Pharmacy at CAMH

Pharmacists as integral members of the health care team provide a wide range of services to stakeholders in terms of direct patient care and medication management. Pharmacists at CAMH also work in management and leadership capacities and participate in medication safety, education, training, policy development and dissemination as well as research. There are also specialty positions in pharmacy practice such as drug information and drug use evaluation and medication safety. Pharmacy technicians play an integral role in supporting the full range of pharmacy operations including in-patient and out-patient drug distribution, purchasing and inventory control, packaging and bulk compounding.

CAMH requires that all pharmacists be registered with the Ontario College of Pharmacists. As with all regulated health professionals at CAMH, pharmacists must provide annual proof of registration in good standing with the College. There are two registers for pharmacists maintained by the College, i.e. "part A" for pharmacists with active patient care practice and "part B" for pharmacists who do not participate in direct patient care (e.g. those who work in industrial, governmental, academic or regulatory settings). Pharmacists at CAMH must be in "part A" of the register. For information pertaining to the College, please access the College web site www.ocpinfo.com. At the present time, pharmacy technicians are unregulated by the College. However, they work under the direct supervision of pharmacists or, in some cases, carry out certain tasks that have been delegated by pharmacists. With new regulations, there will be a process of voluntary registration of pharmacy technicians through the College in the near future. Information regarding registration may be accessed on the College website.

The department participates widely in the education of pharmacy students. Pharmacy staff serve as preceptors and mentors in a number of programs coordinated by the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, including the Structured Early Exposure Program (SEEP) and the Structured Practical Experience Program (SPEP). The SEEP program provides second year pharmacy students with early exposure to pharmacy practice in hospital settings. The SPEP program offered to pharmacy students in the last semester of the fourth and final year of the program consists of an intensive 8-week structured practicum in a hospital setting as well as an additional 8-week practicum in a community pharmacy setting. The Pharmacy also offers a general one-year hospital pharmacy residency to graduate pharmacists interested in obtaining intensive experience in a hospital pharmacy setting, with a concentration in addictions and mental health. Pharmacists are also involved in didactic teaching in third and fourth year therapeutics courses at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. The department is also a site for specialty training of Residents and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students who wish to include a specialty rotation in addictions and mental health in their overall training. The Pharmacy also serves as a training site for pharmacy technicians who receive their primary training at a community college.

There is a Pharmacy Practice Council at CAMH chaired by the Director, Pharmaceutical Services/Pharmacist-in-Chief and pharmacists are participating in the deliberations of this Council. The Council organizes a number of staff development initiatives each year and oversees the development of professional practice models, student education and research.

Contact Information

Wayne Marigold, M.Sc.Phm.
Director, Pharmaceutical Services/Pharmacist-in-Chief
416 535-8501, Ext. 3002

Peter Babishuk, B.Sc.Phm
Manager, Pharmacy Operations
416 535-8501, Ext. 6802