The current primary care environment demands a patient centred and inter-professional model of care in addressing the needs of our community. This clinical rotation is designed to prepare the graduates for successful careers as independent practitioners of pharmaceutical care in an ambulatory care setting. It provides the pharmacy resident with training and experience to provide exemplary patient care in various aspects of chronic disease management. This may include but not limited to: diabetes, pain management, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney diseases, geriatrics, smoking cessation and respiratory diseases. Important philosophies that will be emphasized include patient-centeredness, evidence based practice and collaboration with other health care professionals.

The primary site for clinical training is the Medical Arts Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Nanaimo. Interactions with patients are achieved via clinic and phone/virtual visits. The team is comprised of over 20 health care professionals including pharmacist, family physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers and mental health counsellors. It is also home to the UBC Family Medicine Residency program and provides unique learning opportunities in conjunction with them. The pharmacy resident who completes this rotation will develop a more systematic approach to providing pharmaceutical care; be highly effective member of multidisciplinary teams and possess excellent problem solving abilities.