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JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Manitoba pharmacists are only able to assist patients with 14 common conditions, such as dermatitis, dandruff, mild acne, hives and hemorrhoids. Pharmacists working in Alberta can help patients with 58 common ailments.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur 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,\u201d Kumra said.<\/p>\n
Recently graduated pharmacists will also realize the complexity of real-world patient scenarios and seek more training beyond their education, Kumra said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Hospital and community clinic pharmacists often have easy access to patient files and can help reduce the strain on doctors and hospitals, Kumra said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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Northern communities with less access to health care could also benefit from having their community pharmacist be allowed to diagnose and treat more ailments.<\/p>\n
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the province was looking at expanding the scope of Manitoba pharmacists to take on more responsibilities.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing some pharmacists say, \u2018I haven\u2019t gone to school in 20 years and they didn\u2019t teach critical appraisal or scientific literature evaluation,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThis offers people the chance to refresh and expand on their skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Nicole Buffie Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College\u2019s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Multimedia producer
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