Fall 2026 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: September 2, 2026
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 Fall 2026 co-op work term runs from September 8 to December 23, 2026.
Employers and students may negotiate start and end dates. Students are expected to complete:
- 15-16 weeks of work experience
- Minimum of 35 hours per week (an average)
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)
Prior to October 1, 2024, all pharmacy students in Ontario were registered with the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) to perform controlled acts within the scope of the pharmacy profession.
As of October 1, 2024, the pharmacy student class of registration was eliminated. This aligns with the practice of other health professions where students do not register with their regulatory body but rather practice under supervision based on authority laid out in the Regulated Health Professions Act.
Regardless of this change, the student scope of practice remains the same. If the student is enroled in a pharmacy education program, they can still engage in any of the controlled acts within the scope of the pharmacy profession, including dispensing, selling and compounding drugs, under the supervision of a Part A pharmacist. They can practice to scope during or outside the pharmacy program’s standard hours (i.e., on weekends and evenings) if they are supervised by a Part A pharmacist.
One important change is that pharmacy students will no longer be listed on OCP’s public registry, so confirmation of their enrolment in a pharmacy program must be done another way. For Waterloo Pharmacy co-op students, the School of Pharmacy confirms their enrolment in the program prior to the recruitment process. For activities such as part-time jobs, verification of pharmacy student status can be obtained through a valid student card, a letter of enrolment from the University, a recent transcript, or other direct communications with the School of Pharmacy.
Another important change is that OCP will no longer require pharmacy students to obtain personal professional liability insurance (PLI). As a result, the School of Pharmacy is requiring all students to maintain PLI while enroled in the pharmacy program. Employers can request to see the insurance policy to verify.
OCP has created very robust FAQs and videos geared to answer the most common questions for students and employers/supervisors about the changes.
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.
- Sample Co-op Student Performance Evaluation
- Sample PharmD Inventory of Skills Evaluation (Login to CORE ELMS and access Document Library)
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.
Patient Care Plan Assignment
This term, students will complete a Patient Care Plan Assignment as part of PDPHARM 3: Professional Development for Pharmacy Students.
Students will select a patient case and develop a pharmacotherapy care plan using the Comprehensive Pharmacotherapy Work-up Template. They may use either a real patient encountered during their co-op work term or a standardized patient case provided by the course instructor.
Students have been instructed to obtain supervisor approval before using a real patient case. If confidentiality requirements or site policies make this inappropriate, students may instead use a standardized patient case. Students should also discuss site-specific confidentiality expectations with their supervisor.
The assignment is designed to help students practise working through a patient case from assessment to recommendation development, including identifying and prioritizing drug therapy problems (DTPs). The focus is on applying the patient care process rather than testing therapeutic knowledge.
The assignment is intended to be student-led, with most work completed independently and outside of co-op hours. If using a real patient case, students may require limited time at the practice site to gather relevant information, such as reviewing patient records, laboratory results, pharmacy management system information, or obtaining additional patient history, where appropriate.
Supervisors may be asked to:
- Answer student questions as needed.
- Determine whether a real patient case is suitable for use.
- Provide guidance on confidentiality requirements.
- Allow limited time at the practice site for information gathering, if applicable.
- Participate in a brief one-on-one discussion once the care plan is complete.
- Sign off on the final page of the care plan after confirming the student's understanding of the case and recommendations.
The one-on-one discussion is particularly important in the context of generative artificial intelligence, as it helps verify the student's understanding of their work. Supervisors do not need to be experts in the specific clinical area and do not need to prepare in advance. The discussion can be informal and should take approximately 10-15 minutes. Standardized cases, answer keys, and sample discussion questions developed by the School will be available in the CORE ELMS Document Library.
During the discussion, the student should present the case informally; no PowerPoint presentation is required. Supervisors are asked to confirm that the student has identified at least three DTPs, prioritized them appropriately, and developed recommendations for each. Not all DTPs need to be major issues; one major and a few minor problems are acceptable.
If the supervisor or designate is not a pharmacist, the student may complete the one-on-one discussion with a representative from the School of Pharmacy instead.
Employer FAQ
Helpful information and answers to frequently asked questions can be found in our Co-op Program Frequently Asked Questions webpage.