Feedback to Alberta Government’s Consultation
November was a busy month for the Advocacy Committee who also provided feedback to a review of regulated professions that was completed by Alberta Government.
PTSA was one of the regulated profession groups requested to provide feedback about whether our regulatory college’s policies regarding professional conduct, especially in the context of social media use, are clear and/or impede our freedom of speech.
Under tight timelines, the advocacy committee reviewed the Alberta College of Pharmacy’s (ACP) standards of practice and guidance in this regard. Some of the recent communications from ACP on this topic include:
Navigating social media as a regulated member – Alberta College of Pharmacy (abpharmacy.ca)
Social media – Alberta College of Pharmacy (abpharmacy.ca)
The advocacy committee considered the following questions:
- Is ACP’s direction regarding professional conduct clear? Do you have any suggestions for what could be improved?
- Do you feel that pharmacy technicians’ freedom of expression is impeded by ACP’s policies? Do you have any suggestions for changes?
- Does ACP’s social media use guidance provide sufficient direction for you? Do you have any suggestions?
PTSA’s Response
PTSA’s response included support for ACP’s standards of practice, code of ethics, guidelines, policies and other documents enabling a regulated member to exercise a moral or conscientious objection when practicing. We expressed no concern with mandatory training requirements related to professional competence and ethics, such as the prescribed learning all pharmacy professionals are expected to complete each year.
We noted that ACP’s direction has been that conduct “outside of pharmacy” may still be found as unprofessional conduct if there is a connection to the pharmacy profession, but how that’s determined is usually left to case-specific hearing tribunals. Our committee suggested that additional communication from the college summarizing and communicating themes/examples of this would be helpful for pharmacy technicians to better understand expectations.
The committee also noted that ACP’s current guidance does not fully address online activities, and further clarification would help pharmacy technicians better understand if their online activities, especially on social media, would be subject to discipline. Based on the representative comments of the advocacy committee, it was noted that pharmacy technicians often avoid using social media in fear that content posted could be deemed unprofessional or affect the integrity of the profession. This could potentially impede freedom of speech even though that may not be the intent of the college or its policies.
Do you agree with the feedback provided? Share your thoughts in the comments below.