CPhA encourages Canadians to "Think Pharmacists" this March during Pharmacist Awareness Month

March is Pharmacist Awareness Month (PAM) in Canada – a month long period to celebrate the contributions that pharmacists make to our health care system and educate Canadians about the health care services and advice their pharmacists are now delivering.  This year, CPhA is celebrating PAM 2018 with the theme: Think Pharmacists.

With more than 41,000 licensed pharmacists in Canada, working in over 10,000 pharmacies, pharmacists are the most accessible health care providers in the country. Seeing a pharmacist generally requires no appointment, and their convenient locations mean that pharmacies are close by for most Canadians, wherever they live.

Although every province and territory are different, pharmacists across the country are able to deliver a broader range of services compared to just a few years ago. By providing new services, such as renewing prescriptions, administering vaccinations, medication management services and prescribing for minor ailments and conditions, Canada’s pharmacists are doing more for their patients than ever before.

With PAM activities and events across Canada, the Canadian Pharmacists Association, provincial pharmacy associations, individual pharmacists and pharmacy students are celebrating the great strides the profession has made, highlighting the health care services now offered at the pharmacy, and encouraging Canadians to Think Pharmacists this March.

For more information about Pharmacist Awareness Month and for ideas and resources to help you get involved, visit www.pharmacists.ca/pam. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #PAM2018.

Pharmacy Quick Facts:

• Pharmacists are the most accessible health care professionals in Canada, dispensing and providing advice on 600 million prescriptions a year.
• There more than 41,000 pharmacists working in over 10,000 pharmacies across Canada.
• Pharmacists consistently rank as one of the most trusted professions by Canadians.
• While pharmacists’ scope of practice varies by province, many pharmacists now provide convenient access to vaccinations, offer smoking cessation programs and support, prescribe for minor ailments and conditions, order and interpret lab tests and offer chronic disease management services.

About the Canadian Pharmacists Association

The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) is the uniting national voice of pharmacy and the pharmacist profession in Canada. As pharmacists undertake an enhanced role in the delivery of health care services, CPhA ensures that the profession is recognized as a national leader in health care, influencing the policies, programs, budgets and initiatives affecting the profession and the health of Canadians.