College of Pharmacy marks Pharmacist Awareness Month with full slate of events
March is Pharmacist Awareness Month and the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) and students from the College of Pharmacy are celebrating with a variety of activities and events.
Pharmacist Awareness Month is dedicated to raising awareness of what pharmacists can do for their patients and communities. It celebrates the essential role that pharmacists play in our health-care system.
Throughout the month, CAPSI is hosting events in communities, in schools across Manitoba, and on campus to encourage everyone to rethink pharmacists.
“For students, this is a month dedicated to celebrating where the profession of pharmacy is today, where it’s going, and how we can find our place contributing to it,” says Christine Vaccaro, a pharmacy student and UM representative for CAPSI.
Vaccaro says Pharmacist Awareness Month is important because people may not be aware of the full extent of what a pharmacist can do for their health care.
For example, pharmacists in Manitoba are qualified to give vaccinations to prevent illnesses such as influenza, shingles and pneumococcal disease, assess and prescribe for ambulatory conditions and smoking cessation, order lab tests and provide continued care as appropriate for medications.
“As the most accessible health-care providers, and medication experts, pharmacists offer a variety of health-care services and advice,” says Vaccaro.
The College of Pharmacy and CAPSI have various events planned, including a series of lunch-and-learn panels that are open to everyone.
The first panel on Friday, March 13 will focus on multiple sclerosis and feature an interprofessional group of speakers, including a clinical pharmacist, community pharmacist, neurologist, social worker and physiotherapist.
The March 16 panel will be a CAPSI Symposium on 2SLGBTTQ+ Health, and the March 20 panel will discuss how to recognize and respond to burnout.
CAPSI has planned other activities throughout the month for pharmacy students, including weekly wellness challenges, a compounding workshop for Girl Guides, an art break, and the release of the Apothecary, a student journal focusing on leadership and wellness.
Other events include:
- Bake sale & Pharmacist Awareness Month information booth in the Brodie Centre Mezzanine
- Proceeds from the bake sale go to the Rainbow Resource Centre.
- March 12, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- College of Pharmacy/Pharmacy Awareness Month information booth at the Armes Lecture Building at Fort Garry Campus
- March 18 & 19, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.