CNA-Q gets accreditation for pharmacy course

The Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programmes (CCAPP) has awarded College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) a full six-year accreditation for its pharmacy technician programme. The move comes after two years of provisional accreditation. The announcement was made by CNA-Q president Dr Ken MacLeod during a meeting of the institution’s pharmacy technician advisory committee. “I am extremely pleased to announce that we have received the highest level of accreditation for this programme,” said Dr MacLeod. “This is particularly notable, as it is the first time that a pharmacy technician programme outside Canada has received this designation.” The CCAPP makes on-site visits to examine an educational institution’s facilities and determines if programming is of the standard required for approved accreditation. In 2011, CNA-Q was visited by the CCAPP and presented with provisional accreditation. “We were told that the programme could be rated among the best in Canada,” said Irene O’Brien, dean of health sciences at CNA-Q. “So, we set about reaching those standards that would see us get a full, long-term accreditation.” When the council visited CNA-Q again in December 2012, it declared that the programme had clearly responded to the challenge, improving curriculum and teaching processes and proving a commitment to maintaining the standards of a quality pharmacy technician programme. CNA-Q’s pharmacy technician programme would, therefore, receive the maximum accreditation.