Pharmacist Prescribing Authority to Take Effect in Alberta

"We are very pleased that the government has given us an effective date and has stood by its commitment to the people of Alberta to use pharmacist resources more effectively in health care delivery," says Barry Cavanaugh, chief executive officer of RxA. "Delivering the orientation to all interested pharmacists will be a massive undertaking, but this will be critical with such wholesale changes," Mr. Cavanaugh says. "Meanwhile, RxA is roaring ahead with the development of new continuing education programs that will provide pharmacists with the tools to change their practice." "We anticipate that uptake by the profession will be quite gradual," adds Mr. Cavanaugh. "Alberta pharmacists will need to figure out how to integrate new services into their busy practices. Our job is to provide training programs and to help create incentives, such as fair compensation, for pharmacists to take advantage of these new opportunities."