Pharmacy
Our inpatient pharmacy provides clinical drug support and medication distribution for St. Mary's clinical inpatient and outpatient programs. Services are provided by more than 34 regulated staff members which include pharmacists, technicians, and pharmacy students, all licensed with the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
St. Mary's Pharmacy Services
- Patient medication education/counselling
- Drug information to respond to your medication questions
- Personalized patient medication assessments for safety and effectiveness, and interaction with the health care team to optimize your medication therapy.
- Support for personalized patient admission, transfer and discharge medication reconciliation, ensuring you are informed and on the most appropriate medications at key points in your journey at SMGH.
- Safe and timely medication distribution
Optimize medication distribution technology to provide state of the art medication distribution systems.- Monitoring and reporting outcomes of design and workflow processes to improve safe, timely and appropriate medication access
- Monitor standards of practice and accreditation requirement to ensure safe and effective guidelines for Pharmacy services
As part of a hospital wide medication safety initiative, our pharmacy
has implemented unit dose medication repackaging which includes barcode technology in addition to automated dispensing cabinets. This newer automated technology supports safer seamless care for patients through bar code scanning and a decentralized drug distribution system where 90% of drugs are ready and available on patient care units at all times.
St. Mary's Pharmacy Team
Together, the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians support
all aspects of medication management for patients. Both are dedicated to ensure safe medication practices, as well as timely and effective drug therapy for all different types of patient care. Our pharmacists play an active role providing direct patient care in collaboration with the patients’ health care team. Our pharmacy technicians focus on providing safe and efficient drug distribution services. Pharmacy technicians also support the patients’ health care team by supporting medication reconciliation across the hospital. Look for opportunities to come and join our exciting team!
Pharmacy technicians at St. Mary’s General Hospital (SMGH) are health professionals who use their knowledge, skills and abilities to think critically, make decisions, and solve problems appropriate to the technician role. Technician’s work collaboratively with the pharmacists to provide the best in patient care.
Technicians at SMGH must be a graduate of a regulated Pharmacy Technician course and be an active member in good standing with the Ontario College of Pharmacists. Previous hospital work experience would be an asset, but not essential. SMGH has a comprehensive training program which will help prepare you for your role as a pharmacy technician. Areas which technicians can fulfil are as listed:
- Sterile & Non-Sterile Compounding
- Unit dose dispensing
- Packaging
- Drug Distribution and Inventory Management
- Narcotic medication control and audits
- Medication Reconciliation support, specifically support for gathering medication history
- Purchasing/Receiving
Pharmacists at St. Mary’s General Hospital (SMGH) are health care professionals who possess the energy, drive and compassion to provide excellence in patient care. Our pharmacists provide a patient-centered model of care using their valuable knowledge and skills as well as their compassion for each patient. Pharmacists work on patient care units as part of the health care team.
Pharmacists must be an active member in good standing, with the Ontario College of Pharmacists. Previous hospital work experience is an asset. SMGH has a comprehensive training program which will help prepare you for your role as a SMGH pharmacist. Areas which pharmacists support the patients are as listed:
- Patient centered pharmaceutical care for admitted patients and ambulatory clinics
- Medication order verification to ensure safe, effective medication utilization
- Medication reconciliation
- Support for gathering medication history
- Reconciling med history for medication ordering on admission
- Medication education on discharge, including interaction with community pharmacy
- Drug Information
- Drug interaction checking
- Therapeutic drug monitoring
- Antimicrobial stewardship
- Consultation on optimizing medications to provide safe, effective and efficient medication therapy
Coming to the Hospital
An integral part of a patients care while in hospital requires a complete history of their medications. All members of their health care team will inquire about medications and how they are used. The following is a list of medication we will be asking about:
- All prescribed medications
- Any medications you take that do not require a prescription (examples: ibuprofen, Tylenol and cough & cold products)
- Any nutritional supplements including vitamins and minerals
- Any recreational drugs
We ask that when you are coming into the hospital that you bring all your medications in with you for our pharmacy team in conjunction with your whole health care team to review and complete your medication history. We will send your medications home with your Care Partner, once your medication history has been completed.
Contact
For general department information, please call 519-749-6505