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by The Pharmaceutical Journal in association
with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s public relations
and membership unit as a service to members of the Society resident
in Great Britain.
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Facilitator Raminder Sihota helping delegates during a workshop
at the West Midlands region CPD conference |
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society currently has 47,000 members, of whom 39,000 are on the practising section of the Register. Later this year it will become mandatory for all practising pharmacists to record their continuing professional development (CPD).
If you are one of the 39,000 and have yet to take the plunge with CPD,
then what better time than at the start of the new year?
Since 2004 the branches and regions have run meetings to support pharmacists
with their CPD needs. To date, more than 200 meetings have been held, attended
by some 6,000 members.
The Society is encouraging regions and branches to work together to meet
the CPD needs of local pharmacists. A model for how to engage with members
was provided by the West Midlands region in October 2006 when a one-day
CPD conference attracted over 100 pharmacists.
The conference demonstrated that there is still a high level of demand
for local CPD meetings. Reflecting on the CPD meeting, Bob Saunders, chairman
of the West Midlands regional committee, says: “It was worth all
the effort when the feedback came through to show how valuable members
have found the interactive sessions. I would encourage other regions to
use our model for running an event and to contact the membership team at
the Society, who will be able to offer valuable advice to help organise
the event.”
Council member John Gentle was one of those who attended the West Midlands
conference. He says: “By having the chance to attend conferences
and workshops on CPD, pharmacists can have the opportunity for support
in an informal setting. The Society has provided a great deal of support
to pharmacists wanting to take part in CPD and over 21,000 members have
logged onto the CPD
website, yet a large number of
members are still not fully engaged with this process. For regions this
is an opportunity to work with local branches and offer support to members
with this important role.”
Any region or branch interested in following the West Midlands example
should contact the Society’s membership team on 020 7572 2333. |
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Pharmaceutical Journal