SMART J O BS


Pharmacists handed new challenges, bigger role in patient care


Peter Betts


Pharmacists take on a key role in keeping Canadians healthy. M


anaging drugs is a daunting responsibility. Te average Canadian fills 10 prescrip-


tions a year, a number that’s slowly rising with an increasingly aging population. However, the duties of the people who dispense these prescriptions, more than $31 billion worth, has drastically shiſted in the last couple of years. Te functions of pharmacists – from the education level to the workplace – is chang- ing. “Pharmacy is a bit in flux right


now, but it’s exciting,” says Ruth Ackerman, president of the Cana- dian Pharmacists Association. “Te profession is changing and the new students are being educated to pro-


20 SMART careers | Early Spring 2011


vide a more enhanced level of patient care than we’ve ever had before.” The traditional role of pharma-


cists conjures up images of men and women in lab coats behind a counter, dispensing medications and printing precisely worded labels to stick on the bottles. However, this isn’t really the case nowadays, says Ruth. “You may still be at the drugstore, but you might not be at the counter as much,” she says. Tere’s a new pharmacist- patient relationship, connecting the two in a meaningful new way. In places like Alberta, pharmacists now have the power to prescribe and adapt medication. Tis new role also has pharmacists working more closely with doctors.


In a hospital, for instance, they might more likely be on a sick floor than in the institution’s pharmacy. Pharmacists are also moving into doctor’s suites where they have their own office, make appointments and meet with patients. With these new functions come new opportunities, says Terri Schindel, associate dean in the University of Alberta’s faculty of pharmacy. “Te talents, knowledge and values that people have are really quite diverse and I think there are so many options for your role in phar- macy. You could be a researcher. You could work in policy in government. You could work in education. You could work in practice in a variety of settings,” she says.


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