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Frequently Asked Questions

You often refer to specific sections of the HPCA Act 2003, eg s.28(2) - why?

Council firmly believes it is the professional responsibility of all pharmacists to maintain their competence as a matter of course. The HPCA Act 2003 is Government legislation, which requires all Regulatory Authorities to set, monitor and accredit recertification programmes so there is a transparent system for health professionals to demonstrate their competence. Specific references when listed are to reassure pharmacists that Council is working strictly within the bounds of the Act. You can view with Act at www.legislation.govt.nz under Acts - Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

I have had a Condition placed on my scope of practice instructing me to practise under the "oversight of a professional peer", what does this mean?

You may have been deemed not to be complying with recertification. Oversight means ‘professional support and assistance provided to a health practitioner by a professional peer for the purposes of professional development' (HPCAA definition). This means that you must have another pharmacist helping you to meet recertification requirements. This pharmacist could be a person who is employed by the PSNZ (Inc) ENHANCE team or a "peer" pharmacist. The professional peer does not need to be physically working with you.

How long will the condition on my scope of practice last?

Any pharmacist with a Condition on their scope of practice because of non compliance with recertification will be issued with an Annual Practising Certificate for the current 12 month APC year (1 April to 31 March the following year). All conditions are recorded on the Register and are publicly available. The Condition will be lifted as soon as the pharmacist can demonstrate full compliance in recertification to the Council's Competence Policy Advisor. A new APC will be issued - dated from the day the conditions are lifted, till the expiry date of 31 March of the APC year. Failure to demonstrate compliance by the end of the APC year may result in a referral to Council to determine (on a case by case basis) what further actions will be taken.

How can I show you that I am complying with recertification and have my conditions lifted?

You will be instructed to report to the Competence Policy Advisor every three months and detail the progress that you are making towards achieving compliance with the recertification process. The reports must be signed by both you and your professional peer. To demonstrate full compliance you will be required to submit a copy of your most recent Practice Review (within the last 5 years) and copies of at least two completed CPD record sheets. Providing these are completed to the satisfaction of the Competence Policy Advisor you will be deemed to be complying, and the conditions of oversight will be lifted from your scope of practice.

I have been asked to be a professional peer and provide recertification oversight to a pharmacist? Am I qualified for this?

You have been asked because you have a clear understanding of the requirements of the ENHANCE recertification programme, and are able to assist and encourage others to understand the process. Your expertise is valuable because you are undertaking recertification in your own practice and can explain its relevance to others who are struggling.

What is my responsibility as a professional peer providing recertification assistance?

The pharmacist who has asked you to be their professional peer is having difficulty complying with the ENHANCE recertification programme. You are asked to keep in touch with the pharmacist and help as needed. Often the first step will be to complete a Practice Review and identify learning goals from the review. When learning goals have been identified and undertaken, guidance should be given on recording and reflecting on the relevance of the learning in the pharmacist's practice. Writing up a CPD record sheet is another key element of the CPD cycle. Every three months the pharmacist must provide a progress report to the Council, which you are asked to sign as well.

What information is required in a three month progress report to Council?

A pharmacist who has been asked to report to Council every three months needs to provide a written report giving as much information as possible about the steps they have taken to meet recertification requirements, and the plan and timeframe for future steps. Details should include:

 when the Practice Review was undertaken, and if it hasn't been, why not

 what learning goals have been identified from the Practice Review

 what learning has been started

 what is the next step, etc.

The peer pharmacist providing oversight must sign the report and agree on the progress to date, and the action plan for the next period.

Will I have to spend lots of money on expensive courses to maintain my practising certificate?

No, courses will not be the only way that you can keep up to date. One of the reasons that the Pharmacy Council has decided to use the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) model is that it allows all pharmacists to choose their own style of learning. Courses are just one aspect of learning, and the Pharmacy Council recognises that reading, peer groups & chat groups, internet research, local branch meetings etc, all have their place as learning methods.

How much CPD is enough?

The amount of CPD you need to do is not measured by how many courses you do or how many hours of reading you do. You will measure each of your CPD goals by determining how you applied what you learned in your practice. The Outcome Credit Scale is a simple scale for doing this. Measuring the practice outcomes from your learning is a better measure of maintenance of competence than measuring how many conferences you attended or how many hours of learning you do.

Why does the Council only recognise the ENHANCE programme - is there any other way to meet recertification?

The ENHANCE programme was first piloted in 2001 by the PSNZ, and by 2004 had been trialed by 900 pharmacists. Results from the early trials found that over 95% of pharmacists found the system useful in identifying their competence and their gaps for on-going learning. In 2004 the Council undertook consultation to determine what mechanisms pharmacists wanted to be set for recertification and 87.9% of respondents agreed that a programme based on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) such as ENHANCE was a suitable programme for the future.

The Council then developed a framework for recertification with a more meaningful way of "measuring" the outcomes of CPD, and set the Outcome Credit Scale© for pharmacists to use. The PSNZ (Inc) re-vamped ENHANCE to meet this. The Council is very keen to accredit other providers of recertification who can also meet the framework. Until this time, pharmacists can only meet recertification requirements by participating in ENHANCE.

Do I have to join the PSNZ (Inc) as well as the Council to meet recertification requirements?

No. Early on, as it became clear that ENHANCE was the only recertification programme available, the Council recognised that it would not be fair to require all pharmacists to join PSNZ (Inc) to be eligible for practising certificates. Therefore, the Council required the PSNZ (Inc) to make a "folder-only" version of ENHANCE available for a reasonable cost [$80 GST incl] as part of the accreditation agreement. This option has been taken up by a number of pharmacists. ENHANCE training, support and mentoring is included in Society membership, but non members are welcome to seek assistance from the ENHANCE team, for an additional fee, eg. pre audit checks.

I have heard that ENHANCE is just a documentation system - is this right?

Yes - recertification requirements are that you must identify your learning needs by assessing yourself against the competence standards [by completing a Practice Review - see ENHANCE folder], and then undertake learning in the areas that are relevant for you. ENHANCE teaches you how to assess your competence, and then teaches you how to document the steps of your learning in the CPD cycle.

I already do a lot of extra learning in College courses as part of my pharmacy practice - will this count towards recertification?

Yes - but college credits are NOT the same as outcome credits. Recertification requirements mean that you will have to record your learning on a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Record Sheet [see ENHANCE folder] and show how it has been applied in your practice. By carefully recording the CPD process you will be able to assess the impact your learning has had on your practice and demonstrate the benefits of your new knowledge, and you will be able to assign an appropriate outcome credit [using the Outcome Credit Scale - see ENHANCE folder].

I know I need to do some up-skilling, but am not sure where to begin and am apprehensive about this. What help is there for me?

In the pilots of the ENHANCE programme, we identified a number of pharmacists in this group, so you are not alone. The pilots showed that the assessment of competence, (Practice Review) which is required for recertification, is an enormous help for many pharmacists who did not know where they needed to concentrate their learning. Recertification is all about helping pharmacists identify their strengths and weaknesses so that they can keep up to date and continue to practise competently.

My current role does not require me to dispense medicines, prepare pharmaceutical products or have direct contact with patients. How will I show if my CPD is benefiting patients or improving patient safety?

It is likely that only competence standards 1, 4 and 5 will form part of your current practice. Given that your role is likely to influence clinical practice or patient safety you should be able to show how your CPD has indirectly benefited patients and/or improved patient safety.

I am a clinical pharmacist facilitator. How will the ENHANCE programme work for me?

The ENHANCE programme has been piloted with pharmacists in all areas of practice, from hospital to community pharmacy, academia to industry, policy advisors to medical writers and pharmacist facilitators to managers. The Pharmacy Council is assured that the programme ensures all pharmacists maintain their learning relevant to their areas of practice. For roles such as facilitators, you may find that only some of the competence standards relate to your work e.g. standards 1, 2, 4 and 5. You will therefore only need to do CPD and keep up to date in these standards alone.

CPD recognises the "outcome" of learning, not the methods or hours of courses attended.

How do I join up with ENHANCE?

You need to contact the ENHANCE Programme Manager, by calling (04) 381 8357 or email ENHANCE

For any general questions on Recertification, please contact the Competence Policy Co-ordinator at the Pharmacy Council on
(04) 495 0901 or email Recertification Team