From the President: A personal professional pledge
In a seasonal message to members, the President of the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society, Dr Gill Hawksworth,
suggests that new entrants to the profession should be encouraged to
pledge their dedication to health care
The President: something to think about |
I recently attended an important event in my calendar, the Society’s
registration ceremony in Scotland, where, as President, I welcomed newly
qualified pharmacists from Scotland into the profession.
This set me thinking. A few years ago, the Society held registration
ceremonies at its headquarters in London, overseen by the president of
the day. However, they were poorly attended and it appears the reason
may have been that many newly qualified pharmacists did not want to take
time off from their new jobs, not to mention the expense of bringing
their families to London.
I cast my mind back to this summer when I had the great privilege of
representing the Society as President at the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical
Association conference in Jamaica. It was an excellent conference and
very hot! I came away with several learning points that have contributed
to my continuing professional development. Most notable was a memorable
update on HIV and AIDS.
One of the things that touched me and has stayed with me from this conference
was the fact that the Jamaican Pharmacists Association gave a copy of
its pledge to each participant (Panel 1).
Panel 1: Jamaican pharmacists’ pledge
I do solemnly swear:
• That I will abide by the Code of Ethics of the Pharmaceutical
Society of Jamaica in my relations with the public and other heath
professions
and fellow pharmacists
• That I will obey all the laws governing the practices of pharmacy
and that I will encourage the enforcement of these laws against
all persons pledging to assist the proper authority in correcting
any
unlawful or unethical conduct among members of my profession
• That I will do my best to develop and maintain professional stature
by keeping abreast of developments in my own and related professions
and that I hold citizens’ health and welfare paramount in
all considerations relative to the practice of my profession |
It reminded me that, in order
to register with the Society, preregistration trainees have to sign
an affirmation that they will uphold the interests
of patients, respect others, keep their knowledge up to date and behave
professionally (Panel 2).
Panel 2: New registrants’ affirmation
I confirm that, as a pharmacist, I will:
• Make the care of my patients my first concern and seek to
help them obtain maximum benefit from their medication
• Treat patients and colleagues with respect and without discrmination
• Keep my professional knowledge up to date by undertaking continuing
professional development
• Behave in a manner appropriate for a member of the pharmacy
professsion and adhere to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of
Great Britain’s Code of Ethics at all times |
It always makes me proud to be a pharmacist
that our profession has a Code of Ethics and that we hold patient safety
paramount. In this
context
I pledged to myself many years ago that I owed it to the patients
whom I serve to undergo continual professional development.
With this in mind, I was contemplating whether preregistration trainees
on registering might consider taking the affirmation a stage further.
When they take the important step of entering the profession as newly
qualified pharmacists, might they be prepared to make a pledge in
front of their peers?
It could be managed through the local branch, with the branch chairman
welcoming them into the profession, supported by the branch members.
This would give a new dimension to the work of the branches and would
not require a new pharmacist to travel too far from work or home.
I have been thinking about this for a long time now. It seems that
people are prepared to make a pledge of loyalty in circumstances
where there
is much less commitment required than becoming a member of a trusted
and honourable profession.
My commitment to the profession is, I hope, self-evident. But I would
have been so proud, at the time, to have had the opportunity to enter
my chosen profession by making some sort of personal pledge. I believed
then, as now, some 30 years on, that if you want to enter a profession,
you should be proud to do it. As a pharmacist, I would have wanted
to be heard affirming that I would uphold the welfare, confidentiality
and
rights of patients and that I would always promote patient safety
by reflecting on my own competence.
It may be something for you to think about over Christmas. It is
often the time of year when we do a little bit of soul searching.
I ask myself
what a different generation of young pharmacists thinks about this?
As we enter yet another vitally important year for the profession,
we are contributing in new ways, for example, as prescribers, towards
the
best outcomes for patients. Should we start our careers by standing
up and publicly highlighting our duty towards patient health and
welfare, other professions and fellow pharmacists? I am sure the
Society would
find its own unique way of expressing this dedication if the profession
decided to take this forward.
In the meantime, I wish you a peaceful Christmas period and a happy
New Year.
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