Frequently Asked Questions

 GENERAL INFORMATION

Course Fee:

Burlington: CAN $2,000.00 plus GST of 5%

Toronto: CAN $2,200.00 plus GST of 5%

The full amount for the course can be paid by credit card using our secure online registration system. 

Cancellation: A refund for your registration fee minus an administration  fee of 25% of the course registration fee will be issued is you cancel in writing at least fifteen (15) business days prior to the scheduled course date.  However, if written notification is received less than 15 days before the start date, or if you fail to attend the course, the registration fee in full is due for payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is your success rate with your course?

A: It is difficult to determine our success rate since the final OSCE results are sent only to the persons taking the OSCE examination.   We rely on all attendees of our OSCE preparatory course to send their pass / fail results to us.  Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, attendees often do not send us their final results.  

Q:  How often do you run your OSCE preparatory course?

A:  The course is run twice a year, usually in the Spring and Fall prior to the PEBC examinations. 

Q: Why is the Toronto course more expensive than the Burlington course?

A: The cost of running an OSCE preparatory course at a Toronto hotel is much more expensive than Burlington, Ontario. 

Q: Why do you not offer courses in therapeutics to help people with the Part 1 (MCQ) portion of the examination?

It is very difficult to effectively cover many areas of therapeutics in a short period of time.   It would take many weeks to try to cover several areas of therapeutics.  Many people who take our OSCE preparatory course travel from overseas and cannot take several weeks off work to attend a MCQ course.

Q: Who do you use as instructors?

A: All instructors and lecturers are licensed and qualified pharmacists in Canada.  All the pharmacist-evaluators used for the role playing exercises are licensed pharmacists in Ontario.   Standardized (actor) patients from the University of Toronto Standardized Patient Program are used in all role playing scenarios.  The standardized patients are highly qualified instructors that provide useful feedback to students during the course.

Q: Does the course cover accommodations and meals?

A: Participants are responsible for their own travel costs and accommodations.  Lunch and nutrition breaks are provided for. 

Q: Why do you limit the number of course attendees to 24 people?

A: We limit the number of attendees to 24 people because we prefer to give individual attention to all attendees.  A large component of the training involves role playing which is difficult to do with large numbers of attendees.   In addition, there are many extra people (standardized patients and pharmacist-evaluators) involved with the training which makes it logistically difficult. 

Q: How is your course structured?

The course emphasizes the elements weighed most heavily on the PEBC OSCE examination (pharmaceutical care and communication skills).  Please see www.pebc.ca for more information.  We also cover federal jurisprudence, ethics and a review of commonly used Canadian references.   A variety of teaching methods are used, with a major emphasis on role playing and problem solving.  The last day of training involves a mock OSCE exam with standardized patients and pharmacists evaluators.

Q: Do you offer your course in other locations other than Toronto and Burlington?

A: Unfortunately, no.  It is very difficult to run this course in other cities since there are so many people involved in the training.  The last day of training involves about 20 additional people.

Q:  How long have you been running your OSCE preparatory course?

A: Approximately 9 years. 

Q: Who can I contact for more information?

A:  Call Agro Health Associates at 905-335-3232 or email us at mail@agrohealth.com