Mentored Work Placements
Mentored work placements give eligible IPG participants the opportunity to gain real-world experience in Canadian community pharmacy settings.
These structured, short-term paid placements help IPG mentees build the skills, confidence and familiarity needed for the exams, licensure assessments and a future in pharmacy. Pharmacies across Canada can get involved by hosting a placement and designating a pharmacist mentor to support the mentee’s learning.
For Mentees
What are mentored work placements?
Placements are hands-on training opportunities in community pharmacies. They range from 150 to 240 hours, with mentees working at least 15 hours per week across two or more shifts. These placements are designed to:
- Provide you with hands on experience in a Canadian pharmacy
- Help you understand pharmacy operations
- Strengthen professional communication skills
- Provide a supportive learning environment
- Offer mentorship tailored to your licensure stage and experience
Who is eligible?
To participate, you must:
- Be a permanent or temporary resident, Canadian citizen or person granted refugee status in Canada, who is legally entitled to work in Canada.
- Hold an internationally obtained undergraduate degree in pharmacy.
- Hold a Canadian Language Benchmark of 7+ preferred or equivalent; and
- One of the following:
- Passed the PEBC Evaluating Exam
- Accepted into a streamlined pathway (PEBC or select provinces)
- Granted partial equivalence (minimum) by OPQ in Quebec with compensatory measures in progress (must have passed the PEBC Evaluating Exam if prescribed)
- Registered as a student or intern (or equivalent) with a provincial regulatory authority / College of pharmacy
You must also attend a pre-placement orientation, commit to completing the full placement, and submit a personalized Learning Plan with updates throughout.
CPS Full Access Subscription
IPG mentees who participate in the work placement will also receive a complementary 12-month subscription to CPS Full Access, identified by PEBC as a resource to help prepare for the Pharmacist Qualifying Exam.
For Mentors and Pharmacies
Why host a placement?
Pharmacies play an important role in supporting the integration of internationally trained pharmacists. By hosting a mentored work placement, you help build capacity in the profession, support newcomer integration and bring fresh perspectives to your team.
To support your participation, CPhA provides:
- A wage subsidy to help cover the mentee’s salary during the placement
- A service fee paid to the pharmacy for hosting the placement
What are the requirements?
To host a placement, a pharmacy must:
- Be licensed/registered
- Have a pharmacist mentor on staff
- Add the mentee to payroll and pay them directly
- Provide a supportive learning environment
Mentor Eligibility
Mentors must:
- Be a registered pharmacist in Canada, licensed to provide patient care
- Hold an active registration in good standing with their provincial regulatory body
- Have at least 2 years of Canadian patient care experience as a pharmacist
- Have experience in mentoring, precepting, teaching or training roles
- Be willing to educate, coach and support a mentee
- Be committed to continuous learning and professional development
- Be affiliated with a pharmacy that provides patient care
Mentors must not:
- Have a close personal relationship with the mentee (e.g. family member or someone in the same household)
Mentors must also:
- Complete at 1-hour virtual orientation session
- Along with one additional team member, complete a 1-hour online training module: Fostering inclusive pharmacy workplaces for internationally educated pharmacists
- Adhere to the program's guidelines, including time commitments and ethical standards
- Be available to mentor a minimum of 15 hours per week across at least 2 shifts
- Provide regular check-ins and structured feedback
- Review the Learning Plan with the mentee at least every 2 weeks
Getting Started
Apply now as a mentor or as an IPG mentee.
Evaluation
We kindly ask all participants to complete a survey before and after the placement. You may also be invited to complete brief follow-up surveys to help us evaluate how the project has contributed to your long term success. Your feedback is invaluable and helps us improve our program!
