmacy technician licence was obtained, the new pharmacy technician is deemed to have met the CPD requirement for the renewal period (November 1 to November 30) for the coming year only. For example, if the training manual was started in December 2024 and a pharmacy technician licence was obtained in 2025 then during the renewal process for the year 2026, the new pharmacy technician is deemed to have met the continuing education requirement.
All proceeding years, refer to the Guidelines for Self-Assignment of Continuing Education Credits.
Continuing Professional Development FAQ
Does First Aid and CPR count toward CPD units?
First Aid/CPR remains a requirement of licensure for all pharmacy professionals working in direct client-care settings. Self-assignment of CE/CPD units following a pharmacy professional’s re-certification for First Aid/CPR is not permitted, as reflected on page four of the Guideline for Self-Assignment of Continuing Education Credits where it states:
"The following activities are not normally considered eligible for CE credit: …on-the-job training; basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and equipment demonstration are not acceptable for CE credit…”
"The following activities are not normally considered eligible for CE credit: “Refresher courses. Programs designed to update knowledge or current theory and clinical practice, which consist of a didactic and clinical component to ensure entry level competencies into professional practice are not accepted for CE credit…”
I am a pharmacist and have been a preceptor to a pharmacist student and a conditional pharmacist this year. How many CPD units can I claim for doing this?
Acting as a preceptor for a student or an apprentice does not automatically give you continuing education units (CEU). There may be certain situations, for example, where you and your student encountered a scenario unfamiliar to you and this required you to do 3 hours of research. You may assign 3 CEUs to this activity as described in the Self-Assignment Guidelines. The learning that resulted from this scenario should be documented and credits assigned, as per any learning activity.
I am completing a CE today and wanted to capture the CE while listening and noticed that there is no Learning plan open on the website for 2025-26. Wondering when we can expect this to be added?
CPD activities for the upcoming year can be entered starting December 1, or once renewal has closed for the year on November 30. You can find it on your College profile under your “My Learning Plan” by clicking on the + sign and selecting the year in the dropdown menu.
I have a question regarding the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirement for the upcoming annual re-licensure. I applied for & received my license in January of this year while I was working on my internship, residency, or practicum. Do I still need to submit documentation for 15 CPD units, or can the hours spent on my internship, residency, or practicum be used to meet this requirement?
If you have completed 15 hours or more of learning through an internship, residency, or any other practicum during the period from November 1st of the previous year to November 30 of the current year, you meet the CPD requirement for the upcoming renewal year. You would not need to submit additional CPD units. Simply enter the 15 hours of learning in your learning plan, noting the activity as your internship, residency, or practicum. These 15 hours will fulfill the CPD requirement for that year.