U of M advanced pharmacy program shows promise

An advance pharmacy micro-certificate at the University of Manitoba is expected to become more popular as Manitoba considers expanding the scope of pharmacists’ practice.

“We’re trying to offer professional development that will help expand the role of pharmacists in Manitoba and beyond,” said Ruchi Kumra, director of professional development at the U of M College of Pharmacy, about the 12-week course.

In recent months, provincial governments have expanded the scope of pharmacists’ practice to diagnose and treat more minor illnesses. Pharmacists receive training to do so, but often can’t once they are in the workplace, owing to restrictive regulations.

The course better equips pharmacists who have worked in the field for years but are out of step with their degrees, or new pharmacists seeking more professional development opportunities.

“Our program is more of a foundational kind of professional development opportunity, and what it does is that it goes beyond the basics and trains pharmacists to assess complex patients, interpret lab results, evaluate new medical evidence, and also identify red flags before patients need hospital care,” Kumra said.

Recently graduated pharmacists will also realize the complexity of real-world patient scenarios and seek more training beyond their education, Kumra said.

Pharmacists Manitoba has called on the provincial government to expand the scope of practice for pharmacists, saying they get the same training as many doctors in PharmD school but can’t use it. Manitoba pharmacists have the most restricted scope of practice in Canada even though all are trained equally across the country, the organization said.

Manitoba pharmacists are only able to assist patients with 14 common conditions, such as dermatitis, dandruff, mild acne, hives and hemorrhoids. In Alberta, pharmacists can help patients with 58 common ailments.

A Pharmacists Manitoba survey found 62 per cent of students in the U of M College of Pharmacy are considering relocating to another province to make the most of their training and education. The same survey found 53 per cent of recent graduates are considering relocating. Another seven per cent have signed contracts to leave.

Hospital and community clinic pharmacists often have easy access to patient files and can help reduce the strain on doctors and hospitals, Kumra said.

Northern communities with less access to health care could also benefit from having their community pharmacist be allowed to diagnose and treat more ailments.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the province was looking at expanding the scope of Manitoba pharmacists to take on more responsibilities.

Kumra said the course can help practising pharmacists build confidence to take on an expanded scope and prepare them for when the province expands their scope of practice.

“We’re seeing some pharmacists say, ‘I haven’t gone to school in 20 years and they didn’t teach critical appraisal or scientific literature evaluation,’” she said. “This offers people the chance to refresh and expand on their skills.”

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca