PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

I recently attended a conference for regulators of Health Professionals. One of the keynote presentations really made me stop and think about what I do day to day. The presenter spoke about competence and performance. Competence being what we CAN do and performance being what we ACTUALLY do. He suggested that engagement may be the factor that links the two.  

Are you an engaged practitioner?

The engaged practitioner tends to be one who is satisfied with his or her job and strives to achieve above and beyond what is expected by the public in their daily role. First, Break All the Rules (Buckingham and Coffman) is a book that offers solutions to better employee satisfaction. It suggests that employees should be asking the following six questions:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?

2. Do I have the resources to do my work right?

3. Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

4. In the last week, have I received recognition praise or acknowledgement for doing good work?

5. Does my manager seem to care about me as a person?

6. Is there someone at work who encourages my personal and professional development?

The Council is currently running a public consultation - Draft Premises and Equipment Guidance for Non-Sterile Complex Compounding. It is intended to provide pharmacists with premises and equipment guidance in pharmacies where non-sterile complex compounding is undertaken.  Submissions close 12 April 2019 and I would encourage all individuals and organisations to consider making a submission.

My term on the Council comes to an end on 31 March, along with other members Anne Reynolds and Adrian Lee. It is my pleasure to announce that Joyce Cooper will take over as Council President and the Deputy President will be Veronica Murdoch. I wish Council members all the best for the future and thank them for their input and support over the last nine years. I look back on my time on the Council as a positive experience and one that I never envisaged when I first became a pharmacist. I will continue to practise as an engaged pharmacist and maintain some other roles within the profession.