Registration Information for IPGs
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STEP 1 – Pre-Registering with OCP

A pre-registration number will be assigned to you upon processing of the following:
STEP 2 – Registering as a Student

NOTE: To perform any of the “controlled acts” (duties) of the pharmacy profession in Ontario you must register as a pharmacy student. This registration must be confirmed by OCP before participating in clinical rotations or working as a pharmacy student.

Pre-registration must be complete in order to register a Student position. This includes meeting OCP’s language proficiency requirement.

In order to register as a student you must meet one of the following requirements:

1) Be enrolled in the International Pharmacy Graduate (IPG) Program (offered through the University of Toronto) which consists of:
  • 8 weeks Canadian Pharmacy Skills I
  • 8 weeks Canadian Pharmacy Skills II
The IPG Program staff will confirm your admission to the program with OCP.

2) Be granted student status by a Panel of the Registration Committee as follows:
  • Applicants successful on both parts of the PEBC Qualifying Examination on their first attempt are not required to complete the IPG program. It is still necessary to make a request to a Panel, who will determine what, if any, additional education and/or training is required.
  • A temporary provision is in place to allow other applicants to request an exemption from the IPG program provided they complete any other education or training that a Panel of the Registration Committee requires and provided they are registered as a pharmacy student on or before December 3, 2011. In order to be granted this exemption, they must make a request to a panel and provide evidence to support the request which may include, among other evidence, the successful completion of both parts of the PEBC Qualifying Examination. A panel may order that additional education and/or training is required.
In order to apply for a certificate of registration as a student please submit the following: Structured Practical Training (SPT) Studentship

While registered as a pharmacy student you must complete a MINIMUM of 12 weeks of Structured Practical Training. Upon registration as a student, you may apply to complete your SPT Studentship with OCP. Please provide your SPT training information on the studentship application form.

OCP will verify the following: Once OCP approves your eligibility to begin training as a student, you will receive an email confirming your official studentship start date and information on how to download your SPT studentship manual and handbook.

You must notify OCP of any sites that you will be performing the controlled acts of the profession in a pharmacy.

NOTE: The MINIMUM length of SPT studentship has been reduced to 12 weeks for international pharmacy graduates. However, the actual duration of training will reflect the student’s ability to demonstrate the required NAPRA competencies.

Step 3 - Registering as an Intern

NOTE: To perform any of the “controlled acts” (duties) of the pharmacy profession in Ontario you must register as a pharmacy intern. This registration must be confirmed by OCP before participating in clinical rotations or working as a pharmacy intern.

In order to apply for a certificate of registration as an intern you must complete the following requirements:
    • IPG program (where applicable)
    • SPT studentship
Please submit the following: OCP will verify the following:
    • Your eligibility to register as an intern based on the currency of your education and training (If you are applying to register as an intern and it has been more than 2 years since you have completed the IPG program or 1 year since you completed SPT studentship you may need to make a request to the Panel of the Registration Committee.)
    • The eligibility of your proposed preceptor (see SPT Preceptor Criteria)
    • The eligibility of your training site (see SPT Site Criteria)
Once OCP approves your eligibility to register as an intern, you will receive an email confirming your official internship start date and information on how to download your SPT internship manual and handbook

NOTE: The MINIMUM length of SPT internship has been reduced to 12 weeks from 16 weeks for international pharmacy graduates. However, the actual duration of training will reflect the intern’s ability to demonstrate the required NAPRA competencies.

Step 4 - Registering as a Pharmacist

In order to apply for a certificate of registration as a pharmacist, you must have met the internship registration requirements along with the following:
    • SPT internship
    • PEBC Qualifying Exam Parts I & II
    • OCP’s Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence Exam (The jurisprudence exam must have been successfully completed within the past 3 years.)
Please submit the following: OCP will verify your eligibility to register as a pharmacist based on the currency of your education and training. (If you are applying to register as a pharmacist and it has been greater than 2 years since you completed the IPG program and your SPT internship you may need to make a request to the Panel of the Registration Committee.)

Please allow one to two weeks for your application to be processed. A Client Services representative will notify you when you are licensed.

Click here to see a sample of the range of costs and time it may take to complete the registration process.