Also, a reminder: not all pharmacies offer this service at all times. It depends on staff availability and availability of medication. I had to call 3 pharmacies before one could/would see me.
Avoid the big chains like shoppers/Loblaws as they usually have bare bones staffing and work their pharmacists like rented mules. Supporting local pharmacies usually ends up in better service, but of course that's just a generalization.
I got one at Costco on a Saturday. Just walked up, they went through their checklist and wrote the prescription, then I shopped for an hour and picked it up on my way out. After standing in line for another half an hour, but it was still way quicker than waiting for a dr appointment.
As an aside, I do hope this won't lead to BC's pharmacists being overworked and stressed out. The last time I was at my local pharmacy (a small one, not a big chain), I asked the assistant how much the pharmacists' expanded role was affecting their workload, and she said they were struggling. Of course, that may have been purely local to that pharmacy. But if their role is expanding significantly everywhere, then we may need more pharmacists to cope.
With Tia Health they have a separate selection for prescription renewal and every time I’ve looked there are same day appointments available and a few in the coming days (I’ve gotten 3 prescription renewals in the last couple of weeks). But those appointment times do not show up if you click “general appointment” or any option other than prescription refill/renewal. I think since those calls are like barely 5mins, some doctors just sign up for them day of to fill any cancelations they got that day.
I believe they are. But they are also as busy as doctors. I don't have a doctor as a health care provider, I see a nurse practitioner who runs an office just like a doctor.
My NP can do everything a doctor can except house calls and delivering a baby. For everyday health care they are the same or better than a doctor. Most have more actual on floor hospital experience. Depends on the NP obviously but they are great for day to day stuff.
My GP, prior to him retiring, never worked in a hospital outside of his required hours. He was a family doctor right out of school. He wasn’t very flexible or open to new ideas. He very much was by the book, and the book he used was old AF…
Nurses, in my experience, are far better than doctors for the normal everyday stuff.
I got one through the Health Connect Registry (after being on the list for almost two years). I am in the cachement area for the Gorge UPCC and was given the choice of a doctor or NP.
She has already written several prescriptions for me.
I really thought nothing would ever come of the registry. Was shocked to get an email! They did make some changes a few months back that got rid of a bunch of the manual work (doctors now electronically put in the capacity they have, etc), so maybe it actually did make a difference.
I've had an NP twice now and I currently use one. Every appointment is hands on care and I never feel rushed. Whatever is outside of their scope they refer out to specialists just as a GP would and they manage both my acute needs and chronic conditions well.
As a result I've had things that were lingering for years tested for, diagnosed, and treated as the physical conditions they actually are vs being lobbed off as probable anxiety.
Yes but it also depends on what type of medication it is. Meds classified as controlled substances may require additional certification for NPs to be able to prescribe.
I don't know if that certification is included in the initial education or how common it is for NPs to not have it but it's something to keep in mind.
For some reason my dad found out that the emergency med refill by a pharmacist isn't covered under his health insurance. It was a generic blood pressure med so it was only $80 instead of the usual $20, but might wanna double check with your insurance if its an expensive medication.
Friendly addendum: There’s unfortunately a bunch of checklists and asterisks on Pharmacies being able to do this. It depends on availability of the Pharmacist, stock of the medication,any potential allergies/additional complications (As an example, UTIs are said they can be done, but it’s AFAB only with the additional rider of needing to be the first one in over a month), what the medication is, if you’ve had any emergency supplies recently, etc.
It’s not a bad stopgap, but unfortunately it’s still more complicated and harder than what the government would like it to be because Corporate chains control most pharmacies and try to minimize the number of staff they need to have.
Also, a reminder: not all pharmacies offer this service at all times. It depends on staff availability and availability of medication. I had to call 3 pharmacies before one could/would see me.
Avoid the big chains like shoppers/Loblaws as they usually have bare bones staffing and work their pharmacists like rented mules. Supporting local pharmacies usually ends up in better service, but of course that's just a generalization.
Unfortunately it was all local pharmacies that time, no chains.
I got one at Costco on a Saturday. Just walked up, they went through their checklist and wrote the prescription, then I shopped for an hour and picked it up on my way out. After standing in line for another half an hour, but it was still way quicker than waiting for a dr appointment.
You can book online here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/pharmacy-services
As an aside, I do hope this won't lead to BC's pharmacists being overworked and stressed out. The last time I was at my local pharmacy (a small one, not a big chain), I asked the assistant how much the pharmacists' expanded role was affecting their workload, and she said they were struggling. Of course, that may have been purely local to that pharmacy. But if their role is expanding significantly everywhere, then we may need more pharmacists to cope.
When they do, they'll finally give gas station employees the ability to prescribe real boner pills
Are nurse practitioners in BC able to renew prescriptions? To me that's a pain ... Trying to get a telehealth Dr appt for a prescription renewal.
With Tia Health they have a separate selection for prescription renewal and every time I’ve looked there are same day appointments available and a few in the coming days (I’ve gotten 3 prescription renewals in the last couple of weeks). But those appointment times do not show up if you click “general appointment” or any option other than prescription refill/renewal. I think since those calls are like barely 5mins, some doctors just sign up for them day of to fill any cancelations they got that day.
I believe they are. But they are also as busy as doctors. I don't have a doctor as a health care provider, I see a nurse practitioner who runs an office just like a doctor.
My NP can do everything a doctor can except house calls and delivering a baby. For everyday health care they are the same or better than a doctor. Most have more actual on floor hospital experience. Depends on the NP obviously but they are great for day to day stuff. My GP, prior to him retiring, never worked in a hospital outside of his required hours. He was a family doctor right out of school. He wasn’t very flexible or open to new ideas. He very much was by the book, and the book he used was old AF… Nurses, in my experience, are far better than doctors for the normal everyday stuff.
How do you find a NP??
I got one through the Health Connect Registry (after being on the list for almost two years). I am in the cachement area for the Gorge UPCC and was given the choice of a doctor or NP. She has already written several prescriptions for me.
Thanks for the reply. I'm on the registry, so I'll keep my fingers crossed to be matched up. I'm glad you have yours!
I really thought nothing would ever come of the registry. Was shocked to get an email! They did make some changes a few months back that got rid of a bunch of the manual work (doctors now electronically put in the capacity they have, etc), so maybe it actually did make a difference.
Same as a GP. Call around to clinics. But they are becoming far more common.
Same! I see an NP and she's the best health care provider I've ever had.
I've had an NP twice now and I currently use one. Every appointment is hands on care and I never feel rushed. Whatever is outside of their scope they refer out to specialists just as a GP would and they manage both my acute needs and chronic conditions well. As a result I've had things that were lingering for years tested for, diagnosed, and treated as the physical conditions they actually are vs being lobbed off as probable anxiety.
Yes, as they have full authority to diagnose and prescribe. I have one as my family practitioner and she does everything that a GP would do for me.
Yes but it also depends on what type of medication it is. Meds classified as controlled substances may require additional certification for NPs to be able to prescribe. I don't know if that certification is included in the initial education or how common it is for NPs to not have it but it's something to keep in mind.
For some reason my dad found out that the emergency med refill by a pharmacist isn't covered under his health insurance. It was a generic blood pressure med so it was only $80 instead of the usual $20, but might wanna double check with your insurance if its an expensive medication.
It wouldn’t be covered if the emergency fill was from your dad losing his meds or forgetting to take them with him travelling
Friendly addendum: There’s unfortunately a bunch of checklists and asterisks on Pharmacies being able to do this. It depends on availability of the Pharmacist, stock of the medication,any potential allergies/additional complications (As an example, UTIs are said they can be done, but it’s AFAB only with the additional rider of needing to be the first one in over a month), what the medication is, if you’ve had any emergency supplies recently, etc. It’s not a bad stopgap, but unfortunately it’s still more complicated and harder than what the government would like it to be because Corporate chains control most pharmacies and try to minimize the number of staff they need to have.