Prescription for change

Neil MacKinnon is the associate director for research and a professor with Dalhousie's College of Pharmacy.

Pauwlina McGrath pursued a BSc in Pharmacy because she wanted to be “a first-line educator, a treatment specialist, and a knowledge translator.” And with the role of pharmacists expanding, she’ll likely be much more than that.

“I want to be at the forefront of the profession, pushing it forward, supporting the initiatives already off the ground,” says McGrath, 29, who graduated from Dalhousie University in May.

Proposed amendments to the Pharmacy Act announced March 29 will enable Nova Scotia’s 1,100 practitioners to order and interpret lab tests to monitor drug therapy, as well as administer drugs, including vaccines. That comes on the heels of changes announced January 27 that will allow pharmacists to refill, extend or adjust prescriptions and prescribe certain over-the-counter drugs to fit insurance plans.

“Scope of practice has increased, so our graduates today certainly have a broader skills set and in many cases are legally allowed to do things that 10 years ago they couldn’t,” says Dr. Neil MacKinnon, Associate Director for Research and Professor at Dal’s College of Pharmacy.

And those skills are needed – with hundreds of job vacancies across Canada, grads have bright prospects.

'Enviable position'

“They are in a very enviable position. It’s very financially rewarding and there’s a strong demand,” says Dr. MacKinnon, noting the majority will accept offers from community pharmacies ranging from small independents to large chains.

The college – the only one in the Maritimes, and one of 10 in Canada – increased enrolment from 65 to 90 about six years ago, in an attempt to address the shortage. More than 500 applicants compete for those spots each year.

“As Baby Boomers are getting older and life expectancy increases, medications are the primary treatment modality in health care,” notes Dr. MacKinnon. Canadian pharmacies filled 453 million prescriptions in 2009, up from 270 million a decade ago.

Meanwhile, the potential for pharmacists to help prevent emergency-room visits and hospitalizations due to misuse of drugs is becoming more pressing.

“They can interact with patients and give better counselling up front. There may be a cost to that, but you’re really preventing huge costs downstream in the health-care system. And not just costs, but also human pain and suffering,” says Dr. MacKinnon.

That clinical role appeals to Russell Christie, who accepted a one-year hospital residency in Ottawa upon graduating from Pharmacy this spring.

“I think the changes are awesome,” he says. “I think the pharmacy companies will have to respond and provide space for pharmacists to practice in this new way.”

Mr. Christie, 23, says his education at Dal prepared him well for an evolving profession, particularly the problem-based learning approach that sees students focusing on one bodily system at a time.

Changing curriculum

“You can immerse yourself in a single area, and when you learn that one, you move onto the next. Each course builds upon the previous until by fourth year, we synthesize everything together, with the intent of providing holistic, patient-centred care,” he explains.

Ms. McGrath, who’s working in New Brunswick where pharmacists have been giving vaccines and writing prescriptions for the past year, says the school is preparing its graduates well.

“For instance, in response to provincial legislation allowing pharmacists to be immunizers, the college has integrated vaccine training into the second-year skills lab. It has also provided immunization training to those pharmacists already practicing,” she says.

Indeed, Dal works closely with the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists on relevant issues, and recently trained 140 practicing pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on new patient-safety protocols.

“We always continue to look at our curriculum to make sure we’re producing graduates who have the skills needed forthe full scope of practice,” says Dr. MacKinnon.