Jen Belcher

Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Member Relations for @OntPharmacists - pharmacist, fishing mom & ice cream snob (she/her) (maiden name: Baker)

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

An oldie but a goodie - my 🧵on #pharmacist prescribing is applicable to today's announcement that #Ontario will add 14 additional ailments, helping Ontario to catch up with most other provinces where this has been done safely and effectively for years

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

What you need to know about #pharmacist (RPh) minor ailment (MA) prescribing in #Ontario – a🧵
While most have been supportive that RPhs can prescribe for 13 ailments (that we previously assessed & treated, just without the independent authority to prescribe Rx medication PRN),

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

Congratulations to all of the Ontario professionals who will now be able to do more to contribute to a healthier future for our communities, our families and ourselves. #ONHealth #pharmacists #ONpoli @OntPharmacists

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

At a time where good news feels hard to come by, I'm thrilled by the scope of practice expansions announced yesterday by @ONThealth - for pharmacists and multiple other health professionals who have the skills and training to safely bring down care access barriers for patients

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

At the end of the day, this bold and comprehensive approach to increasing logical, safe channels for people to get the care that they need is a win for patients.

As HCPs, our ultimate duty is to the patient & we are all on the same team, no matter where we work.

[Randilynne Urslak @rx_randi]

📣📣 Attention Ontario pharmacists!

Your insights are invaluable. Please take a moment to complete our survey and help advance pharmacy practice in this important area.

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

@iceblueaccent Enabling all HCPs to practice independently to the fullest of their abilities is good for patients. So I will cheer on advancements for all other professions, including the necessary investments being made in primary care. Because we are all patients at some point!

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

I’m well aware that I’m a #pharmacist and not a doctor. I am very proud to be a pharmacist.

If I were a doctor, I would also be very proud of my professional identity.

https://t.co/JFailaavrF

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

@iceblueaccent In 2023, Ontario expanded the scope of practice for midwives, which is another smart move! I would have loved to have received some of the care that has just now been enabled back when I was pregnant with my son and under the skilled care of my midwifery team.

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

Most of my physician colleagues practice the way I do - following the evidence, embracing team-based care and putting the patient first. We are a team, and we don’t put each other down. I hope to see a day where OMA approaches non-physician scope expansion the same way.

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

Both pharmacists and doctors help people and, like all health professions, in some areas our skills overlap. We are different, but there are many examples of scope where multiple professions have similar competencies and authorities.

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

Enabling assessment & prescribing authority for 14 additional ailments is just one tactic that can be used to create greater access to needed healthcare services in Ontario. The rest of Canada has done this for years/decades without any of the negative outcomes suggested by OMA.

[Justin Bates @justjbates]

#Pharmacists are not a band-aid solution and deserve to be respected for the education and expertise they bring in helping manage patients in collaboration with other healthcare professionals. It is disappointing to hear another health profession raise the spectre of unfounded patient safety risks, conflicts of interest and lack of competency. There is more than one model of care than the one being purported by OMA which is controlled by a physician. Pharmacists and patients are no different in Ontario than they are in every other jurisdiction that has enabled this safely and effectively. It would be great to focus on collaboration and a patient-centred approach rather than disparage pharmacy professionals with misleading messages.

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

We are seeing this anecdotally in pharmacy practice all the time with patients reporting these effects in medication follow up counselling and medication reviews. Exciting to see more study been done in these areas to better understand the effect and mechanism.

[F. Perry Wilson, MD MSCE @fperrywilson]

Data keeps emerging that suggests GLP-1RAs like #Ozempic curb all sorts of appetites... not just appetite for food. Brief thread on some new findings...

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

@LeanneHPatrick It's discouraging to see this happening in other areas of the world as well - we are seeing this quite prominently in Ontario, Canada. Team-based care doesn't come from tearing each other down and patients are worried by fearmongering on social and traditional media channels.

[Jen Belcher @jen_rph]

@Claudette_RPh “Identify” a patient’s parasite from hand-drawn illustrations of his bowel movements. I was just thankful they weren’t watercolor paintings 😂