Modify the scope of regulated pharmacy technicians to protect the public health
- Target:
- the Minister of Health Services
- Region:
- Canada
- Website:
- www.cpacbc.ca
The CPBC has submitted to the ministry of health services a proposal that will transfer almost all responsibilities of pharmacists to regulated pharmacy technicians including verbal Rxs and final checks (product check).
The regulation of pharmacy technicians should be about better training pharmacy technicians to provide greater support to pharmacists and enhance the public safety.
Although the transfer of technical functions to pharmacy technicians are desired by many pharmacists, we are opposing the implementation of this regulation at the present time for the following reasons:
(1) Chain drugs stores will simply use this regulation process to reduce the pharmacist staffing level. Regulated pharmacy technicians will NOT free up pharmacists' time for more counseling and clinical services. Chain drug stores will replace their pharmacists with regulated pharmacy technicians and will have only one pharmacists on duty. Their only pharmacist will NOT have enough time to properly review and assess Rxs and to provide cognitive services. Profit-focused chain drug stores will NOT pay their pharmacists to provide cognitive services that generate little or no revenue. This problem is already endemic in the major chain drug stores.
(2) Also, regulated pharmacy technicians will likely to continue to try to expand their roles to take over even cognitive functions of community pharmacists. The CPBC says regulated pharmacy technicians will take over only technical aspects of pharmacists' responsibilities. It is true for now. But, the PEBC and CEs for technicians require them to study drug classes, interactions, mechanism of actions, ADRs, indications, monitoring parameters. Why are they required to study this kind of materials if they are to provide only technical functions? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize the real agenda behind this regulation process.
(3) Community pharmacists have no ability to control the direction of this regulation process once it starts. We do not have a strong advocacy group that will oversee the professional practices in chain drug stores (BCPhA is NOT a pharmacist organization. It is a trade organization). We are under-respresented within the College and will be outnumbered by regulated pharmacy technicians especially when 2 pharmacy technicians are added to the College Board. Therefore, we will not be able to stop if regulated technicians with 8 months of training start taking over cognitive responsibilities of pharmacists and thus endanger the public safety.
The extended scope of regulated pharmacy technicians will have serious consequences as follows:
will put the public health in jeopardy.
will increase liability issues for community pharmacists. Pharmacists will still be sued even if regulated technicians make an error. To the public, pharmacists are THE SUPERVISOR.
will cause major unemployment for community pharmacists.
will cause further deterioration of working condition for community pharmacists.
will slow down or halt the expansion of community pharmacists' roles because the CPBC and large pharmacy chains will have no motivation to pursue this issue once they replace pharmacists with regulated pharmacy technicians. Instead, they will continue working on the expansion of pharmacy technicians' roles to generate bigger profit and to listen to the bigger voice of technicians within the College (remember pharmacists will be minority within the College).
Petition to Modify the Extended Scope of Regulated Pharmacy Technicians
Honourable Mr. Kevin Falcon, Minister of Health Services
Dear Minister,
The regulation of pharmacy technicians should be about better educating pharmacy technicians to provide greater support to pharmacists and to enhance the public safety in pharmaceutical care.
However, the College of Pharmacists of B.C.'s proposed scope of practice for regulated pharmacy technicians will put the public health and well-being of British Columbians in jeopardy by transferring almost all responsibilities of pharmacists to regulated pharmacy technicians.
In community pharmacies, pharmacists are the last safety checking point and thus taking measures to minimize errors cannot be emphasized enough. Unlike in hospital settings, medical help is not readily available in a community when a patient suffers from a medication error. The CPBC's proposal will increase medication errors by involving one more person between physicians and pharmacists and by allowing less educated pharmacy technicians to perform most of pharmacists' responsibilities.
The CPBC's current proposal will simply be served as an opportunity for chain drugs stores to replace community pharmacists with regulated pharmacy technicians in community pharmacies in order to save on wages. It will deteriorate the quality of pharmacy care. The public must be informed of the serious consequences of the CPBC's proposal.
We, concerned community pharmacists and B.C. residents, request you to stop the College of Pharmacists of B.C. from putting the health and well-being of British Columbians in danger. Please order the CPBC to modify their proposed scope of practice for regulated pharmacy technicians as follows:
The receipt of verbal prescriptions and final checks must be performed only by pharmacists in community pharmacies to ensure safe and effective medication dispensing.
Please show British Columbians and us that our provincial government vigorously protects our health and well-being by your prompt action.
Sincerely,
Community Pharmacists Association - B.C.
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The Modify the scope of regulated pharmacy technicians to protect the public health petition to the Minister of Health Services was written by Community Pharmacists Association and is in the category Health at GoPetition.