Victoria Divisions of Family Practice

Primary Care Clinical Pharmacists Q&As

Last updated on: October 13, 2022
 

This Q&A answers questions around the Primary Care Clinical Pharmacists and service. Please send any questions to Alyssa Beurling at abeurling@victoriadivision.ca 
 

Please click the links below:

  1. Where will the PCCPs be located?
     
  2. What cultural awareness training is offered to the PCCPs?
     
  3. Will the PCCPs have capacity for home visits?
     
  4. Are PCCPs required to report vaccination administration (aside from the flu shot) to anyone?
     
  5. Can the PCCPs participate in immunization assessment and administration?
     
  6. Do the PCCPs offer CBT-I (Insomnia) education? It would be a very helpful resource to have if available.
     
  7. Why was OSCAR EMR selected as the PCCP EMR?
     
  8. How will notes from PCCPs come to physicians on other EMRs?
     
  9. What is happening provincially with e-prescribing capability?
     
  10. Are there any plans to add services for pediatrics (i.e., youth under 19 years)?
     
  11. What type of report or information is sent back to the referring physician after consult?
     
  12. How are referrals made to the MHSU Consultants?
     
  13. Will allied health professionals also be able to refer, or just Family Physicians and NPs?

  1. Where will the PCCPs be located?

The plan is to have a blended model with PCCPs centrally located at the Yates and Quadra clinic. The PCCPs could schedule patient visits there or visit patients directly in their family physicians' clinics. More details will be shared as we determine what works best for each PCN neighbourhood.

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  1. What cultural awareness training is offered to the PCCPs?

Every PCCP that is brought into the program to work in a PCN will have an initial conversation with UBC’s First Nation Health Lead to review the training, experience and exposure they have had in the past. UBC will also enroll each PCCP in San’yas Cultural Safety Training.

Additionally, they will participate in cultural awareness training that is offered and required by Island Health, as well as any additional training taking place within the PCN.  

UBC is in the process of building Pharmacist-specific cultural safety training which will be available in 2022 for all BC pharmacists (including PCCPs) and cover:

  • how to optimally support First Nation communities in PharmaCare Plan W
  • understanding of traditional and First Nation medicines (e.g., herbs, supplements and practices)
  • asking the right questions and understanding what matters to local First Nation communities

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  1. Will the PCCPs have capacity for home visits?

PCCPs can generally see patients in person, by telephone, and over video. They can connect with patients at home by telephone or video, while in-person home visits are outside the PCCP’s scope.

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  1. Are pharmacists required to report vaccination administration (aside from the flu shot) to anyone?

Yes, pharmacists record immunizations in PharmaNet which feeds into the provincial immunization registry that is accessible through CareConnect.

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  1. Can the PCCPs participate in immunization assessments and administration?

Yes, assessments and administration fall under the PCCPs scope of practice. They do not currently immunize children 5 and under.

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  1. Do the PCCPs offer CBT-I (Insomnia) education? It would be a very helpful resource to have if available. 

It is not a requirement for Pharmacists to be trained in CBT. Some PCCPs will have experience and interest, however, the ability to pass on these skills is not a criterion for hiring. 

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  1. Why was OSCAR EMR selected as the PCCP EMR?

OSCAR is the most common EMR used by Family Physicians in the province and provided the most flexibility for innovating and tailoring to the needs of the PCCPs, including:

  • creating a health care team tab
  • turning the prescribing module into a drug record
  • linking drugs to diseases for creating a patient’s best possible medication history
  • converting the medication problem tracker intro a drug therapy problem tracker

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  1. How will notes from PCCPs come to physicians on other EMRs?

The program is flexible to accommodate how clinics want to receive information, for example an eFax consultation note or an action summary can be sent and uploaded into the clinic’s EMR. If clinics prefer, the PCCPs can enter information directly into their EMR. Clinics can access overhead funding to purchase site licenses for pharmacists to have direct EMR access.   

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  1. What is happening provincially with e-prescribing capability?

Work is currently being done by the province to expand the PharmaNet platform through an initiative known as Provincial Prescribing Management that will enable e-prescribing.

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  1. Are there any plans to add services for pediatrics (i.e., youth under 19 years)?

Currently there is no similar program anticipated for youth under 19, as this falls under a different Ministry umbrella. However, youth and children who visit the Urgent and Primary Care Centers (UPCCs) with MHSU needs will be connected with a Health Consultant at those locations.

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  1. What type of report or information is sent back to the referring physician after consult?

After a patient is seen by one of the Health Consultants, a letter is faxed back to the referring physician with a brief synopsis of the care plan and any important details. A letter is also faxed when the patient has concluded with the service.

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  1. How are referrals made to the MHSU Consultants?

Intake for this service is separate from the regular MHSU service that providers are used to. There is a dedicated fax number, which will be received directly by Katelyn Gordon (Victoria PCN Coordinator). Forms are available and optional (found on Pathways), although referral letters will be also accepted. Unfortunately, referrals cannot yet be received via phone as they are with the Physician Connector service, although a call can be made to Katelyn ahead of time if there is a time sensitive situation that needs to be expedited.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Katelyn via email (victoriapcn@victoriadivision.ca)

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  1. Will Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) also be able to refer, or just FPs and NPs?

PCN services are exclusive to FPs and NPs, however, AHPs will be kept informed on other PCN services available to patients.

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FPSCBritish ColumbiaDoctors of BC

The Divisions of Family Practice acknowledge that we work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of many different Indigenous Nations throughout British Columbia.

Acknowledging that we are on the traditional territories of Indigenous communities is an expression of cultural humility and involves recognizing our duty and desire to support the provision of culturally safe care to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in BC.