The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7218 p482-483
5 October 2002

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Letters to the Editor

CPD

A loss to the community

From Mr D. Clayman, MRPharmS

I write regarding my concerns about continuing professional development.

I sold my pharmacy some six years ago and have since been doing regular locum work. During this time I have always attempted to keep up to date regarding new drugs, for example, looking up references, taking courses as well as reading many articles for continuing education and completing some distance learning courses. Furthermore, until I sold my business, I was part of a once weekly or fortnightly meeting on updates attended by doctors, nurses and representatives of drug companies. I know many of my colleagues do the same, not entering anything into a diary, but just regarding it as normal professional behaviour. I, like most of my colleagues, fit these in around my non-professional life.

I have another life, including participation in sport and involvement in a wide variety of interests within the community at large. I also have a family with grandchildren. Taking into account the new Government initiatives, such as clinical governance, I wonder when pharmacists will have the time to fulfil these myriad tasks. I suppose those working in hospitals, or larger multiples, might be given time off during the week, while the others will have to give up what is left of their "leisure" time, quite possibly at the expense of their family. I cannot envisage our medical colleagues agreeing to be so governed.

From a personal point of view it is difficult to see where I can continue to develop personally, especially after a working lifetime in the profession.

It would appear to me, from all I have read of CPD, that there will be a choice between being a practising community pharmacist or a communally active person with no part to play in the profession (ie, not registered).

The loss, I fear, will be to the community for the vast amount of voluntary work undertaken by pharmacists, or to community pharmacy — which already appears to rely on locums — for the loss of people who will choose not to be even more tied up with the bureaucracy of staying registered than they are currently with the practice of community pharmacy.

 David Clayman
Leeds

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