Waterloo Pharmacy launches unique continuing professional development program
Across Canada, the scope of practice for pharmacists includes administering many vaccinations. While pharmacist continuing education programs on vaccines and their administration are common, there remains a need for more education on vaccines in special populations.
Recognizing this need, the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy launched the continuing professional development program, Vaccination in Pregnancy: An Interactive Case-Based Program for Pharmacists.
Created by expert author and Waterloo Pharmacy’s associate professor Dr. Sherilyn Houle, this course is designed to share best practices to enable pharmacists to support patients with vaccine questions throughout their pregnancy journey.
“Pharmacists care for pregnant patients often, from selecting folic acid supplementation before conception through to anti-nauseants for morning sickness during pregnancy and providing support with newborn care after delivery,” says Houle. “Yet, few resources have been developed for pharmacists to provide vaccination-related care for patients who are planning pregnancy or are currently pregnant. My goal is that this program will support pharmacists in discussing and providing vaccinations to this population to protect the health of both pregnant patients and their babies."
This fully online course covers:
- The risks of vaccine-preventable diseases among those who are pregnant and their babies
- Vaccine safety in pregnancy
- Vaccine recommendations and schedules for before, during and after pregnancy
- Providing vaccination care for patients who are planning pregnancy or are currently pregnant in your pharmacy practice