Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint · Written to the PSI Code of Conduct (2019)

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Pharmacists for pharmacists facing a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint or fitness to practise inquiry

The complaint concerns your ethical judgement, behaviour or conduct as a pharmacist.

Boundaries — a boundaries breach with a patient or a colleague, or a dual relationship
Dishonesty — a falsified dispensing or controlled drug record, or a false reimbursement claim
Supply — a prescription-only medicine supplied without a valid prescription
Controlled drugs — repeated requests for a medicine of dependence, or a stock discrepancy
Commercial pressure — a sales target, or an interest not disclosed, put before the patient
Confidentiality — a patient’s medicines discussed where others could hear, or records left visible
Online conduct — a post about a patient’s prescription, or a video consultation without privacy
Any other concern — an allegation of unethical behaviour or conduct

Facing an allegation of unethical behaviour or professional misconduct like these — from the PSI, its Preliminary Proceedings Committee or the Professional Conduct Committee?

This course is for a pharmacist facing a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint or fitness to practise inquiry. It helps you remediate — and show the remediation, with a dated certificate for your initial observations, your reflection, an undertaking or an inquiry.

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Immediate access · certificate on completion · twelve months' access

2 CPD hours
Self-paced
Written for Ireland
CPD certificate
From €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)

Our team

Dr Shehzad IqbalFounder, course author and facilitatorMBBS, MRCS, MRCGP
Dr Mo MirzaCourse facilitatorMedically trained, UCL London
Ludmila UpenieceBusiness development and supportPsychology, UEL London

At a glance

Who it is for: Any pharmacist facing a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint, an invitation to submit initial observations, a Preliminary Proceedings Committee decision, an inquiry or a decision on sanction about ethical judgement, behaviour or conduct — an allegation of unethical behaviour, conduct or action
Regulator covered: Applies to pharmacists registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI); the course is written to the PSI Code of Conduct
Length: 10 sections, 57 lessons, 2 CPD hours
Format: Self-paced, online, immediate access, twelve months from purchase
Certificate: Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses on completion, dated, with the course title and 2 CPD hours
Price: €100 · from €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)

Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics CoursesRemediation courses for regulatory processes.

2CPD hours, issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses

10Sections, nine closing with a reflective quiz

57Lessons, plus a post-course assessment

€100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)One off. Twelve months' access

The certificate you will receive

Sample certificate of continuing professional development for Ethics and Ethical Standards for Pharmacists, issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses, showing the name John Smith, 2 CPD hours and a date of completion, marked SAMPLE — Sample. Your certificate carries your name, the course title and the date you complete the course.

How pharmacists use it

With your initial observations on a complaint, or a written response to the Preliminary Proceedings Committee, alongside a reflection
When undertakings or consents are discussed, or in your evidence to the Professional Conduct Committee
As a dated record of remediation when sanction is considered

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Who this course is for

Facing an allegation of unethical behaviour or professional misconduct

The letter says a supply decision, a record, a disclosure or a relationship did not meet the standard expected of a pharmacist. This course is how you account for it — and show you have remediated.

Dealing with a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint

A patient, an employer, a colleague or the registrar has complained in writing, and the PSI has sent you the complaint and invited your initial observations. Those observations are where your reasoning first appears; this course gives them a structure.

Before the Preliminary Proceedings Committee

The committee may ask for more information, take no further action, refer the complaint to mediation or to a committee of inquiry. Dated remediation can be shown from this stage onwards.

Facing an inquiry before the Professional Conduct Committee

The complaint has been referred to a committee of inquiry, and the PSI says an inquiry may be held in public. Remediation completed before the hearing, dated and documented, is evidence your adviser can put before the committee and the Council.

Asked for an undertaking or a consent

Undertakings and consents are given under section 46 of the Pharmacy Act 2007, and a failure to comply with either is itself a ground of complaint. A completed course with your reflection attached is evidence an undertaking can rest on.

Under conditions, a censure or another sanction

Conditions attached to your registration, a censure or another sanction under section 48 may ask you to show what you have done to address the concern. The certificate is dated and records 2 CPD hours in ethics.

The concerns this course speaks to

Professional and ethical boundaries

Repeated personal invitations, an expensive gift from a long-term patient, a relationship with a colleague that went beyond a working one, a dual relationship. A boundaries breach can involve a patient or a colleague. Section 3 has a lesson on professional boundaries, and Section 7 compares a weak and a strong response to a boundary concern about a gift from a patient.

Probity and an allegation of dishonesty

Dispensing records falsified to cover a stock discrepancy, a false reimbursement claim to the HSE, an omitted entry to avoid complications. Probity, honesty and accountability have a section of their own (Section 6), and Section 7 compares responses to a record-keeping and stock management concern.

Supply without a valid prescription

Antibiotics supplied for a sore throat without a prescription, a sale made to keep a customer happy. Section 4 works through the supply of medicines without a valid prescription, where beneficence and the avoidance of unsafe or unlawful supply conflict, and Section 2 applies beneficence to the same situation.

Controlled drugs and dependence

Repeated requests for benzodiazepines, a request for strong opioids for chronic pain, a discrepancy in the controlled drug register. Section 4 covers controlled drugs and addiction concerns, Section 2 balances the four principles over an opioid request, and Section 7 compares responses to a controlled drug stock discrepancy.

Commercial pressure and conflicts of interest

Supplements promoted to meet a sales target, patients referred to a clinic in which you hold shares, an interest in a wholesaler not disclosed. Section 4 works through commercial pressure against patient safety and conflicts of interest in pharmacy ownership, and Section 7 compares responses to commercial pressure.

Confidentiality and data protection

A patient’s antidepressant discussed in a shop queue, records left visible at the dispensary counter, results emailed from a personal account. Section 5 covers the ethical duty of confidentiality, GDPR compliance in Irish pharmacy and confidentiality in the digital era, and Section 4 the conflict between confidentiality and a duty to report.

Online conduct and telepharmacy

A post about a strange prescription in which the patient is identifiable, case notes shared online, a video consultation overheard in a shared space. The course covers digital professionalism, social media, and telepharmacy and virtual consultations.

A dispensing error and candour

The wrong antibiotic or the wrong dose dispensed, an error not disclosed to the patient. The course covers communication and candour among the key ethical standards, accountability in clinical practice, and a dispensing error as a case comparison.

Facing a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

What the course covers

Ten sections and 57 lessons, with a reflective quiz closing each of the first nine and a post-course assessment at the end.

Section 01

Introduction — Why Ethics Matters in Irish Pharmacy Practice

Five lessons

Section 02

Core Ethical Principles — Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, Justice

Five lessons

Section 03

PSI Code of Conduct — Key Ethical Standards

Eight lessons

Section 04

Common Ethical Dilemmas in Irish Pharmacy Practice

Seven lessons

Section 05

Confidentiality, Data Protection, and Digital Professionalism

Six lessons

Section 06

Probity, Honesty, and Accountability in Pharmacy Practice

Six lessons

Section 07

Weak vs Strong Ethical Responses — Case Comparisons

Six lessons

Section 08

Demonstrating Ethics in Fitness-to-Practise and Remediation Processes

Six lessons

Section 09

Embedding Ethics into Professional Identity and Resilience

Six lessons

Section 10

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Two lessons, Conclusion and Key Takeaways, and the post-course assessment

Show every lesson title

Section 01 · Introduction — Why Ethics Matters in Irish Pharmacy Practice: The Role of Ethics in Pharmacy; Why the PSI Prioritises Ethics; Ethics and Professional Identity in Pharmacy; Consequences of Ethical Lapses; Why Ethics Matters Today.
Section 02 · Core Ethical Principles — Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, Justice: Autonomy — Respecting Patient Choice; Beneficence — Acting in the Patient’s Best Interest; Non-Maleficence — “Do No Harm”; Justice — Fairness and Equality in Care; Balancing Principles in Practice.
Section 03 · PSI Code of Conduct — Key Ethical Standards: Honesty and Probity; Respect for Patient Autonomy and Dignity; Confidentiality and Data Protection; Professional Boundaries; Conflicts of Interest; Communication and Candour; Digital Professionalism; Accountability and Remediation.
Section 04 · Common Ethical Dilemmas in Irish Pharmacy Practice: Supply of Medicines Without a Valid Prescription; Informed Refusal of Advice; Commercial Pressure vs Patient Safety; Conflicts of Interest in Pharmacy Ownership; Controlled Drugs and Addiction Concerns; Confidentiality vs Duty to Report; Digital Professionalism and Social Media.
Section 05 · Confidentiality, Data Protection, and Digital Professionalism: The Ethical Duty of Confidentiality; GDPR Compliance in Irish Pharmacy; Confidentiality in the Digital Era; Digital Professionalism and Social Media; Telepharmacy and Virtual Consultations; Consequences of Breaches.
Section 06 · Probity, Honesty, and Accountability in Pharmacy Practice: Probity as a Core Ethical Duty; Honesty in Documentation and Communication; Financial Integrity and Commercial Practice; Accountability in Clinical Practice; Consequences of Dishonesty and Lack of Accountability; Building a Culture of Probity and Accountability.
Section 07 · Weak vs Strong Ethical Responses — Case Comparisons: Dispensing Error; Confidentiality Breach; Boundary Concern; Commercial Pressure; Record-Keeping and Stock Management; Lessons Across Cases.
Section 08 · Demonstrating Ethics in Fitness-to-Practise and Remediation Processes: Why Ethical Demonstration Matters; How the PSI Assesses Ethical Behaviour; Weak vs Strong Demonstrations of Ethics; Evidence That Reassures Regulators; Remediation Portfolios in Pharmacy Practice; Long-Term Monitoring and Growth.
Section 09 · Embedding Ethics into Professional Identity and Resilience: Ethics as Professional Identity; Daily Ethical Habits; Reflection and Accountability as Routine; Building Resilience to Uphold Ethics; Mentorship and Role Modelling; Sustaining Ethics Across a Career.
Section 10 · Conclusion and Key Takeaways: Conclusion; Key Takeaways.

How to respond to a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint or fitness to practise inquiry

Whether it goes with your initial observations, to the Preliminary Proceedings Committee or to a committee of inquiry, a written response to an ethics complaint has to show your reasoning. These are the four parts to set out, and what the course gives you for each.

Nobody reading your response can know what you were thinking at the counter; they can only read what you write now.

The obligations engagedWhich principles the situation engaged — autonomy, benefit, avoiding harm, fairness, honesty.Section 2 sets out the four principles and Section 3 the key ethical standards of the PSI Code of Conduct, so you can name them.
The conflictWhere two of them conflicted, stated plainly.Section 4 works through seven dilemmas of Irish pharmacy practice, from supply without a valid prescription to controlled drugs and a duty to report.
The decision and its reasonWhich obligation prevailed, and why, with what you knew at the time.Section 7 sets weak and strong responses side by side in five cases.
The reconsiderationWhat you would weigh differently now, with dated evidence of what has changed.Section 8 covers the evidence of remediation and the remediation portfolio — and this course is a dated item for it.

An acknowledgement followed by the word ‘but’ reads as a defence, not as insight.

Take advice from your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor before you respond to anyone.

Facing a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

How this course helps with a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint

Weak and strong responses, side by side

The course pairs weak and strong responses to five situations — the wrong antibiotic dose dispensed, a patient’s antidepressant discussed in a shop queue, an expensive gift from a long-term patient, a manager’s push to promote supplements, and a controlled drug stock discrepancy — and shows what separates them: an honest admission, an explicit reference to the PSI principles breached, targeted CPD, audits, supervisor attestations and safeguards that can be checked.

Remediation you can evidence

Section 8 sets out what a remediation portfolio contains: reflective essays, CPD certificates, audit results, supervisor or mentor attestations, and patient or colleague feedback. No page can tell you what the Preliminary Proceedings Committee or a committee of inquiry will weigh in your case; a dated certificate and a reflection that names the principle engaged are material your adviser can decide how to use. For the stages from the first letter to the High Court, see the fitness to practise process in Ireland, explained.

Read the primary sources

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Who wrote it

Dr Shehzad Iqbal

Course author and facilitator, Healthcare Ethics Ireland

Dr Iqbal wrote this course. He combines clinical practice with a formal postgraduate qualification in healthcare law and ethics, and has worked with registrants across the regulated health professions, online and face to face, since 2020.

He founded Probity & Ethics in the United Kingdom in 2020 and Healthcare Ethics Courses, which issues the certificates, in 2025. More about us.

MBBS · MRCS · MRCGP · Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics, University of Dundee

Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

In short

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Pharmacists is a two-hour, self-paced remediation course for pharmacists registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) who face a complaint, a Preliminary Proceedings Committee decision, an inquiry before the Professional Conduct Committee or a decision on sanction, written to the PSI Code of Conduct for pharmacists (2019). It covers the four principles — autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice; the key ethical standards of the PSI Code, from honesty and respect for autonomy to boundaries, conflicts of interest, candour and digital professionalism; seven dilemmas of Irish pharmacy practice, from supply without a valid prescription to controlled drugs and a duty to report; confidentiality, GDPR and telepharmacy; probity, financial integrity and accountability; five weak and strong responses compared; and the evidence a remediation portfolio gathers. Ten sections, the first nine closing with a reflective quiz, a post-course assessment, and a dated certificate from Healthcare Ethics Courses. It is remediation and dated evidence of it; it decides no complaint, and it is not a substitute for advice from your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor.

When the request at the counter and the patient’s safety conflict

An ethics complaint about a pharmacist need not describe a pharmacist who ignored ethics. It can describe a pharmacist who followed one principle and did not notice that another was engaged. A patient asking for antibiotics without a prescription, a repeat request for a benzodiazepine, a manager’s sales target, a family member asking what a patient takes: in each, helping the person in front of you and protecting them or someone else can conflict, and the question afterwards is whether the pharmacist saw the conflict and decided it, or simply acted.

The course sets out each principle, the key ethical standards of the PSI Code and the ways each can be breached, and applies them to electronic prescriptions, telepharmacy and social media as well as the dispensary. Where principles conflict, it shows how to weigh them, justify the decision and document it.

In a written response, name the principles that were in conflict, say which you put first and why, and say what you would weigh differently now.

What these words mean

The three terms that decide where a complaint about a pharmacist goes, and the principles the course is built on.

Preliminary Proceedings Committee: The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) committee that considers a statutory complaint first, after your initial observations. It may ask for more information, take no further action, refer the complaint to mediation, or refer it to a committee of inquiry. In 2024, 62 of 88 respondents had no further action.
Professional misconduct: The first ground of complaint in section 35 of the Pharmacy Act 2007. The PSI’s glossary defines it as behaviour that goes against the Code of Conduct for registered pharmacists.
Professional Conduct Committee and Health Committee: The PSI’s two committees of inquiry. Complaints about professional misconduct can go to the Professional Conduct Committee, and complaints about impairment to the Health Committee. An inquiry may be held in public; the High Court confirms any sanction heavier than admonishment or censure.

The four principles and the other terms the course uses

Autonomy: The patient’s right to make informed decisions about their care, including the use of medicines. In practice: clear, unbiased information and respect for an informed refusal. Breached by paternalism, by withholding information and by pressure.
Beneficence: The obligation to promote the patient’s welfare: medication safety checks, effective counselling and advocating for the patient’s needs. Breached by putting convenience, speed or profit before safety.
Non-maleficence: The obligation not to cause harm through unsafe or negligent practice: safe dispensing, checking interactions and contraindications, and reporting adverse drug reactions.
Justice: Fair, non-discriminatory access to medicines and advice, without bias linked to a patient’s means or your personal views.
Informed refusal: A patient’s decision, with the risks explained, to decline a medicine or your advice. The course treats it as a conflict between autonomy and beneficence: respect it, make sure the risks are understood, and document it.
Conflict of interest: A financial or personal interest that could influence professional judgement, such as shares in a wholesaler or a clinic you refer to. Undisclosed, it is a breach of probity.
Confidentiality: The duty to keep patient information private unless the patient consents, the law requires disclosure, or disclosure is needed to protect others from serious harm.
Candour and open disclosure: Telling the patient when an error has occurred, apologising and taking corrective action. The Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 commenced on 26 September 2024, apart from section 68.
Dual relationship: A second relationship with a patient or a colleague alongside the professional one, such as a personal, sexual or financial one.

The standards and provisions a complaint about a pharmacist engages

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) publishes the Code of Conduct for pharmacists, and a complaint about a pharmacist is made and decided under the Pharmacy Act 2007. These are the Code, the grounds, the first stage that decides a complaint and the sections of the Act behind the sanctions.

Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) — Code of Conduct – Professional Principles, Standards and Ethics for Pharmacists (2019)

The PSI’s Code of Conduct sets seven principles: Put the Patient First, Act Professionally, Communicate Effectively, Work with Others, Show Leadership, Maintain Competence, and Be Open and Honest. Read it.

For this course: Section 3 sets out the key ethical standards of the PSI Code — honesty and probity, respect for autonomy and dignity, confidentiality and data protection, professional boundaries, conflicts of interest, communication and candour, digital professionalism, and accountability — so that a response can name the standard engaged.

Section 35 — complaints and the grounds of complaint

A complaint may be made in writing by or on behalf of any person, or by the registrar. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, impairment, a failure to comply with a condition, an undertaking or a consent, a prohibition or restriction on practising elsewhere, a contravention of the Act and a conviction for an indictable offence. The PSI’s glossary defines professional misconduct as “Behaviour that goes against the Code of Conduct for registered pharmacists”. Read it.

For this course: The conduct an ethics complaint describes — supply, confidentiality, a boundary, a conflict of interest, honesty — is the subject of Sections 2 to 7.

The Preliminary Proceedings Committee

The PSI sends the complaint to the pharmacist, who is invited to submit initial observations. The Preliminary Proceedings Committee may then ask for more information, decide that no further action is needed, refer the complaint to a committee of inquiry, or refer it to mediation. Section 46 provides for undertakings and consents, and a failure to comply with either is itself a ground of complaint. Read it.

For this course: Section 8 covers the evidence of remediation and the portfolio; a certificate dated before the committee decides shows you acted before anyone required you to.

Sections 48 and 50 — sanctions and High Court confirmation

The sanctions in section 48(1) are admonishment or censure, conditions, suspension, cancellation, and a prohibition on applying for restoration. There is no fine. Under section 50, as amended on 13 February 2021, a heavier sanction takes effect only once the High Court confirms it; an admonishment or censure takes effect on confirmation, or once the 30-day period in section 51(2) expires without an application. Read it.

For this course: The course is dated evidence of remediation completed before a sanction is decided: admonishment or censure, conditions, suspension or cancellation.

Also engaged: Section 48(3) — where undertakings or consents are given, the measures imposed are those contained in the committee’s report · Interim suspension — where the risk is serious and immediate, the Council of the PSI can apply to the High Court for suspension while the complaint is dealt with · Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 — commenced on 26 September 2024, apart from section 68.

What happens after a complaint about a pharmacist reaches the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI)

The stages of a statutory complaint under the Pharmacy Act 2007. At each of them three questions are worth answering in writing: did you see the ethical question, did you decide it for reasons you can state, and have you reconsidered it, with dated evidence.

A concern or a statutory complaint
The PSI separates a concern about the behaviour, conduct, practice or health of a pharmacist, which it deals with outside the statutory process, from a statutory complaint, reserved for issues of a serious nature. A statutory complaint is made in writing under section 35.
Your initial observations
The PSI sends you the complaint, and you are “invited to submit initial observations”. No response deadline is published: check your letter, and ask the PSI if it does not say. What you put in writing first is the first place to show insight and remediation.
The Preliminary Proceedings Committee
The committee may ask for more information, decide that no further action is needed, refer the complaint to a committee of inquiry, or refer it to mediation. In 2024 it considered 50 complaints, with 88 respondents: 62 had no further action, 17 were referred to the Professional Conduct Committee and 1 to the Health Committee (PPC Annual Report 2024).
Undertakings and consents
Section 46 of the Pharmacy Act 2007 provides for undertakings and consents, and a failure to comply with either is itself a ground of complaint. Since 13 February 2021, where they are given, the measures imposed are those contained in the committee’s report (section 48(3)). An undertaking then has to be evidenced.
The inquiry: the Professional Conduct Committee or the Health Committee
The PSI says its Professional Conduct Committee “usually deals with complaints about professional misconduct”; complaints about impairment of a pharmacist’s ability to practise can go to its Health Committee. The PSI says an inquiry may be held in public.
The Council’s sanction and the High Court
The sanctions under section 48 are admonishment or censure, conditions, suspension, cancellation, or a prohibition on applying for restoration. A heavier sanction takes effect only once the High Court confirms it; an admonishment or censure on confirmation or once the 30-day period expires (section 50). Where the risk is serious and immediate, the Council can apply to the High Court for suspension while the complaint is dealt with.

Facing a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Not a pharmacist? Each Irish regulator has its own Act and its own process — courses for doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists and all other healthcare professionals, or every course →

Frequently asked questions

What should a response to a PSI complaint about ethics contain?

Your reasoning: which principles were engaged, where they conflicted, which prevailed and why, what the effect was on the patient, and what you would weigh differently now. Name the principle of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) Code of Conduct that the conduct did not meet, and attach dated evidence of what has changed. Have your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor read it before it is sent.

Should I take advice before I respond to the PSI?

Yes — before anything is written to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), the Preliminary Proceedings Committee or your employer, including your initial observations. We do not name a particular body here: speak to your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

Can this course be used as evidence of remediation in a PSI complaint?

It can be part of the evidence, but no course decides a complaint. Whether and how to use a course in a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) complaint is for you and your adviser. What this course gives you is a dated certificate and the material for a reflection that names the principle engaged and what has changed.

The complaint is about a supply without a prescription. What does the course cover?

Section 4 works through the supply of medicines without a valid prescription, where helping the patient and avoiding unsafe or unlawful supply conflict, and Section 2 applies beneficence and non-maleficence to the same request. Whether a supply was lawful on your facts is a question for your adviser.

Does the course cover controlled drugs?

Yes. Section 4 covers controlled drugs and addiction concerns, including refusing supply when it is justified and contacting the prescriber; Section 2 balances the four principles over a request for strong opioids; and Section 7 compares a weak and a strong response to a controlled drug stock discrepancy.

When can I disclose confidential information without consent?

The course treats this as a conflict between confidentiality and a duty to report (Section 4), and sets out the ethical duty of confidentiality and GDPR compliance in Irish pharmacy (Section 5). Before you disclose, or if a complaint says you should not have, take advice: whether a disclosure was justified depends on the facts and on the law.

How is this course different from Professionalism and Professional Standards for Pharmacists?

This course is about the reasoning behind a decision: the principles involved, the conflicts between them, and how you account for them. The Professionalism course is about conduct and behaviour: attributes such as accountability and respect, communication, documentation and digital practice. A complaint that says a decision was wrong fits this course; one that describes how you behaved fits the Professionalism course; some complaints need both.

I have been asked for an undertaking or a consent. Can this course be part of it?

It can be part of the evidence. Undertakings and consents are given under section 46 of the Pharmacy Act 2007, and a failure to comply with either is itself a ground of complaint. Whether a course meets a particular undertaking or condition depends on its wording, so read it with your adviser before you enrol.

How long does it take, and does it count as CPD?

The course is 2 CPD hours, self-paced, with access for twelve months from purchase. The certificate is issued on completion, dated, with the course title and the CPD hours. CPD is mandatory for pharmacists under the Pharmacy Act 2007 and is recorded in the Irish Institute of Pharmacy’s online ePortfolio, with annual ePortfolio Review from January 2027. Record the course and your reflection there.

Can I get a certificate with a later date?

No. The certificate records the date you completed the course, and that date does not change. If the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), a committee or an employer asks for recent evidence, you buy the course again: half price within twelve months of your original purchase, the full €100 after that.

Will anyone be told that I am taking the course?

No. Nobody is told you are enrolled. We do not share participant details with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), an employer, a union or an indemnifier; the certificate reaches them only if you attach it to your own response.

A complaint can raise more than one issue. These are the courses that pair with this one.

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Pharmacists

For a PSI complaint about conduct: the attributes of professionalism, lapses and their consequences, and professionalism in communication, documentation and digital practice.