LAKELAND – The pharmacists of the past are different from the pharmacists of today. Over the years, the occupation has evolved and expanded to better support the overall healthcare system and communities across the country.
“When I started, pharmacists couldn’t extend prescriptions,” says Chris Letawsky, owner of Guardian Drugs Elk Point. He studied pharmacy at the University of Alberta and graduated in 2010.
But pharmacists’ roles now include being able to initiate new prescriptions, provide vaccinations, manage minor ailments, and even order lab work for conditions like urinary tract infections. Some pharmacists collaborate with physicians to help manage diabetic care, adds Letawsky.
These expanded roles were driven in part by a need to alleviate pressure on doctors, as many communities face shortages of medical professionals.
“People would come to us for emergency fills or medication, but they can’t see [a doctor],” he says, providing an example. In the past, a patient had to wait because they needed a doctor’s prescription.
So, colleges of pharmacy and pharmacist associations pushed for greater responsibilities.
While the increased scope of practice also brought greater liability for pharmacists, requiring them to closely monitor their work to prevent mistakes, Letawsky sees it as a fair trade-off, because pharmacists are now better equipped to serve patients.
“The evolution of [pharmacy] was quite extreme when you look back 20 years ago. How things have changed,” he says, adding, being able to prescribe medication is just one of the major scopes of practice that have changed within the profession.
Greg Roszell, owner of Greg's Value Drug Mart in St. Paul, says other scopes include being able to assess patients, review their medication and history, while ensuring medications are safe and effective for patients.
“That prevents them from having to wait in an emergency [room] to see a doctor,” he says, which could several hours. “For these patients, that’s a very long time to be sitting when you’re not feeling well.”
Of course, if a situation arises after an assessment that requires more serious action, patients are referred to a doctor to do a more thorough assessment.
“So, we work hand in hand with doctors,” adds Roszell.
“Pharmacies evolved to the point where we’re actually taking an active role in the care plan of the patient,” he says. Most patients at his pharmacy have a comprehensive care plan established for them.
One reason for that is because patient conditions change. Progressive illnesses like diabetes may worsen over time, for example. So, while a patient with a progressive illness may have effective medication in the present, their medication might need to change overtime.
The reverse may happen too, due to changes in habits, like a patient who chooses to stop smoking.
“We can monitor their blood pressure and recommend reducing their medications or even taking them off their medications if it’s warranted, because their diseases might have improved,” he explains.
Pharmacists have always been working on the front line, says Roszell, helping doctors be the best they can be. That hasn’t changed. The current system simply makes it easier for the two occupations to work with each other for the benefit of the communities they serve.
“A patient can now come in without an appointment [at a pharmacy.] They don’t need to have administration staff booking appointments and managing patients,” he says, then a prescribing pharmacist can provide an assessment within a few minutes and write a prescription.
This reduces the stress on the healthcare system as whole, says Roszell.
So, patients with minor ailments like eye, ear, or skin infections from cuts and scrapes, or those with an infected tooth, can also acquire appropriate antibiotics or medication at a pharmacy to help with the ailments.
Roszell clarified pharmacists do have restrictions on what they can prescribe.
Constant change
Healthcare is constantly evolving, says Roszell.
He does have concerns regarding the direction some things are moving, like the increase of virtual doctor consultations, and the decrease of face-to-face interaction. This could lead to potential oversight of appropriate patient assessment due to a lack of continuity.
Face-to-face contact is crucial to providing appropriate healthcare, even among pharmacists, he says. Not only that, but, “It’s just very important because you’re seeing somebody from your community who cares about you.”
Letawsky agrees.
“I live and work in this town [Elk Point] and these people here are my customers, my patients, and I have a responsibility to them.”
“That’s how I look at it every day,” he adds. “If someone else isn’t available to help them, I’m going to take up that mantle.”
Letawsky says he is grateful for the support of Elk Point community.
“When someone sees me and says, ‘Thank you for what you do.’ It means a lot.”
