In February, almost 900 PDA members attended online sessions, engaging with each other, asking questions, expressing their views, learning together, and building their sense of professional community.
In settings such as community pharmacy, GP practice, and some other healthcare environments, there may be just one pharmacist present in the workplace at any given time. Although pharmacists work with other members of the pharmacy team and/or are part of multi-disciplinary teams in some clinical settings, nevertheless practising as a pharmacist can still at times feel professionally isolating.
On issues facing pharmacists such as professional practise, employment terms and conditions, professional development, policy, regulation and the future of the profession, pharmacists will often want to connect with other pharmacists having similar experiences. This is why the PDA arranges online sessions for members.
Fortunately, one of the benefits of being part of a pharmacists only organisation that has more than 36,000 members in the UK, is the sense of professional community that can be generated and the opportunity to collectivise issues. Pharmacists should know that through their membership of the PDA, they should never need to feel alone at work.
The PDA can provide opportunities for professional networking and community building, and through international links into EPhEU and FIP this can sometimes extend to wider connection with pharmacists from around the world.
Topics covered by PDA member online sessions this February have included the role of pharmacists in international humanitarian work, the right to strike, managing risk, starting out in your career, well-being, redundancies, equal pay, the NHS pay dispute, locum issues, and pay banding.
With support from the PDA to organise within their employer, as Equality, Diversion and Inclusion (EDI) Networks, or within a geography or an area of practise, pharmacists can build their collective influence, develop their careers and network with other pharmacists to improve their working lives together. This is part of how the PDA promotes the voice of the profession.
If you would like to become more involved in the activity of the PDA, including training to become a certified trade union representative, please complete the form here and a member of the Organising & Engagement Team will get back to you, or contact the PDA Member Support Centre.
Learn more
- EPhEU – Employed Community Pharmacists in Europe
- FIP – International Pharmaceutical Federation
- Events
- PDA Workplace Reps
- PDA Member Support Centre
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.