Ruby Howarth
Dispenser turned student pharmacist
“There’s a big opportunity to build a bridge between the profession and the new cohorts of students coming through. I’d say support the vote – it will shape our future.”
Of the changes proposed, what interests you the most?
The change I am most excited about is getting a student or early career voice on the new Senate. As a student, there are issues, like education and training, that I think it’s really important that the pharmacy profession can support.
What challenges are students facing at the moment?
For me the number of pharmacy students dropping out of their courses is very concerning, and I think it shows why we need better links between students and the RPS.
There are also some challenges around supporting our learning in new areas like prescribing. We need designated prescribing practitioners to support us, and it’s hard to recruit these at the moment. This feels like another reason why it’s important to move the leadership organisation on, and rally the profession. We need to make sure there are people like DPPs who can support the next generation coming through.
As a student pharmacist, what has been your relationship with RPS so far?
As students, we are members of BPSA and have associate membership of the RPS. We hear about the RPS at university, in lectures. I also got to know the RPS through their mentoring programme, which has been a brilliant eye-opener.
Before starting university, I worked as a dispenser, so I had some exposure to the RPS then as well. I feel like that’s where I began my pharmacy journey. In the community, the pharmacist obviously has a lot of the leadership and managerial responsibility, but without the dispensers, and the ACTs, the pharmacy technicians and the counter assistants, I think it would be hard to operate a pharmacy. Seeing the impact of the community team on people – recognising people’s faces when they come in for their medications every month, saying hello, getting to know them – it’s really powerful. So I think it’s important that all of the pharmacy team have a voice, and a strong leadership body that can speak out on issues that affect the whole of pharmacy helps with that.
What would you say to voters?
As a student I’m not eligible to vote, but I hope the changes to RPS’s constitution and governance are supported. There’s a big opportunity to build a bridge between the profession and the new cohorts of students coming through. So I’d say support the vote – it will shape our future.
The new student or early career role in the Senate is important. Having that insider knowledge of our struggles, having that awareness and recognition of students within the RPS, will help bridge that gap – and maybe mobilise students a little bit more, get them more involved with what’s going on. Having a body that can support us to get involved and help shape the future of our learning – I think that’s the main focal point for me.