Your Pharmacy Team

Pharmacists can:

• Prescribe medications for certain minor ailments
• Collaborate with your prescribers to make sure your prescription is the right drug and dosage to best treat your condition
• Make sure your prescription does not negatively interact with any allergies you may have or other medication you’re taking
• Counsel you on potential side effects of your medication and how to take it properly, such as demonstrating how to inject insulin or use your new inhaler
• Answer questions and concerns about your medication regimen
• Provide a medication review, ideal for patients taking multiple medications at once, where your pharmacist reviews all of your medications with you and ensures you know how to take them correctly
• Provide the flu shot to you and your family members two years and older^[1]
• Renew your prescription, when appropriate, in between regular doctor’s visits to help manage your care^[2]
• Adapt your prescription, when appropriate, which can include changing your medication from a capsule to a liquid, adjusting the dose of your medication, and changing how often you take it
• Prescribe medication to help you quit smoking and offer ongoing monitoring and support
• Administer certain point of care tests
• Administer by injection specific substances and vaccines

Visit our What Your Pharmacy Professional is Authorized to Do webpage to better understand pharmacists’ scope of practice and how they can support your care.

1. Applies to pharmacists participating in Ontario’s Universal Influenza Immunization Program 
2. Excludes narcotics, controlled, targeted and monitored substances 

Your pharmacist is a highly educated, trusted member of your healthcare team. Pharmacists are professionally trained individuals held to a high standard of practice.

Pharmacists must:

• Complete a university-level pharmacy education before registering with the College
• Train and become qualified in all aspects of handling medications, including:
  • Dispensing prescription and non-prescription medications
  • Drug therapy
  • Understanding drug interactions and side effects
• Train in the principles of good pharmaceutical care, including patient counselling and care
• Understand all healthcare and pharmacy laws governing pharmaceuticals, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians roles, and pharmacy operations
• Speak, read, write and comprehend English or French with sufficient fluency to practise the profession
• Complete provincial and national exams on pharmacy practice and applicable pharmacy laws and standards 
• Maintain a continuing education portfolio and participate in a lifelong Quality Assurance Program

As an Ontario pharmacist in good standing, your pharmacist follows:

• All legal requirements necessary to operate as an Ontario healthcare professional including professional conduct rules, patient care and confidentiality
• The Standards of Practice for pharmacists
• The Code of Ethics 
• Policies and guidelines relevant to pharmacy practice
• All legal requirements for practicing in and/or operating a pharmacy

Pharmacy Technicians can:

• Make sure that you are dispensed the correct medication and the correct quantity
• Make sure the information on your prescription label is correct, including your name, the prescriber, and the directions
• Teach you how to use medical devices, such as an inhaler spacing device and blood glucose meter
• Update and maintain your patient profile or health record to ensure it’s up to date
• Accept authorization from your physician to renew your prescription
• Accept verbal authorization from physicians for your prescription ^[1]
• Authorize transfers for prescriptions ^[2]
• Administer certain point of care tests
• Administer by injection specific vaccines

Visit our What Your Pharmacy Professional is Authorized to Do webpage to better understand pharmacy technicians’ scope of practice and how they can support your care.

1. Cannot accept verbal prescription for narcotics, controlled drugs, benzodiazepines or other targeted substances 

2. Cannot authorize transfers for benzodiazepines or other targeted substances

Pharmacy technicians play an important role in product preparation and support pharmacists so they can provide more comprehensive patient care services to the public.

Pharmacy technicians must:

• Complete an accredited pharmacy technician education program, or an evaluation of their education plus additional bridging education, before registering with the College
• Train and become qualified in applicable aspects of handling medications, including dispensing prescription and non-prescription medications
• Train in the principles of good pharmaceutical care
• Understand applicable healthcare and pharmacy laws governing pharmaceuticals, pharmacist/pharmacy technician roles and pharmacy operations
• Speak, read, write and comprehend English or French with sufficient fluency to practise the profession
• Complete provincial and national exams on pharmacy practice and applicable pharmacy laws and standards for pharmacy technicians

As an Ontario pharmacy technician in good standing, your pharmacy technician follows:

• All legal requirements necessary to operate as an Ontario health professional including professional conduct rules, patient care and confidentiality
• The Standards of Practice for Pharmacy Technicians
• The Code of Ethics 
• Policies and guidelines relevant to pharmacy practice
• All legal requirements for practising in and/or operating a pharmacy