The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) and the team at Pharmacists’ Gateway Canada for International Pharmacists (Gateway) are excited to share that Gateway is celebrating its 10th anniversary today.

Created by NAPRA in collaboration with its members – the pharmacy regulatory authorities (PRAs) across Canada – and the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) with initial financial support from the Government of Canada, Gateway started providing service to international pharmacy graduates (IPGs) seeking to practise pharmacy in Canada on August 20, 2014. In the decade since, it has served 31,171 IPGs as a resource on their path to licensure, sharing information with and answering questions from applicants through every step in the licensure process for each province, often starting with helping them identify requirements that can be completed before they even arrive in Canada. Over 41,000 telephone and email enquiries have been addressed to date.

Gateway – which NAPRA administers and maintains in support of its members – provides a central, secure, and confidential national document repository where IPG documents are stored and shared with the PRA in the province in which they are seeking licensure. This promotes seamless communication and significantly facilitates document sharing among the concerned parties (IPGs, PRAs, PEBC, and Gateway/NAPRA).

In addition to offering a central place to find licensing information and a national document repository for IPGs, Gateway has, over time, provided IPGs various educational tools and resources, and a now-completed pilot mentorship program matching IPGs with experienced Canadian pharmacists, which gave participants a unique and valuable opportunity to gain exposure and experience in a Canadian pharmacy environment prior to formal assessment. Currently, the NAPRA Diagnostic Tool and Learning Modules (DTLM) is available to IPGs as well as to Canadian-educated pharmacy professionals and pharmacy students. The DTLM is an online learning program addressing those seeking to increase their understanding of the knowledge and skills required for pharmacy practice in a Canadian setting and/or are preparing to meet the requirements of the pharmacy regulatory authorities for licensure in their respective jurisdiction.

IPGs have shared positive feedback regarding support received from the Gateway team throughout the various stages of the licensure process as well as the usefulness of assessment and learning programs offered over the years. IPGs have also frequently remarked on how helpful and easy to understand the licensure information provided on the Gateway website is, with particular appreciation expressed for the details given regarding every step of the licensure process for each province.

As we reflect on Gateway’s 10-year journey, NAPRA and the Gateway team remain dedicated to continuing to support NAPRA’s members, the PRAs across Canada, by delivering clear and consistent service to IPGs and continuing to enhance the value provided to all Gateway partners without whose support and engagement Gateway’s success would not be possible.