Ontario is proposing to further expand pharmacists’ scope of practice by adding to the list of minor ailments they can assess, allowing them to administer more vaccines and order some lab tests.
‘Pharmacists are not doctors,’ OMA says But doctors are pushing back on the scope expansions.
“The bottom line here is that pharmacists are not doctors,” said Dr. Dominik Nowak, president of the Ontario Medical Association. “Doctors are trained for years and thousands of hours to diagnose and treat conditions.”
Do people actually go to pharmacists for ailments? I only go to pick up prescriptions.
Yes, they do. People were already going to pharmacists for years in Ontario to get prescription refills for non-controlled substances. Sometimes you know that you just need a drug to treat your problem or you need a contraceptive. You know that there’s a specific acne cream that works for you, or you need a NSAID for your joint pain. There’s no point clogging up the already backlogged healthcare system for In demand healthcare professions such as physicians and nurse practitioners when you have another oversaturated health profession (pharmacy) that you can leverage.
Cool. Good to know!
I’m prone to UTIs and my doctor is two hours away.