Why is it that life seems to be going by so quickly these days? Maybe it’s just me. They say that the older you get, the faster time passes. Do you find that you just don’t ever have enough time to get to all the things that you want or need to? I do. I wonder if it is because there isn’t enough time, or if it is because I want to do more than what is possible.
The College of Pharmacists of British Columbia will be introducing a new Practice Review Program (PRP) that will review both pharmacies and pharmacy professionals in real time, in their actual practice setting.
The PRP builds upon the College’s existing pharmacy inspection process and establishes a new review component for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
Pharmacists are reminded to check patient identification before providing any pharmacy services. Not only is it a critical step in ensuring the right medication is getting to the right person, it prevents a number of other problems from occurring later, particularly if the patient turns out not to be who he or she said they were.
Register online by Monday, January 20, 2014 to save $100 CDN on your registration fees.
The XIV International Symposium on Oncology Pharmacy Practice (ISOPP 2014), presented by the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (ISOPP) and the Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology (CAPhO), will take place April 2-5, 2014 at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The Ministry of Health is currently still developing e-prescribing through PharmaNet. However, until e-prescribing is available, pharmacists are required to ask for an original or unique signature for each prescription.
This year’s Board elections were held in district 1, 3, and 5. The College is pleased to announce that Agnes Fridl Poljak (District 1), Blair Tmychuk (District 3), and Robert Craigue (District 5), have all been re-elected to another two-year term on the Board. At the November 22 Board meeting, Aleisha Thornhill was appointed as the new District 7 Board Member.
The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) announced that it has developed requirements for Pharmacy Practice Management Systems (PPMS). The PPMS requirements will come into effect on January 1, 2016.
The requirements developed by NAPRA provides guidance for pharmacy practice software developers to ensure that tools/technology manufactured support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in their adherence to the standards of practice and the safety of the public.
Ali Asghar Laal (also known as Alejandro Farris and Alejandro Fernandez), on June 26, 2013, a Panel of the Discipline Committee, pursuant to s. 39(1)(c) of the Health Professions Act, found Ali Asghar Laal of Victoria, British Columbia, Registration No. 08811 (the "Registrant") guilty of professional misconduct for:
The College held their 122th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel on Saturday, November 23. Over 40 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians participated in the meeting. This year there were no resolutions that were brought forward for voting.
Each year the College presents a Volunteer of the Year award to a College volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. This year’s recipient was Kathy McInnes.
Not surprisingly, by far the most common complaint received at the College are ones made in relation to medication dispensing errors by pharmacists. From March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013, a total of 60 formal complaints were received and reviewed by the Inquiry Committee about the following types of medication dispensing errors: