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13 Apr 2016
An infographic showing the obligations of a registered pharmacist has been published today by the Pharmacy Board of Australia (the Board).
Pharmacists who are registered with the Pharmacy Board under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) must meet the Board’s standards and expectations of the profession.
'This is a requirement throughout a pharmacist’s career, and not just upon initial registration,’ Board Chair William Kelly said.
‘The simple infographic highlights what a pharmacist’s obligations are under the National Law1 and will help pharmacists ensure they do the right thing as one of the 14 regulated health professions,’ he said.
Obligations of all health practitioners registered under the National Scheme include carrying out and recording continuing professional development (CPD), and maintaining recency of practice to stay registered.
‘Every pharmacist is required to develop a CPD plan annually,’ Mr Kelly said.
‘To support this, the Board has developed a sample CPD plan/record to guide pharmacists in developing their CPD plan and record of completed CPD activities. This is available in the Board’s CPD FAQ.
‘A blank template of the CPD plan/record is also available which pharmacists can download and use in developing and maintaining their own CPD plan and record.’
Mandatory requirements under the National Law include notifiying the Board or the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) of another practitioner’s conduct if it is believed the public may be at risk.
‘While the National Scheme started in 2010 it’s possible that some pharmacists still might not be aware of all their obligations as part of being a regulated health professional,’ Mr Kelly said.
These obligations include notifying the Board in writing within seven days if charged with or convicted of an offence punishable by 12 months jail or more.
‘The Board also needs to be told within 30 days if a pharmacist has changed their principal place of practice, name or address,’ Mr Kelly said.
‘The infographic clearly shows the obligations of a registered pharmacist under the National Law and what they must do in order to stay registered and keep practising.’
The infographic is published on the Registration page of the Board’s website.
The objectives of the National Scheme and the actions that support them are shown in an infographic published in the About section of AHPRA’s website.