Continuous professional development: The Ontario experience in professional self-regulation through quality assurance and peer review

Continuous professional development has emerged as a significant issue for pharmacy educators across North America. As a result of major regulatory changes governing pharmacy practice, the province of Ontario has developed a comprehensive quality assurance and peer review program designed to systematically assess the patient care competencies of practicing pharmacists. Key program components include: (1) a 2-part registration process wherein pharmacists elect to pursue Part A, direct patient care, or Part B, non-direct patient care; (2) a learning portfolio to demonstrate lifelong learning; and (3) a practice review process with a remediation component. In the 5 years that the Program has been in place 86% of practicing pharmacists were able to self-direct their professional development, while 14% required peer assistance. Performance differences emerged based on the number of years since graduating, place of graduation, and site of practice. These results provide pharmacy educators with important information regarding the needs of practicing pharmacists, as measured through direct assessment of their clinical knowledge and skills.