Definitions

1   In this regulation:

"Act" means the Health Professions Act;

"college" means the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia continued under section 15.1 of the Act;

"compound" means

(a) in respect of a drug, to mix with one or more other ingredients, and

(b) in respect of a therapeutic diet, to mix 2 or more appropriate ingredients;

"device" has the same meaning as in the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act;

"dispense" has the same meaning as in the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act;

"drug" has the same meaning as in the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act;

"Drug Schedules Regulation" means the Drug Schedules Regulation, B.C. Reg. 9/98;

"medical assistance in dying" means the following:

(a) the administration of a substance

(i) by a medical practitioner or a nurse practitioner to a person who requests the substance, and

(ii) that is intended to cause the death of the person who requested the substance;

(b) the prescription or provision of a substance

(i) by a medical practitioner or a nurse practitioner to a person who requests the substance, and

(ii) that the person who requested the substance may administer to himself or herself for the purpose of causing his or her own death;

"practice of pharmacy" means the health profession in which a person provides the services of

(a) identifying and assessing drug-related and device-related problems and taking action to prevent or resolve those problems,

(a.1) promoting health and preventing and treating diseases, disorders and conditions through drug therapy,

(b) monitoring drug therapy and advising on therapeutic values, contents and hazards of drugs and devices, and

(c) compounding and dispensing drugs and devices;

"prescribe" means to issue a "prescription" as defined in the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act;

"sell" has the same meaning as in the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act;

"substance" means a drug that is not specified in Schedule I, IA or II of the Drug Schedules Regulation.

[am. B.C. Regs. 234/2009, s. 1; 201/2016, Sch. 2, s. 1; 111/2023, App. 1, ss. 1 and 2.]

Reserved titles

2   The following titles are reserved for exclusive use by registrants:

(a) apothecary;

(b) druggist;

(c) pharmacist;

(d) pharmaceutical chemist;

(e) pharmacy technician.

[am. B.C. Reg. 211/2010.]

Scope of practice

3   A registrant may practise the health profession of the practice of pharmacy.

Restricted activities

4   (1) A registrant in the course of practising the health profession of the practice of pharmacy may do any of the following:

(a) prescribe, for the purpose of contraception or emergency contraception, a drug specified in Schedule I of the Drug Schedules Regulation;

(a.1) make a diagnosis identifying, as the cause of the signs or symptoms of an individual, a disease, disorder or condition that is shown in Column 1 of Schedule A, if all of the following conditions are met:

(i) the disease, disorder or condition, in the form indicated by the individual's signs and symptoms,

(A) presents a low risk of masking an underlying disease, disorder or condition, and

(B) can be readily diagnosed without the need for laboratory or imaging tests;

(ii) the individual's signs or symptoms can be reasonably expected to resolve with only short-term or episodic treatment;

(a.2) for the purpose of treating a disease, disorder or condition diagnosed under paragraph (a.1), prescribe a drug that is

(i) specified in Schedule I of the Drug Schedules Regulation, and

(ii) within a drug category shown opposite the disease, disorder or condition in Column 2 of Schedule A of this regulation;

(b) compound a drug specified in Schedule I, IA, or II of the Drug Schedules Regulation;

(c) dispense a drug specified in Schedule I, IA, or II of the Drug Schedules Regulation;

(c.1) in respect of a drug specified in Schedule I, IA or II of the Drug Schedules Regulation or a substance,

(i) administer the drug or substance by intradermal, intramuscular or subcutaneous injection or intranasally, or

(ii) administer the drug or substance by any method for the purpose of treating anaphylaxis arising from administering a drug or substance by intradermal, intramuscular or subcutaneous injection or intranasally, as described in subparagraph (i);

(d) if nutrition is administered enterally or parenterally,

(i) select appropriate ingredients for a therapeutic diet,

(ii) compound a therapeutic diet, or

(iii) dispense a therapeutic diet.

(2) Only a registrant may provide a service of the health profession of the practice of pharmacy as set out in this regulation if, on the day before this section comes into force, the provision of the same service by anyone other than a person authorized under the Pharmacists, Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act was prohibited.

[am. B.C. Regs. 234/2009, s. 2; 256/2009; 225/2015; 111/2023, App. 1, s. 3.]

Limits or conditions on services and restricted activities

4.1   (1) A registrant may perform an activity described in section 4 (1) (a), (a.1) or (a.2) only if

(a) standards, limits and conditions have been established, under section 19 (1) (k) or (l) of the Act, respecting

(i) the making of diagnoses for the purposes of section 4 (1) (a.1), and

(ii) the prescribing, by registrants, of contraceptives and emergency contraceptives, and of drugs referred to in Schedule A, and

(b) the standards, limits and conditions described in paragraph (a) are established on the recommendation of a committee that

(i) is established under section 19 (1) (t) of the Act,

(ii) has the duty and power to develop, review and recommend those standards, limits and conditions, and

(iii) includes at least one medical practitioner who is confirmed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia as suitable to be a member of the committee.

(1.1) A registrant may perform an activity described in section 4 (1) (c.1) only if

(a) standards, limits and conditions have been established, under section 19 (1) (k) or (l) of the Act, respecting the administering of the drug or substance by registrants,

(b) the standards, limits and conditions described in paragraph (a) are established on the recommendation of a committee that

(i) is established under section 19 (1) (t) of the Act, and

(ii) has the duty and power to develop, review and recommend those standards, limits and conditions, and

(c) the registrant has successfully completed a certification program established, required or approved under the bylaws to ensure registrants are qualified and competent to perform the activity.

(2) A registrant may dispense a drug for use in providing the service of medical assistance in dying only in accordance with the standards, limits and conditions established by the board for the dispensing of a drug for that use.

[en. B.C. Reg. 234/2009, s. 3; am. B.C. Regs. 201/2016, Sch. 2, s. 2; 111/2023, App. 1, s. 4.]

Patient relations program

5   The college is designated for the purposes of section 16 (2) (f) of the Act.