Minor Ailments Prescribing Module

To support understanding of this scope of practice change, all Part A pharmacists must complete the mandatory Orientation for Minor Ailments Prescribing module about their ethical, legal, and professional obligations before prescribing for minor ailments. Completion is required regardless of a pharmacist’s practice setting or whether they choose to prescribe for minor ailments. This decision was made by the Board in June 2020, based on the fact that the regulation change applies to the profession as a whole rather than to a specific to area of practice.

Pharmacy interns have the same  scope of practice as a pharmacist, subject to the supervision requirements set out in the terms, conditions, and limitations on their certificate of registration. The mandatory orientation module is designed to ensure registrants fully understand their ethical and legal requirements of prescribing for minor ailments prior to engaging in this practice.  It is the expectation of the College that they also have the necessary knowledge, skills and judgment to safely deliver this service when providing patient care.

No. Pharmacists and interns are no longer required to notify the College that they have completed the Orientation for Minor Ailments Prescribing module.  

However, before prescribing for minor ailments, the College expects that pharmacists and interns:  

• Understand their ethical, legal, and professional obligations described in the module
• Have the required knowledge, clinical skills, and professional judgment to safely assess and prescribe medications for minor ailments.  

It is the expectation of the College that pharmacists possess the required clinical skills, judgment and knowledge of legislative requirements and practice standards to safely prescribe medications for minor ailments. To refresh their clinical knowledge and increase their comfort in assessing and prescribing for minor ailments, pharmacists may consider additional education opportunities. A list of online continuing education courses related to minor ailments are available on the College’s website. These clinical education courses are optional, and pharmacists will not be expected to attest to their completion.

The mandatory Orientation for Minor Ailments Prescribing module should take approximately one hour to complete, and it does not have to be completed in a single session. Users may continue their progress at any time.

No, the mandatory Orientation for Minor Ailments Prescribing module is available free of charge on the College’s website.

The Orientation for Minor Ailments Prescribing module helps ensure that all Part A pharmacists and interns fully understand their ethical, legal, and professional obligations when prescribing for minor ailments. The content is not clinical in nature, although optional continuing education courses are available for registrants. 

To support understanding of the scope of practice change authorizing pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments, all Part A pharmacists must complete the mandatory Orientation for Minor Ailments Prescribing module about the legislative requirements regardless of their practice setting or whether they choose to prescribe for minor ailments. This decision was made the Board in June 2020, based on the fact that the regulation change applies to the profession as a whole and not to a specific area of practice.

The Orientation for Minor Ailments Prescribing module is presented in an online browser-based format that can be accessed through any web browser on a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. The module is narrated and will require audio capability; however a transcript of the narration is also available in the module’s menu tab. Knowledge-check quizzes  are embedded within the module, however scores are not recorded and there is no minimum grade required to complete the orientation module.   

The module takes approximately one hour to complete, and it does not have to be completed in a single session. Users may pause and resume their progress at any time. 

Part A pharmacists and interns who are assessing and prescribing for minor ailments for the first time must complete the module prior to engaging in this practice. Part A pharmacists and interns are no longer required to notify the College that they have completed the module (i.e., they are not required to make a declaration of completion). 

Since its introduction in 2023, prescribing for minor ailments is now considered part of routine pharmacy practice. It is included in entry-to-practice expectations, operational assessments and quality assurance assessments.  

To keep the module current as scope of practice evolves, the list of minor ailments is no longer included in the module itself. For the most up-to-date list of minor ailments that pharmacists and interns are authorized to assess and prescribe for, please visit the Minor Ailments Prescribing webpage.