Session recording

Preparing for the PEBC Exams (October 9, 2024)

This session features a question and answer session with subject matter experts Shams Qaend and Mohamed Elsayyad that will help you better prepare for the PEBC exams.

Speaker bios 

Shams Qaend
An IPG consultant at the Canadian Pharmacists Association, a pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart, she graduated from the International Pharmacy Graduate (IPG) Bridging Program from the University of Toronto, and a PharmD graduate from the University of Jordan, Shams is an ACRP-CP and CCRP certified clinical researcher, entrepreneur, and web and phone applications developer. Due to her passion for technology, she was able to create RxCourse Institute Inc. platform in pharmacy education; she got her success story published by the city of Mississauga. Shams has an ultimate goal to ease the path for international pharmacists to get a foothold in the Canadian healthcare system, to replace the journey of licensure from broken hearts and shattered dreams to success, happiness and joy of achievements.

She arrived in Canada in 2018 and noticed that immigration is like hitting the factory reset button on your phone, except you’re re-setting yourself as a human being. She was shocked at how difficult it seemed, and so many just gave up! She was especially bothered by all the ladies she met in their 30s and 40s who had owned pharmacies in their home countries. And then they come to Canada, and they put their dreams on the back burner. It’s a waste! And she knew that everything would change for them and their families once they started doing their exams and earning salaries.

Shams became an advocate for international pharmacists going back to being a practicing pharmacist in Canada and a pharmacy career educator in newcomers’ organizations like Ach?v and TRIEC. Equipped with more than 10,000 followers on social media, she was able to help over 500 international pharmacists on her online platform during the pandemic.

Mohamed Elsayyad
Mohamed Elsayyad is a licensed pharmacist in Quebec. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA). He has over nine years of experience working in the vaccinology department at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals in Egypt. Prior to his relocation to Canada, he was a licensed pharmacist in Bavaria, Germany. Upon his arrival in Quebec, he successfully completed the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) Equivalence exams through self-study and attained his licensure as a pharmacist in this province.

Since 2019, he has been operating PharmaFree, a complimentary initiative through which he has assisted more than 500 international pharmacy graduates (IPGs) in preparing for their MCQ and OSCE assessments, offering numerous preparatory sessions and lectures. In addition to his role as a pharmacist, he is an entrepreneur, a dedicated vaccinator and learner, and an advocate for vaccines in Quebec. Currently, he is pursuing a degree in economics at McGill University while also serving as a diabetes educator. He is proficient in Arabic, English, French, and German.