Removing EE =/= Standards Lowered
Maybe I haven’t looked into this enough but from my pov, removing EE really is not that big of a deal.
- I don’t think removing the EE is suddenly going to flood the market with IPGs. Historically, IPGs have had a much lower success rate on the MCQ/OSCE compared to Canadian grads.
- If anything, removing the EE could lower the pass rate initially, since there may be more people writing the MCQ who may not be as prepared.
- I’m a new Canadian grad, I’m licensed, I have my job secured, etc. I personally don’t see this as threatening to my career at all.
- If an IPG can come here and demonstrate the same competencies, then they deserve the same job opportunities. We’re not entitled to anything just because we’re Canadian-educated. It makes no difference to us if they take an extra exam or not.
- I work with a lot of IPGs planning to take the exam, they balance a lot while studying and I’m happy that PEBC made it at least a little easier for them to get licensed.
- I understand why people who already passed/took the EE might feel slighted. But I also think you should consider that taking the EE gave you the opportunity to experience a real PEBC exam environment, figure out what worked and what didn’t, identify your weaknesses, and become familiar with the testing process. If you stopped feeling bitter for 5 seconds, you’d realize those are all things that should theoretically put you in a better position going into the MCQ/OSCE compared to those who didn’t take the EE.
- I understand why some people might feel it’s unfair that Canadian grads spend $100k+ on tuition and feel like PEBC is catering to IPGs. But I also think part of what we paid for was the education and opportunities we received during those years. And IMO, the difference is reflected to some extent in the historical pass rates.
- Also… especially for the OSCE, but also for everyday practice in general; being a decent person will help you A LOT as a pharmacist. Communication, empathy, professionalism, being able to deal with difficult patients, etc. are all important parts of the job.
- If you feel resentment toward IPGs because they no longer have to take the EE, I’d personally spend some of that energy working on the people/communication side of pharmacy too. Clinical knowledge is obviously important, but being a good pharmacist is about more than just knowing the side effects of a drug and how to answer a clinical question.