Note: The Pilot Program to Prepare for Practical Training (P4T) concluded in December 2022. NAPRA thanks all P4T mentors and mentees for making the project a success. While the mentorship component is now completed, the Diagnostic Tool and Learning Modules (DTLM) introduced as part of P4T continue to be available online to pharmacy professionals and other interested participants, with no prerequisites or requirements. To learn more: NAPRA Diagnostic Tool and Learning Modules.

The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) is currently recruiting experienced pharmacists to become mentors for the Pilot Program to Prepare for Practical Training (P4T).

P4T is a national pilot project that aims to provide international pharmacy graduates access to tools, resources, and a mentorship program as they pursue licensure in Canada. The mentorship component matches international pharmacy graduates with experienced pharmacists, providing them a unique opportunity to gain practical experience in Canadian pharmacies as well as relevant cultural knowledge and communication skills before they begin their formal training and assessments. Today we highlight Yetunde, a P4T mentee and now a licensed pharmacist practising in Canada.

Yetunde was a community pharmacist from Nigeria who decided to apply for the P4T mentorship program because it was a chance she had been waiting for: a hands-on, practical opportunity to apply her knowledge and skills and learn more about the Canadian pharmacy context. She began her mentorship placement in mid-January 2020. During the mentorship placement, Yetunde credited her mentor for giving her the opportunity to do hands-on training where she could interact with patients. Her mentor also asked her on-the-spot questions which she found really improved her critical thinking. Yetunde enjoyed receiving constructive feedback in real time.

Yetunde also notes that one of the most valuable things she learned was professional communication with doctors and other professionals in the circle of care. As she noted:

“To be honest, this mentorship program is one of the best things that could happen to internationally-trained pharmacists because of what we get to gain from it. I have people calling me from across Canada asking me how me how I got in this program, and how they can also get into the program. So, I count myself lucky to be in this program and I love it. I think this mentorship program has been awesome.”

Yetunde has since successfully completed all the requirements to obtain her license to practise pharmacy in Canada.

Learn more about the P4T program and about how to become a mentor.