The scope of practice and authorized acts for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Ontario is established in provincial legislation (Pharmacy Act, 1991, s3, 4). Please note this is not an exhaustive list of all the activities pharmacy professionals can perform. Additional activities are outlined in federal regulations, or as part of the Standards of Practice.
- “Scope of practice” statements briefly and generally define what the pharmacy profession does. As “scopes” between health professions can overlap, these do not prevent other regulated health professionals from performing them too.
- “Authorized acts” are a subset of the “controlled acts” that are defined in the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. These are generally restricted to regulated health professions because they may pose a risk to the public if they are not performed by a qualified professional.
Pharmacists can:
- Dispense, sell, and compound drugs
- Administer certain substances by injection or inhalation
- Prescribe to initiate treatment for smoking cessation, influenza, COVID-19, and certain minor ailments
- Prescribe to adapt or renew existing prescriptions
- Pierce the dermis (e.g., for patient education and demonstration, certain point-of-care tests)
Pharmacy technicians can:
- Dispense, sell, and compound drugs (technical aspects only)
- Administer certain substances by injection
- Pierce the dermis (e.g., for patient education and demonstration, certain point-of-care tests)