Failure sucks!!

Hello my Sky Loungers!

The latest PEBC Qualifying Exam results were recently released, and we need to address the heavy cloud hanging over some parts of the community.

I want to speak directly to the candidates who gave this exam absolutely everything they had. The ones who followed the schedules, sacrificed months of their lives, missed family dinners, and did not see their PEBC # on the PASS list.

If you are reading this right now with a knot in your stomach, feeling a mix of exhaustion, heartbreak, and quiet embarrassment, I see you. Your pain is valid, and the trauma of working so hard only to not see your PEBC number SUCKS!

Standing in the Fire: My Own Story of Failure

Before I tell you how to process this, I need to remind you of something you might have forgotten: I am not standing on a perfect pedestal.

When you look at IPG Mentorship Canada, you see a community, organized frameworks, and a Pharmacist acting as your concierge to the Canadian re-licensing counter. But do you want to know how this community was actually built? It wasn't built out of a string of easy victories.

I failed my exams twice.

I know exactly what it feels like to search that document and realize my number isn't there. It was one of the most traumatic experiences you can have. Honestly, why did PEBC decide to use this method of letting us know?? Part of you is hoping you're just nervous and missed it. Then you take some calming breaths, look again and the reality sets in.

Your PEBC # isn't there.

I haven't forgotten how that reality made me feel.

I know the toxic thoughts that follow

Am I even cut out for this?

Do I even know what I'm doing as a Pharmacist?

Was moving to Canada a mistake?

What will I tell my family?

But I am standing here today as living proof that failure is a delay, not a destination. In fact, it was my own setbacks that forced me to slow down, dismantle the exam logic, and figure out exactly how the system worked. If I had passed easily on the first try, IPG Mentorship Canada wouldn't exist. This safe space was literally born from the ashes of my own failures. Your current setback is not the end of your story, it might just be the blueprint for how you help someone else later.

Behind the Screen: The Weight a Mentor Carries

When a cohort finishes an exam cycle, I don't just wait for results. I wait for the names of individuals whose stories I know intimately. I know who stayed up late balancing a full-time job with clinical cases. I know who was practicing their door-note introductions while their kids were sleeping in the next room. I know the exact level of heart, grit, and sacrifice that went into their preparation.

When a Mentee who prepared beautifully, whose clinical logic was sharp, and who did everything right doesn't pass, it breaks my heart.

As a Mentor, I carry that weight deeply. I don't just dust myself off and look at the next cohort; I have to sit and reflect. I feel a profound sense of whiplash because I know the standard of their work, yet the cold reality of the exam sheet didn't reflect it. It is a sobering, heavy reminder that the PEBC journey is a beast, and sometimes, despite solid preparation, the variables on exam day simply don't fall in our favor.

When my Mentees aren't successful, it brings back the raw memory of my own setbacks. It triggers that exact same sting all over again. In those quiet moments after the list drops, it honestly hurts, and the thought of how easy it would be to just stop and give up creeps in.

But I can't give up. Just like you, I have to grieve the loss, pivot, brush myself off, and keep moving forward right beside you. Your battle to try again is my battle, too.

We're in this together.

Do Not Let a Sheet of Paper Define Your Identity

If you take away only one thing from this letter, let it be this: You must separate your clinical identity from an exam list.

The presence or absence of a number on a PEBC list cannot measure your value as a Pharmacist, your capacity for empathy at the counter, or your deep passion for patient care. This exam is an intense logistical hurdle. Sometimes a bad case draw, a sudden wave of performance anxiety, or the mental lag of navigating a language barrier under a ticking clock changes everything in a split second. It does not mean you lack the foundational capability to be an excellent Canadian Pharmacist.

Thriving as a professional in Canada isn’t just about celebrating the easy wins; it’s about how we weather the storms together. Having a setback does not wipe out the massive amount of knowledge you built over the last few months. You are not starting from scratch; you are starting from experience.

Take a few days to grieve. Put the books away. Cry if you need to, breathe, and step away from the pharmacy groups and social media. Protect your peace. Refuel.

When you are ready to stand back up, wipe the dust off, and look that blueprint in the eye again, we will do it together. We will look at the gaps calmly, adjust the strategy, and build a roadmap that gets you to the other side.

Your journey to becoming the most accessible healthcare professional in Canada isn't over. It just has an extra chapter. Keep your head up. I am right here in the lounge with you, and we are not giving up on getting you to that counter.

I love this song and it fully gases me up on low days & reminds, I don't move solo in this world. I am fully covered & I always have my team supporting me.

Listen to Count Me In!

The value of community

Mentorship isn't another cost. Mentorship is self-investment. Moving to Canada was a massive investment into yourself. Why wouldn't you protect your investment?

When IPGs try to figure this out solo at the cost of failing to learn, that's like investing in a bad stock and crashing out when the market goes down. Many people only reach out to me when they're on their second, third, or worse, their fourth and final attempt. Every single failure deepens your desperation. Your confidence wavers, and you start creating frantic backup plans.

My wish is that more IPGs would start this journey by accessing help early. Pay in money and stop paying with your precious time. Immigration and licensing rules change frequently and rapidly in Canada. Mentorship could be the exact difference maker before you miss an opportunity that could have made your journey easier.

There are aspects of my re-licensing journey that were unique to the timing of my arrival. The rules changed, and those specific options no longer exist.

That is what we call opportunity cost.

You literally do not have time to be failing.

As your Canadian Pharmacist re-licensing concierge, you are in the best hands with IPG Mentorship Canada I'm not just showing you the Path to PASS (and you will PASS), I'm re-calibrating your mindset to thrive in Canada. Let's do this together!

I can't wait to talk with you again.

If this post resonated with you, please let me know. I want us to have a community together. Send me an email: [email protected]

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