Did you know your community pharmacist will often speak with your physician to discuss your prescription, the dosage or to monitor your care?

Nearly seven out of 10 Ontario pharmacists practice in the community setting. Community pharmacies include independent and franchise retail pharmacies, medical clinics and pharmacies offering specialized services such as long-term care support. Community pharmacists not only oversee the dispensing and storage of all medicines given to patients, but also provide a variety of patient counselling services including asthma care or diabetes care.

Your community pharmacist is also always there to help you decide what is best for you and your family. This is why it is important to stay with one pharmacist or pharmacy. Staying with one pharmacy allows the pharmacist to maintain your health record and to provide you with the best advice whenever you have questions about current or new prescriptions, over-the-counter medications or herbal products.

Your community pharmacist can also help monitor your care before and after you go to the hospital. If you know that you will be going to hospital for care, ask your community pharmacist for a list of your current medications. Take this to your hospital pharmacist when you are admitted so they can better care for you while in hospital.

Then, when you are ready to leave the hospital, ask your hospital pharmacist for a list of the medications that you started in hospital (or any changes made, including drugs added, drugs stopped, or doses or dosing times that have been changed) so that you can share this with your community pharmacist when you return home.

Your community pharmacist has met the following standards before receiving their license to practice:

• At least four to five years of university-level pharmacy education
• Trained and qualified in all aspects of handling medications, including dispensing prescription and non-prescription medications, drug therapy and understanding drug interactions and side-effects
• Trained in the principles of good pharmaceutical care including patient counselling and care
• Aware of all health care and pharmacy laws governing pharmaceuticals, pharmacists roles and pharmacy operations
• Qualified to counsel patients in at least one of Ontario and Canada’s official languages, English or French
• Successfully completed provincial and national examinations on pharmacy practice and applicable pharmacy laws and standards
• Maintain a continuing education program (portfolio) as well as participate in life-long quality assurance program

• All legal requirements necessary to operate as an Ontario health professional including professional conduct rules, patient care and confidentiality
• The Standards of Practice as set by the Ontario College of Pharmacists
• The Code of Ethics as set by the Ontario College of Pharmacists; and
• All legal requirements for practising in and/or operating a pharmacy