Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board

Am I eligible to participate in PRAMS?

• All applicants must have graduated or be graduating from a Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs-accredited faculty of pharmacy or otherwise be eligible for licensure in a Canadian province
• All applicants must abide by the policies and rules of the matching service
• Please note that some programs may have different eligibility requirements and entrance criteria. It is a good idea to research or reach out to the programs to which you wish to apply to determine whether you meet their criteria. For more information about eligibility, please visit this page: https://cshp-scph.ca/eligibility

I am internationally trained in pharmacy. Am I eligible to participate in PRAMS?

• All applicants must have graduated or be graduating from a Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs-accredited faculty of pharmacy or otherwise be eligible for licensure in a Canadian province.
• Please note that eligibility for the PRAMS process does not necessarily entail eligibility for every residency program featured in PRAMS. Programs may have differences regarding eligibility requirements and entrance criteria. The CPRB encourages applicants to investigate the specific requirements of the programs they are interested in applying to.
• For more information about eligibility, please visit this page: https://cshp-scph.ca/eligibility

Do I need to be a member of CSHP to participate in PRAMS?

• An individual does not need to be a member of CSHP in order to register for and participate in PRAMS, but residents of CPRB-accredited programs are required to be members of CSHP. This means that, if an applicant successfully matches with a residency program through PRAMS and is not already a member of CSHP, they will need to register as a member by the time they begin their residency. (See Standard 2.1.5 here).

Why can't I access the PRAMS website?

• If you are able to see the homepage, you may need to create a new account or reset your password if you've had an account in previous years. 
  • If you've never made an account before, click on the green 'Don't have an account' button and follow the prompts.
  • If you have had an account before, but your password isn't working, try clicking on the blue 'Forgot your password' button and following the prompts.
  • Please note - emails from PRAMS are sometimes filtered into applicants' spam inboxes. Please check your junk folder before contacting CSHP for support.
• If you cannot see the homepage, or if the site displays an error message when you go to https://prams.cshp.pharmacy/ , it might be an issue with your firewall or browser.
  • Please start by trying a different browser on your computer (Chrome seems to work best for most people).
  • If a new browser does not solve the problem, try a new device or a new physical location. It is possible that some network firewalls will block certain websites, including PRAMS. If you cannot change your device or physical location, please contact your IT department for assistance.
  • If you have tried both of these things and still cannot access the PRAMS site, please contact us and we will do our best to assist you. If you can capture screenshots or screen recordings, those will assist us in understanding the problem.

How much does it cost to use PRAMS?

• Please see Fees and Application Requirements
• Please note that PRAMS fees are non-refundable

How does the Match algorithm work? Can you tell me how I should rank applicants/programs?

• An explanation of how the Match algorithm works is available on the CPRB website here: https://cshp-scph.ca/match. The Match works first according to the applicants’ choices and second according to the programs’ choices. The result of the match is that each applicant and each program receive their most preferred position possible
• Both applicants and programs should rank their choices based solely on their true preferences, in order of most to least preferred. You can find more information about the ranking process here https://cshp-scph.ca/ranking
• For some visual examples, visit the ‘Match – Explained’ webpage here: https://cshp-scph.ca/match-explained
• Please note - CPRB cannot provide applicants with an explanation of what kind of Match would result from a particular ranking situation, beyond what is provided on the Ranking and Match Explained webpages. 

What kind of educational records do I need for my application?

• For your application to be considered complete, you must include a record of your pharmacy degree, including a graded transcript.
• Transcripts must include the following data: name, student number, numerical mark and/or letter grade for each course taken.
• Unofficial transcripts (i.e. unsealed) transcripts in PDF format are acceptable.

If a program requests additional information (e.g., a cover letter), where should I upload it?

• If a program requests extra data, it should be uploaded on the Program page after applying to that Program (i.e., selecting it and paying the application fee). In this case, only the program that you upload the document (e.g., a cover letter) to will be able to see that file.
• Transcripts and other documents uploaded in the main application form area will be visible by all Programs. Please ensure that program-specific files are uploaded directly to the relevant Program page.

My name includes special characters. Can I use these characters in file names of documents uploaded to PRAMS?

• We are making efforts this year to ensure that special characters will be accepted by the PRAMS system and will not corrupt any documents. That said, we do recommend that all applicants review their documents after uploading them to ensure that they have been uploaded correctly and without issue

Is there anything I can do to prepare for the process?

• One of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for PRAMS is to take the Pharmacy Residency Application Roadmap course, hosted by CSHP. You can find out more about this course here: https://cshp-scph.ca/cshp-pharmacy-residency-application-roadmap
• Past participants in this course noted that they felt better prepared and that they had a better understanding of the application process than their peers who had not completed the course

Is there anything I can do to boost my application?

• Applicants are encouraged to reach out to the individual programs they are interested in.

How fierce is the competition for residency positions?

• The PRAMS process is quite competitive. On average, roughly 1/3 of applicants successfully secure residency positions

How many references do I need?

• All applicants need to provide three complete references
• When you add your referees to PRAMS, the system will send them an email requesting that they submit a reference. It is important that you ensure that your referees submit their references on time, as your application will be deemed incomplete if it does not include all three references and extensions will not be granted
• Find more information about references here: https://cshp-scph.ca/references

I’m finished my application. How do I submit it?

• You do not need to take any action to submit your application once it is finished. The system will automatically gather your details on PRAMS closing day. 

Can I make changes to my application after closing day?

• The PRAMS system will allow you to access your information and make changes after closing day, however, these changes will not be sent to the programs that you applied to; programs receive copies of applicants’ information on closing day, and cannot view changes made to applications after closing day

How do I submit my program rankings?

• There is no need to take any action to submit your program rankings. The system will automatically gather your rankings immediately following the deadline. (Check the Key Dates page for more information about this year's deadlines). You may continue to edit your rankings up until the deadline, at which point they will be submitted to the system and no further changes will be accepted.

What can I do if I or one of my references misses the deadline?

• No exceptions will be made to extend the deadline for applications.
• It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure their applications are 100% complete, their three references have completed the reference, any additional documents are uploaded to program pages within PRAM where required, and programs are selected and registration fees paid before the deadline.

Where will the Match results be posted?

• The Match results will be posted on the PRAMS website on Match Day. You will not receive an email notification

Do I need to confirm my Match results in PRAMS?

• There is no need to confirm your Match results in the PRAMS application. Matched applicants should reach out to the programs that they matched with to discuss next steps, which will occur outside of PRAMS. Once the Match has been run, the PRAMS cycle is complete for the year.

Is there an estimated timeframe for the pharmacy residency interviews, and is there an option for virtual interviews?

• As all programs schedule their own interviews, it is recommended applicants reach out to the individual programs they are interested in applying to to ask if there is an estimated timeframe for interviews and if virtual interviews are an option.
• CPRB does not schedule interviews on behalf of programs.

Am I obligated to accept my Match?

• There is no obligation for a program or applicant to accept a Match, however, once the Match has been run, virtually all positions have been filled. The Match runs on an applicant-proposing algorithm, meaning that it matches first according to the applicants’ choices and secondly according to the programs’ choices. The result of this is that each applicant and each program receives their most preferred position possible.  
• Programs and applicants should only rank choices that they would be fully capable of accepting, if matched to that result. The decision to decline a residency applicant or position should only be made in exceptional circumstances, and must be very carefully considered.

Will there be a second Match to fill vacant positions?

• There is only one Match per year, however, sometimes vacant positions will remain after the Match, and some applicants will be left unmatched. In this case, programs with vacant positions will be provided with a list of unmatched applicants (who consented to sharing their information) and may contact these unmatched applicants to fill available positions. This occurs outside of PRAMS.
• The number of vacant positions following the Match will vary per year.

Who can I contact?

• For  technical questions related to PRAMS, contact cprb@cshp.ca. 
• For questions related to the program, contact the individual program.

For further questions or comments please contact the CPRB Coordinator at cprb@cshp.ca