SPT Preceptor Criteria – Technician Applicants

The proposed registration regulation to revise Ontario Regulation 202/94 requires that every pharmacy technician applicant must have successfully completed in-service training under a preceptor acceptable to the Registration Committee. A pharmacist or pharmacy technician (once registered) cannot act as a preceptor until the application has been confirmed by the College, and the technician applicant has pre-registered with the College. A technician applicant cannot perform any of the authorized acts since they are not members of the College while completing their training.

This policy outlines who is eligible to be a preceptor and how a preceptor is expected to function. The policy is not to be applied where the result might be to discriminate against a pharmacist or a registered pharmacy technician who is disabled as that term is defined by the Ontario Human Rights Code. If that issue arises, the application to be a preceptor shall be referred to the Registration Committee.

1. A preceptor must be a pharmacist or pharmacy technician who practises in Ontario for at least 18 hours a week, and has been licensed and practising in a similar scope of practice in a Canadian jurisdiction for at least one year.
2. A preceptor must not undertake the in-service training of more than one technician applicant or, if applicable, one registered student or intern for the purposes of fulfilling the requirements of the College’s Structured Practical Training (SPT) Program at any one time unless otherwise authorized by a panel of the Registration Committee.
3. A preceptor must not:

   have any terms, conditions or limitations on his/her certificate of registration other than those applicable to all members of the class in which the preceptor holds a certificate of registration unless otherwise authorized by a panel of the Registration Committee; have been found to have committed an act of professional misconduct or to be incompetent by the Discipline Committee within the last six years unless otherwise authorized by a panel of the Registration Committee; have been found to be incapacitated by the Fitness to Practice Committee within the last six years unless otherwise authorized by a panel of the Registration Committee; have been the subject of allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence that have been referred to, but not yet decided upon by, the Discipline Committee; or have been the subject of allegations of incapacity that have been referred to, but not yet decided upon by, the Fitness to Practice Committee.

4. The preceptor must have met the training requirements of the College by completing the College’s appropriate Preceptor Orientation Workshop.
5. To continue to be eligible to serve as a preceptor, the preceptor must have served as a preceptor and meet the additional educational requirements for preceptors as determined by the Registration Programs staff (currently required every three years).
6. The preceptor must practise in a pharmacy that meets the SPT Practice Site Criteria for Pharmacy Technician Applicants unless otherwise authorized by a panel of the Registration Committee. Click here to view the Practice Site criteria for Pharmacy Technician Applicants.

1. The preceptor must take primary responsibility for directly supervising and assessing the technician applicant for a minimum of 18 hours a week. The preceptor may delegate a portion of the direct supervision and assessment to other pharmacists or registered pharmacy technicians as appropriate.
2. The preceptor must complete all required assessments of performance and submit the final assessment to the College within seven days of completion of training.
3. If the training is terminated for any reason by either party, the preceptor must complete and return an assessment to the College within seven days of that termination.