Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care (MHSLTC) has proposed amendments to the Pharmaceutical Regulation to enable pharmacy students the ability to administer drugs and vaccines if they have completed the requisite training, and are under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist who is authorized to administer drugs and vaccines.
Proposed Amendments
- Proposed Amendment 1: Section 62(2) is added to allow pharmacy students in at least the second year of their program to administer drugs or vaccines, if the student is under direct supervision of a pharmacist who is authorized to administer drugs/vaccines and the student has completed training approved by Council as part of their pharmacy educational program. Pharmacy students may only administer drugs and vaccines prescribed by an “authorized practitioner” or those listed in Schedule 2 to the Regulation, according to the requirements of the provincial immunization program. At this time, pharmacy students would not be permitted to administer a drug prescribed for contraception, unless it is prescribed by an “authorized practitioner” (note: pharmacists are not considered “authorized practitioners” under federal legislation).
- Proposed Amendment 2: Sections 111 and 113 are amended to require recordkeeping of the pharmacy student’s administration of a drug or vaccine.
- Proposed Amendment 3: Several minor clarification amendments are also proposed:
- Removing the definition of Personal Health Identification Number (PHIN) as this term is not used in the Pharmaceutical Regulation and is defined in other legislation.
- Correcting the French version of section 64, subsection 108(2), and section 110.
- Correcting the language used to describe the government entity responsible for maintaining the public health information network, in section 111.
You can access the proposed amendments here: https://cphm.ca/pharmaceutical-regulation-amendment-students-consultation/
Background
Current legislation does not allow pharmacy students to administer vaccines or drugs outside of their formal educational rotations or employment with Shared Health or a regional health authority. For example, a pharmacy student employed by a community pharmacy cannot administer influenza vaccines during the autumn respiratory illness season, even if they have completed the necessary training, through the University, to perform this skill on educational rotations.
Pharmacy students at the University of Manitoba are trained in drug and vaccine administration at the beginning of their second year. This regulatory amendment will increase the number of immunizers available in Manitoba and therefore expand pharmacy capacity for immunizations and patient access to care.
Consultation Period
The CPhM Council has approved a 30-day public consultation period for these proposed amendments. We encourage you to review the proposed amendments and provide your feedback.
To provide feedback please complete the following form https://forms.office.com/r/qJ8Lne2Sfc by July 26, 2026.
Should you have any questions, please email info@cphm.ca .