Spring 2024 Co-op Work Term
NOTE: This handbook is updated each work term approximately one week prior to the start of the work term. Any questions or concerns can be emailed to phrexper@uwaterloo.ca.
Last updated: April 30, 2024
Navigate the co-op supervisor handbook:
General information
Pharmacy co-op contact information
Please contact the Waterloo Pharmacy co-op team with any questions or concerns that are not addressed in the handbook below. For general Waterloo Pharmacy co-op inquiries, please email phrexper@uwaterloo.ca.
Sarah de Waal, BES, Co-op Administrative Coordinator, 519-888-4567 x21305, phrexper@uwaterloo.ca
Anthony Miller, BSc. Pharm, Co-op Experiential Coordinator/Instructor, 519-888-4567 x21335, anthony.miller@uwaterloo.ca
Communicating employment details with students
Once an employer is matched with a student, they are encouraged to email prior to the start of the work term to confirm the student’s schedule and work location. Employers may have additional hiring steps they need to complete prior to the start of the work term, such as signing of a contract, vaccination verification, etc. Employers are expected to cover Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) premiums.
Work term start and end dates
The Spring 2024 co-op work term runs from May 6 to August 23, 2024.
Employers and students may negotiate start and end dates. Students are expected to complete:
- 16 weeks of work experience
- Minimum of 35 hours per week
If acceptable to the employer, student(s) may have time off during the work term and make up the time before or after the official work term dates.
Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP)
All Waterloo Pharmacy students have been asked to register with the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP). For co-op work terms, supervisors are not required to have completed preceptor training.
OCP requires that all pharmacy students who are registered with the College have personal professional liability insurance. Students are responsible for paying for their own professional liability insurance premium. The School has already advised students of this requirement.
If the student’s co-op is located in Ontario and they will be performing the controlled acts of counselling and/or dispensing, they must report their workplace to OCP. This process must be completed within the first few days of the work term by students logging into their account at http://www.ocpinfo.com/.
CORE ELMS
CORE ELMS is an experiential learning management software used to support various processes that are a part of Waterloo Pharmacy co-op work terms and patient care rotations. Each supervisor will receive a CORE ELMS login shortly after they have been scheduled with their student in the software (approximately three weeks after the beginning of the work term). Returning supervisors will continue to use the same CORE ELMS login each work term.
This software will be used to complete the Co-op Site and Supervisor Information Form (beginning of the term), your student’s PharmD Inventory of Skills Evaluation (midpoint and final), as well as the Supervisor Feedback of the Co-op Program Evaluation. See evaluations and forms section below.
For help with CORE ELMS, please contact phrexper@uwaterloo.ca.
WaterlooWorks
WaterlooWorks is an employment administration system used to support the recruitment process for all University of Waterloo co-op students and employers. Whoever is responsible for the recruitment and hiring of your Waterloo Pharmacy co-op student will receive a WaterlooWorks login in order to post a position to hire a student.
This software will be used to complete the Co-op Student Performance Evaluation (final). See evaluations and forms section below.
For help with WaterlooWorks, please contact ceehub@uwaterloo.ca or visit WaterlooWorks Employer Help webpage.
UW library access
Waterloo Pharmacy co-op supervisors have access to specific electronic resources through the University of Waterloo Library for the duration of the co-op work term. A barcode will be emailed within the first month of your first work term supervising a co-op student.
Questions about your library account or barcode should be directed to pharmacy.library@uwaterloo.ca.
Questions about library resources should be directed to the Pharmacy Liaison Librarian, Caitlin Carter (c8carter@uwaterloo.ca).
Evaluations and forms
Please refer to the Co-op Work Term Deadlines webpage for specific requirements and due dates.
Each work term, there are two student evaluations employers are required to complete for their co-op student.
Co-op Student Performance Evaluation
The Co-op Student Performance Evaluation is required for all Waterloo Co-op students (including non-pharmacy co-op students) by Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE). It assesses the student based on four talent clusters reflected in the Future Ready Talent Framework.
- Midpoint Co-op Student Performance Evaluation: Supervisor reviews with the student the Co-op Student Performance Evaluation. Discuss with the student any deficiencies or areas to work on during the last half of the work term. Midpoint evaluations are for reflection purposes and will not be recorded on WaterlooWorks.
- Final Co-op Student Performance Evaluation: Supervisor completes the final evaluation online in WaterlooWorks. A link to complete the evaluation will be emailed directly to the supervisor approximately three weeks prior to the end of the work term.
For help with WaterlooWorks, please visit WaterlooWorks employer help webpage or email ceehub@uwaterloo.ca.
To receive credit for their co-op work term, students must receive at least a “Marginal” rating on their final Co-op Student Performance Evaluation.
PharmD Inventory of Skills Evaluation
The PharmD Inventory of Skills Evaluation is required for all Waterloo Pharmacy co-op students. It assesses the student’s competency in four domains:
- Professionalism and Communication for every student, each work term
- Distribution for students in a distribution work setting
- Direct Patient Care for students in a patient care work setting
Students must have a supervisor complete the distribution and direct patient care portion of the PharmD Inventory of Skills Evaluation at least once during their degree. It does not have to occur in the same work term.
- Midpoint and Final PharmD Inventory of Skills: Supervisor completes both the midpoint and final evaluation in CORE ELMS. For help with CORE ELMS, please email phrexper@uwaterloo.ca. A link to complete the evaluation will be emailed directly to the supervisor approximately one week before the due date.
To receive credit for their professional development course (PDPHRM), students must receive at least “Good” on the overall communication competency and “Meet expectations” in the overall professionalism competency on their final PharmD Inventory of Skills Evaluation.
Students in a distribution work setting must achieve at least “Good” on the overall distribution competency, and students in a patient care work setting must achieve at least “Good” on the overall direct patient care competency. Note: a maximum of two (2) not applicable in the distribution and direct patient care domains is acceptable. To accurately assess the student, please observe them performing the activity at least five (5) times. In each competency, the individual questions should be used as a guide to give the student an overall rating. It is understood that not all work settings will provide students with an opportunity to be evaluated in each competency.
If a grade of “Unsatisfactory” or “Developing” is achieved in any of the overall competency domains, the supervisor is required to give an explanation in the comments section.
Co-op Site and Supervisor Information Form
To ensure the continuing quality of student co-op experiences, we are collecting information from sites and supervisors regarding specific aspects of the student’s work term. A link to complete this form will be emailed to co-op supervisors a few weeks after the start of the work term and must be completed every three years. This form can also be found under the “My Requirements” menu in CORE ELMS.
Supervisor Feedback of the Co-op Program
At the end of the work term, supervisors will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the School of Pharmacy by completing a brief survey. This is optional but highly recommended. Your comments will help us to understand what we’re doing well and where we can make improvements to the program. A link to complete the survey in CORE ELMS will be emailed at the end of the work term. This evaluation can also be found under the “Evaluations” menu in CORE ELMS.
Employer FAQ
Helpful information and answers to frequently asked questions can be found in our Co-op Program Frequently Asked Questions webpage.