Pharmacist Eight Standards

A Pharmacist is a professional who plays the role in assisting individuals in making the best choices in regards to medication. As this stands, it is the duty of a pharmacist to give the best care possible his/her patients and do so in a disciplined and honest manner. The Pharmacy Code of Ethics is an outline of the standards and principles expected from the professionals in the Pharmaceutical world. It is a guide that sheds light on how a pharmacist should maintain his/her relationship with patients, health professionals, and society.

The Pharmacy Code of Ethics has eight standards. This paper will take into consideration two of the eight standards: the third and fifth standards. The third standard states that “A pharmacist respects the autonomy

This is of course beneficial to the profession because it creates a group of individuals who are on top of the changes that occur on a constant basis. Every day, the medication, the technology, the devices change and new ones are brought into the playing field and the very information itself advances. If pharmacists did not stay on top of all this, there could be very well negative consequences that result from it. For example, a pharmacist that does not know about a new machine that creates a certain drug and how it works, the pharmacist may end up messing up the creation of the drug and it could cause complications to the health of the patient. This is undoubtedly beneficial to the stakeholders, because no one wants someone in charge of their health that has not the slightest idea what he/she is doing. The stakeholders can have the assurance that they are at the care of educated and competent individuals who are up-to-date with all the material and information. They can be assured that their health won’t be at stake due to the ignorance or inability of their

There are also levels to every code of ethics. There are four levels: basic, currently attainable, practical, and theoretical (Nicholas Manias, 2013). Basic is the easiest to achieve and theoretical is the most difficult level to achieve (Nicholas Manias, 2013). The pharmacy code of ethics falls under the practical level. The practical level states that the behaviors and requirements set forth by the code can be achieved the majority of time through diligent effort (Nicholas Manias, 2013). The policies set forth are often admirable goals and are most often met with efforts that are earnest. Take for example the fifth standard in the pharmacy code: A pharmacist maintains professional competence (Code of Ethics, 2012). This is not some high standard that seems unattainable as in the theoretical level, nor is it something that can be done with minimal effort as in the currently attainable level. Therefore, the code of ethics for pharmacy is at the practical