Have you ever questioned why it is so difficult to migrate between different countries with a pharmacy licence? In jurisdictions with similar practice standards, why do regulatory bodies often require extensive and expensive examinations and internships? How can we support migration for individuals and employers seeking to sustain and scale their workforce? This symposium will address these questions and propose bold, evidence-driven solutions based on new modernized licensure pathways implemented in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The province of Nova Scotia in Canada is leading the world in modernizing licensing pathways for internationally educated pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to build a sustainable workforce by breaking down system barriers to licensure and practice. The Patient Access to Care Act, passed in 2023, enabled the Nova Scotia Pharmacy Regulator (NSPR) to waive certain licensing requirements for pharmacy professions licensed in countries where the education, licensing process, and scope of practice are of the same high standard as in Canada. This resulted in the establishment of the Waiver of Registration of Licensing Requirements in the Public Interest – International Jurisdictions Policy implemented in December 2023. This policy enabled licensed/registered pharmacy professionals from 5 countries (Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, USA) to license in Nova Scotia without the need to undertake national competency exams and an internship period that are typically required for international applicants. To date, over 100 pharmacy professionals have been licensed in Nova Scotia through this pathway.

In 2025, the NSPR in collaboration with Dalhousie University and other partners initiated the Jordan Pharmacy Licensing Pathway (JPLP) pilot in direct response to the need for more pharmacy professionals in community and hospital pharmacies. Enabled by the Patient Access to Care Act, the pilot was designed to ensure qualified pharmacists can integrate into the provincial healthcare system efficiently while upholding the highest safety standards. A cornerstone of the JPLP is its adoption of a modernized way of assessing competence. Unlike traditional methods that rely on a single point-in-time exam, the JPLP has incorporated a best-practice model that evaluates an individual’s competence at multiple points in practice over time. Potential candidates were first screened for eligibility, and required to complete competency and employability screening assessments conducted in Jordan in May 2025 prior to arrival in Nova Scotia. The first cohort of 17 successful candidates were then matched to employers in Nova Scotia and began a Practice Readiness Assessment Program (PRAP) administered by Dalhousie University to ensure candidates met required entry-to-practice competencies. The PRAP was designed using programmatic assessment principals, occurred over three phases (pre-arrival, in-country orientation, and experiential training), and will be discussed in detail during this symposium. Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) were used to assess competencies and candidates were required to demonstrate independence in performing the EPAs by the end of a 10-week workplace-based assessment period. Successful completion of this program, in addition to meeting language and jurisprudence requirements, allowed candidates to obtain a full pharmacist’s licence without requirement of completion of national licensing exams.

The symposium will focus on the legal, ethical, policy, education, and evaluation considerations of these approaches to modernizing licensing pathways in our jurisdiction. The specific objectives are to:
• Outline the rationale for modernizing licensing pathways in Nova Scotia
• Describe two modernized licensing pathways for internationally trained pharmacists in Nova Scotia, including legal, policy, ethical, and evaluation considerations
• Explain the complexities of relocating to practice, including the collaboration of four distinct systems: employment, immigration, professional licensure, and settlement.
• Describe the implementation and outcomes of the Practice Readiness Assessment Program for assessment of entry-to-practice competencies of internationally-educated pharmacists

This symposium showcases intersection between policy, practice, and education. It will be thought-provoking and may challenge participants’ views on licensing and measuring competency through high stakes assessment. It has relevance to all world regions and professional sectors, where regulators must determine policies and procedures for ensuring competence of our entry-to-practice workforce. It directly aligns with the conference theme of ‘Innovation with Impact’.

Further information about the initiatives discussed in this symposium can be found at the following links:
https://rxns.ca
https://nspharmacy.ca/jplp/
https://www.dal.ca/faculty/health/cpe/programs1/practice-readiness-assessment-program.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/jordan-pharmacists-recruitment-pilot-program-nova-scotia-health-care-9.7068123