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Privacy Notice
Effective Date: March 24, 2021
Policy ID: CPS-PRIVACY-2021-03
Introduction
The Council on Pharmacy Standards (“CPS,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This Privacy Notice describes how we collect, use, process, share, and protect the Personal Information of individuals who interact with us, including visitors to our website (www.pharmacystandards.org), applicants, candidates, and holders of our certifications (“certificants”).
Our goal is to be transparent about the data we collect and how it is used to provide our credentialing services. By accessing our website or participating in our certification programs, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the terms of this Privacy Notice.
1.0 What This Notice Covers and Key Definitions
This notice applies to all Personal Information that CPS processes in the course of its operations. For clarity, the following definitions are used throughout this document:
Personal Information: Any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular individual or household. This includes, but is not limited to, identifiers such as your name, email address, postal address, phone number, date of birth, educational and professional history, payment information, and examination data.
Processing: Any operation or set of operations performed on Personal Information, such as collection, recording, organization, storage, adaptation, use, disclosure, dissemination, or destruction.
Third Parties: External organizations or individuals who are not employees of CPS, such as service providers, vendors, and consultants who perform services on our behalf.
2.0 The Information We Collect
We collect Personal Information from you in several ways to provide and improve our services.
2.1 Information You Provide Directly to Us
We collect Personal Information that you voluntarily provide when you interact with our services. This includes:
Application and Registration Information: When you apply for a certification, we collect your full name, contact information (email address, physical address, phone number), date of birth, educational history, professional employment and experience details, and active pharmacist license information.
Payment Information: To process application and examination fees, we collect payment card information (credit/debit card number, expiration date, and CVV). This information is processed directly by our secure third-party payment processor; CPS does not store full payment card details on its servers.
Examination and Certification Information: We collect and maintain records related to your certification journey, including your examination responses, scores, pass/fail status, certification issue and expiration dates, and any information you submit for recertification, such as continuing education records.
Communications Information: When you contact our support team, respond to surveys, or otherwise communicate with us, we collect the information you provide in your correspondence, including your name, email address, and the content of your message.
Accommodation Request Information: If you request a testing accommodation, we collect the information you provide on the request form and in your supporting documentation. This may include sensitive health-related information, which is subject to the highest levels of confidentiality and is used solely for the purpose of evaluating and implementing your request.
2.2 Information We Collect Automatically
When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical and usage information:
Log and Usage Data: Our servers automatically record information that your browser sends, such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, operating system, the pages you visit on our site, the time and date of your visit, and the time spent on those pages.
Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies (small text files placed on your device) and other tracking technologies to operate and improve our website. Cookies help us remember your preferences, understand how you interact with our site, secure our services, and perform analytics. You can control the use of cookies at the individual browser level.
3.0 How We Use Your Information
We use the Personal Information we collect for specific, defined purposes related to our mission as a credentialing body.
3.1 To Provide and Manage Our Certification Services:
To process your application, verify your eligibility, and collect associated fees.
To schedule, administer, and score examinations.
To issue your certification, provide you with a digital badge, and list you in our public directory of certificants.
To manage your certification status, including sending reminders for recertification and processing your renewal applications.
To create and maintain your secure online account with us.
3.2 To Communicate With You:
To send essential transactional communications regarding your application, exam schedule, certification status, and renewal deadlines.
To respond to your inquiries, comments, and questions, and to provide customer support.
To send you newsletters, updates, or other informational communications about CPS programs, from which you may opt-out at any time.
3.3 For Analytics, Research, and Improvement:
To analyze website usage trends to improve the design, functionality, and user experience of our site.
To conduct psychometric analysis of examination data. This is a critical process for ensuring the validity, reliability, and fairness of our exams. All data used for this purpose is de-identified and analyzed in aggregate.
To conduct research on the pharmacy profession using aggregated and anonymized data to contribute to industry knowledge and best practices.
3.4 For Security, Legal, and Compliance Purposes:
To monitor for and prevent fraudulent activity, security incidents, and other misconduct.
To enforce our Candidate Code of Conduct, Terms and Conditions, and other policies.
To comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, or other legal processes.
To protect the rights, property, and safety of CPS, our users, and the public.
4.0 How We Share and Disclose Your Information
We do not sell your Personal Information. We only share your information in the limited circumstances described below.
4.1 With Service Providers: We share information with trusted Third-Party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as payment processing, exam administration and proctoring, data hosting, psychometric analysis, and email delivery. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and are prohibited from using it for any purpose other than providing services to CPS.
4.2 Public Directory of Certificants: To allow employers, regulatory bodies, and the public to verify the status of a credential, we maintain a publicly accessible directory. The information disclosed in this directory is limited to your full name, your certification(s) held, your certification number, and the status (e.g., Active, Expired) and dates of your certification. You may request to be removed from this public directory by contacting us.
4.3 Legal and Regulatory Disclosures: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect and defend our rights or property, or protect the personal safety of our users or the public.
4.4 Aggregated and De-Identified Data: We may share aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you with partners for research, statistical analysis, or to advance the profession.
5.0 Your Privacy Rights and Choices
We provide you with choices regarding your Personal Information. You have the right to:
Access and Update Your Information: You may review and update the Personal Information in your account profile by logging into your account.
Opt-Out of Communications: You may opt-out of receiving non-essential (e.g., marketing) emails from us by following the unsubscribe instructions included in those emails.
Manage Cookies: You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent.
Exercise Data Subject Rights: Depending on your location, you may have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of your Personal Information. To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information below. Please note that we may be required by law or contractual obligation to retain certain information, such as records of your certification status.
6.0 Data Security and Retention
We implement and maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.
We will retain your Personal Information for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to maintain your certification record, and to comply with our legal, financial, and record-keeping obligations.
7.0 Changes to This Privacy Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new notice on our website and updating the “Effective Date” at the top. We encourage you to review this notice periodically.
8.0 Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this Privacy Notice or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
Email: privacy@pharmacystandards.org
Subject Line: Privacy Policy Inquiry
