Blueprint for Pharmacy update

The steering committee for the Blueprint for Pharmacy has established a Pharmacy Technician Working Group to move forward on the Blueprint’s stated objectives for pharmacy technicians, which include tracking and forecasting pharmacy human resources requirements and facilitating the integration of regulated pharmacy technicians into community pharmacy using workflow models. The working group is headed by David Malian, Coordinator of Pharmacy Technician Accreditation at the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs, and will meet for the first time in June.

The Blueprint steering committee also meets in June to strategize on actions and fundraising efforts in support of the 10 priorities outlined in its 2013 report entitled, “Our Way Forward.” Recent funding allocations include supporting the Canadian Pharmacists Association’s new video on the role of the pharmacist. The Blueprint’s national office has also begun reviewing submissions to its recent request for proposals (in association with the Canadian Pharmacists Association) regarding an assessment of the need and demand for advanced practice and specialization in pharmacy, as well as a system to recognize advanced practice and the certification of pharmacist specialists in Canada.