All pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are expected to make a declaration that they are either practising or non-practising when they renew their membership of the Society each year. A person practises as a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician if, whilst acting in the capacity of or holding himself out as a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician, he undertakes any work or gives any advice in relation to the dispensing or use of medicines, the science of medicines, the practice of pharmacy or the provision of health care.
For guidance on making the practising/non-practising declaration see the Registration Section of this website.
All practising pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have a professional obligation to maintain a record of their CPD. The Society provides CPD support materials and facilities for recording CPD online, on paper or on a freestanding personal computer.
Non-practising registrants and pharmacists registered as overseas members of the Society are not required to maintain a CPD record. If they wish, they can keep a record of their CPD on the Society’s online CPD recording facility.
For further details and to register as a user, see the CPD website.
Contact details:
Tel: 020 7572 2667An appraisal of the Society’s whole CPD recording and review process is being undertaken from September 2007 to help prepare the pharmacy profession for mandatory CPD. The new project requires 1,000 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to take part in three pilots. Each pilot will look at different means of recording CPD, starting with CPD Online users, then CPD Desktop users, with paper records being reviewed in phase three.
The objective of the project is threefold. First it will test the process of calling for and reviewing CPD records and also recruiting and training the Society’s CPD Reviewers. Secondly it will enable the Society to evaluate how well users are currently complying with expectations for CPD recording. Thirdly the project will enable the Society to get invaluable feedback from members on the CPD feedback report.
The project will involve recruiting 1,000 volunteer pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from all sectors who are willing to have their CPD record reviewed. The pilot is due to be completed by the end of September 2008.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who take part in the initial review will not normally be asked to submit their record for a further five years. They will also have the opportunity to gain early feedback on their recording of CPD against the Society’s criteria. Those who have their records reviewed will get feedback that will indicate whether or not they are on the right path in recording their CPD, or if they need to make some changes in some aspects of their recording activity.Contact for more information:
email cpd@rpsgb.orgThe Society has participated in an international survey, organised by the Professional Associations Research Network, which aims to discover how members of professional bodies feel about the CPD that they undertake.
As CPD features so highly in our future, your answers are particularly important to the Society. They will help to shape the future of CPD and the direction of online technologies as we move towards the development of the General Pharmaceutical Council and a new professional body. Both of these new organisations will have a role in the development and practice of CPD in pharmacy.
The closing date for the survey was 15 August 2008. Your responses will be reported back to the Society anonymously.
For more information, click on the link below:
Your views on continuing professional development
CE and CPD are provided by the following centres:
England: Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education
Wales:Welsh Centre for Postgraduate Pharmaceutical Education
Scotland: Scottish Centre for Post Qualification Pharmaceutical Education
Professional audit in pharmacy is the study of pharmacy practice to measure the level of attainment of agreed objectives. It is therefore a component of the quality assurance of professional services.
Its purpose is the continuing improvement of standards, and it depends for its success on the motivation and commitment of participants.
Click here for information about the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's clinical audit unit.
To help secretaries of the Society's branches and other pharmacy membership/interest groups to produce certificates of attendance for delegates attending educational meetings, a simple template is provided here.
Click here for the template (Word document)
Click here for an example of a completed certificate (pdf file).
NB:
The second page/reverse of the form is for the delegate to complete.
This form does not contribute to continuing education accreditation. Meetings
organisers who are interested in CE accreditation should contact the College
of Pharmacy Practice.
Pharmacists returning to practice after a career break or employment in another field need help to achieve the necessary level of competence. For more information, click here