Mr Kevin Ben Laurence (Class of ’11)
Director, FIP (International Pharmaceutical Federation) Foundation for Education and Research
Fitness to Practise
The pharmacy profession is an integral and essential component of any healthcare system. The pharmacists possess a special body of technical knowledge and unique skill set that enable them to carry out professional activities such as dispensing of medications, recommending rational therapeutic treatments, compounding/ manufacturing of medicinal products, regulating the quality of medicine and many others. As pharmacists have access to medicines that can potentially cause harm to self or others, it is important that their cognitive and physical functions are in excellent state. Therefore good pharmacy practices can only be achieved when pharmacists are fit-to-practise. Fitness to practise is demonstrable through the acquisition of competency, the exhibition of good character and behaviour as well as the possession of good physical and mental health. It is a person’s suitability to be registered as a pharmacist without restrictions to practise. In practical terms this would mean the ability to maintain the requisite standards in competency to discharge all duties proficiently as a pharmacist.
Pharmacy students are expected to conduct themselves professionally as they are accorded special privileges and responsibilities that require them to uphold the integrity of the profession. The pharmacy programme offered at the National University of Singapore is multidisciplinary and students are exposed to different learning experiences to enable them to acquire knowledge, attitude and skills relevant to the practice of pharmacy. Besides in class learning, students are required to participate in workplace-based internship training, also known as Pre-Employment Clinical Training (PECT), which takes place at various training sites outside the university. PECT is compulsory and students need to pass the experiential rotations before they can graduate from the degree programme.
The Fitness to Practise Procedure
As stipulated above, a student is expected to be able to achieve the requisite competency base by the end of the programme. This competency base is fundamental to embark on the next phase of training upon graduation. If there are reasons which may present a challenge for you to achieve the stipulated competency base, it is advisable that you declare them and seek appropriate advice as early as possible. The fitness to practise procedure is established to assist potential applicants and students in making informed decision on the study of pharmacy.
The fitness to practise procedure will apply to special cases in the following ways.
(a) During the application phase. If a potential applicant has questions regarding fitness to practise and would like to seek advice before making a decision on whether to select pharmacy as a course of study, the person may write to the Department of Pharmacy to seek further clarification. It is important to share the concern with the Department as non-declaration may affect graduation and career advancement subsequently. Please write to the following mailbox askBPharm@nus.edu.sg for assistance and advice. All information will be kept confidential.
(b) Pharmacy students will be required to make an annual declaration on whether they possess concerns that may impact their fitness to practise. Those who develop concerns related to fitness to practise during the course of study, it is strongly advisable to declare them as early as possible so that appropriate advice can be given in a timely manner and remedial action taken at the soonest possible time when needed.
(c) Pharmacy students who have been subjected to disciplinary action for misconduct may be referred to the fitness to practise procedure for advisory counseling.
Some of the areas of concern related to a student’s fitness to practise are provided below. Do note that this is not an exhaustive list and clarifications should be sought where necessary.
(a) Criminal conviction
(b) Drug or alcohol misuse
(c) Aggressive, violent or threatening behavior
(d) Cheating or plagiarizing
(e) Dishonesty or fraud
(f) Unprofessional behaviour or attitudes
(g) Health conditions and lack of management of them (failure to follow medical advice/plans and recognize limits/ abilities, or lack of insight into health conditions, that may impair student’s fitness to practise)
