Meeting seeks introduction of pharmacy student charter
A motion seeking a charter for pharmacy students was carried by the branch
representatives’ meeting.
Jen De Val (British Pharmaceutical Students Association) put the motion: “That
pharmacy students should have a comprehensive pharmacy charter to adhere
to as undergraduates, much like the charters of other health care
professions.”
She said that the medical schools had a charter that set out principles
for students and schools to adhere to. At their recent annual conference
BPSA members had unanimously agreed that pharmacy students should have
something similar.
The motion was about promoting the ideals of professionalism and giving
students ownership of their profession from an early stage, she said.
It was also about students’ fitness to practise.
Amy Lepiorz (BPSA), seconding, said that the introduction of a charter
would benefit
all involved in students training and the profession as a whole.
Gordon Dykes (Glasgow and West of Scotland) said he was concerned about
overregulation. Being a student was a time to be slightly irresponsible
and the existence of a charter might put people off undertaking a pharmacy
course.
Miss De Val, responding, said that the charters in other health care
profession student courses did not put people off. Students might not
be angels at university but they knew the profession they were joining
and knew the importance of maintaining standards, particularly when dealing
with patients.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal