Department of the Month – Pharmacy

Our Departmental Features are being run monthly. This initiative aligns with our Hospital’s strategic priority of Staff Experience, by recognizing and celebrating the work that our staff are doing every day. This month we are looking at the Pharmacy Department! You can see past Departmental Features on the intranet.

The Pharmacy Department includes three pharmacy operations at TBRHSC:

  1. Main Pharmacy – located on the first floor across from 1A.  Main Pharmacy provides medications and clinical pharmacy services for all inpatients and most outpatient programs.  Pharmacy technicians prepare and dispense every medication in the hospital with the goal to provide as many medications as possible in a ready to use format for administration to patients.  Pharmacists provide expertise in medication management and patient care.  You can find your pharmacy team on nursing units working alongside the care team.
  2. Cancer Centre Pharmacy – located on 3rd floor inside the Cancer Centre.  Cancer Centre Pharmacy prepares all chemotherapy for both the Cancer Centre and inpatients.  Pharmacy Technicians are certified to prepare these medications safely and utilize specialized equipment to keep themselves, nursing and patients safe.  Pharmacists ensure the patients are receiving the most appropriate therapies to treat their cancer safely.
  3. Specialty Pharmacy – located on 3rd floor inside the Cancer Centre.  The Specialty Pharmacy is a retail pharmacy that provides oral chemotherapy and supportive medications to patients in Thunder Bay and the region.  The pharmacy technicians and pharmacists work with the prescribers, patients and families to ensure safe and effective chemotherapy can be taken at home.  The pharmacists are available to answer medication questions and help patients and families prevent and manage side effects of their chemotherapy.

Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacists are regulated health care professionals and are registered with the Ontario College of Pharmacists.  Pharmacy Technicians must complete a Pharmacy Technician diploma program (two year college program) and successfully pass national examinations.  Pharmacists must complete a Doctor of Pharmacy (four year university program) and successfully pass national examinations. 

Pharmacy played a key role during COVID: 

  • A pharmacist led the COVID-19 vaccination program for our Hospital
  • Pharmacy technicians prepared COVID-19 vaccines
  • The Pharmacy team ensured our hospital had access to safe COVID-19 vaccines as well as other COVID-19 treatments
  • The pharmacy team ensured we had sufficient critical medications to treat COVID-19 patients who needed ICU care including medications needed for ventilators
  • The Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist provided expertise in all COVID-19 medications treatment and provided up to date information to prescribers, nursing and pharmacy
  • The Antimicrobial stewardship Pharmacist launched our FirstLine App which has the most up to date information on all things related to infections and treatments
  • Pharmacists ensured (and continue to ensure) proper treatment of COVID-19 for inpatients admitted with COVID-19 as treatment options have evolved during the pandemic

March is Pharmacy Appreciation Month! Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work hard every day to ensure that every patient has the right medications. This month take a moment to thank the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at the TBRHSC for all that they do!