Profession-specific standards3 hours
Ethics for Pharmacists
The ten principles of the SPC Code of Ethics 2015 applied to supply, prescriptions, misuse, supplements, incentives, conscience, errors and collaboration.
S$125DetailsAdd to cart
Profession-specific standards
Professional Standards for Pharmacists
Competency standards, the SPC Code of Ethics in practice, registration and CPE, safe supply, HSA licence duties and supervising the pharmacy team in Singapore
- 3hours (estimated)
- 10sections
- 20final questions
- 80%pass mark
- PDFcertificate
- Online and self-paced, on any device
- Reflective account template
- Knowledge checks in every section
- Instant certificate of completion
What you will learn
- Distinguish competency, ethical and practice or premises standards and identify which body sets and enforces each.
- Describe the structure of the Competency Standards for Singapore Pharmacists, the Day-One Pharmacist Blueprint and the Development Framework for Pharmacists.
- Explain the classes of registration, titles, practising certificate and CPE requirements under the Pharmacists Registration Act 2007.
- Apply the SPC Code of Ethics obligations as practice standards in counselling, supply, confidentiality and collaboration.
- Carry out and record a systematic clinical assessment of prescriptions, and apply standards for dispensing, compounding and Pharmacy-only Medicines.
- Meet HSA retail pharmacy licence requirements on the pharmacist-in-charge, pharmacist presence, records, storage and service modes.
- Delegate safely to technicians and support staff, and precept and supervise trainees and conditionally registered pharmacists.
- Lead clinical governance, incident learning and controlled drug security.
- Describe the SPC complaints, disciplinary and health processes and respond to them constructively.
- Comply fully with conditions and undertakings and keep up with regulatory change.
Who this course is for
Pharmacists registered with the Singapore Pharmacy Council in retail, hospital, polyclinic, community hospital and other settings, including pharmacists-in-charge, preceptors, supervisors, managers and conditionally registered pharmacists.
After a concern
Structured learning and a written reflection to show insight after a complaint, an investigation or a board inquiry.
Routine CPD
Focused learning on a core standard of practice, with a certificate and reflection for your portfolio.
About this course
A practical course on the professional standards that Singapore pharmacists are measured against every day. It works through the SPC's Competency Standards for Singapore Pharmacists and their nine functional areas, the Day-One Pharmacist Blueprint, the Development Framework for Pharmacists, and the SPC Code of Ethics as a set of practice standards, and shows what each looks like at the counter, in the dispensary, on the ward and in the manager's office.
It covers registration classes and titles under the Pharmacists Registration Act 2007, the practising certificate and CPE, the clinical assessment of prescriptions, dispensing, compounding, Pharmacy-only Medicines, HSA retail pharmacy licence requirements including the pharmacist-in-charge and pharmacist presence, supervision of technicians, assistants and pre-registration pharmacists, telepharmacy and automation, clinical governance, incident learning and controlled drug security.
It is written for registered pharmacists, pharmacists-in-charge, preceptors, supervisors and managers in retail, hospital, polyclinic and other settings, including conditionally registered pharmacists. Illustrative Singapore scenarios show how standards apply in practice, and a final section explains the SPC complaints and disciplinary process and how to respond with insight. It complements, and does not repeat, our separate course on ethics for pharmacists.
Course details
- Learning time
- Approximately 3 hours of learning (estimated time including knowledge checks, reflection and assessment)
- Standards covered
- Competency Standards for Singapore Pharmacists (2010) and SPC Competency Standards Framework (2011); Day-One Pharmacist Blueprint and pre-registration Professional Activities; MOH Development Framework for Pharmacists and Development Framework for Pharmacy Technicians (2025); SPC Code of Ethics (2015) and Ethical Code on Advertising by Pharmacists; SPC Guidelines for Registered Pharmacists, including PSS Good Pharmacy Practice and Telepharmacy Guidelines; Pharmacists Registration Act 2007; Health Products (Licensing of Retail Pharmacies) Regulations 2016 and HSA licence requirements; Misuse of Drugs Act 1973; Healthcare Services Act 2020, SRE licence conditions and collaborative prescribing; National Guidelines on High Alert Medications (2021); PDPA 2012 and PDPC healthcare guidelines (2023); Mental Capacity Act 2008
- Assessment
- 20 scenario-based questions, 80% to pass (16 of 20)
- Format
- Self-paced, gated lessons with knowledge checks, case studies and reflection
Course curriculum
10 sections · 25 lessons · 3 hours (estimated) · 20-question final assessment
-
1The professional standards framework for pharmacists in Singapore3 lessons
- What professional standards mean for a pharmacist
- The competency standards: from entry to practice to advanced practice
- Who regulates what: the SPC, HSA, MOH and professional bodies
-
2Registration, practising certificates and titles3 lessons
- The registers and classes of registration under the Pharmacists Registration Act
- Becoming registered: pre-registration training, examinations and supervised practice
- The practising certificate, CPE and honest declarations
-
3Professionalism, communication and the Code of Ethics as practice standards3 lessons
- Patients first at the counter: obligations 1 and 2 in daily practice
- Legal compliance, high practice standards and fitness to practise
- Communication, collaboration and handling disagreement with prescribers
-
4Assessing, supplying and compounding medicines safely3 lessons
- Assessing prescriptions: the clinical check as a professional standard
- Dispensing, compounding and protecting the supply chain
- Pharmacy-only medicines, minor ailments and health promotion
-
5Supervising pharmacy technicians, trainees and the pharmacy team4 lessons
- The pharmacy team: roles, legal status and accountability
- Delegation, the final check, automation and telepharmacy
- Precepting pre-registration pharmacists and supporting new registrants
- The pharmacist-in-charge, pharmacist presence and accountability
-
6Leadership, governance and safe systems3 lessons
- Leadership and clinical governance in the pharmacy
- Errors, near misses and learning from incidents
- Stock integrity, controlled drugs and diversion
-
7Maintaining standards and responding when they are questioned3 lessons
- CPE, portfolios and evidence that you meet the standards
- When a complaint is made: the SPC process
- Living with conditions and orders, and the changing landscape
-
8Conclusion and key points1 lesson
- Conclusion and key points
-
9References and further reading1 lesson
- References and further reading
-
10Reflection1 lesson
- Your reflective account
Assessment and certificate
Final assessment
20scenario-based questions
- Pass mark 80%: 16 correct out of 20
- Knowledge checks in each section as you go
- Tests whether you can apply the standards, not recall a page
- Not passed yet? Review the sections and retake it
Certificate of completion
A certificate of completion for your learning portfolio.
- Your name, the course title and the estimated learning time (record the time you actually spend)
- Completion date and a unique certificate ID that can be verified
- Ready to download as a PDF as soon as you complete the course
Fitness To Practice
Certificate of Completion
This certifies that
Your Name
has successfully completed
Professional Standards for Pharmacists
3hours (estimated)
Continuing professional development record — Singapore
Your reflective account
The course includes a structured reflective account template: guided prompts to record what you learned, how you will apply it and how the change will show in your practice. It gives you written evidence of insight after a concern, and a ready record for your CPD portfolio.
Write it in your own words and leave out anything that could identify a patient, a colleague or a case. If you have an open complaint or case, talk to your adviser before reflecting on it in writing.
Questions about this course
How is this different from the Ethics for Pharmacists course?
The ethics course focuses on values and dilemmas. This course covers standards of practice: the Competency Standards and Development Framework, registration, practising certificates and CPE, the clinical assessment of prescriptions, dispensing and Pharmacy-only Medicines, HSA licence duties, supervision of the team, governance and the SPC process. It uses the Code of Ethics as a set of practice standards rather than repeating ethical theory.
Does it cover the SPC Competency Standards and the Development Framework for Pharmacists?
Yes. It explains the nine functional areas of the Competency Standards for Singapore Pharmacists, the Day-One Pharmacist Blueprint and Professional Activities used in pre-registration training, and the seven domains and four performance levels of the Development Framework for Pharmacists, with practical examples for self-assessment.
Is it useful for pharmacists-in-charge?
Yes. A full lesson covers the pharmacist-in-charge role under HSA retail pharmacy licensing, pharmacist presence, records, storage and approvals for delivery, lockers, telepharmacy and automation, with practical checklists and a procedure for pharmacist absence.
Does it help preceptors and supervisors?
It covers precepting pre-registration pharmacists using Professional Activities, workplace-based assessment and entrustment, and supervising conditionally registered pharmacists, including six-monthly reports to the SPC and the importance of basing ratings on direct observation.
Will it count towards my CPE?
It does not award CPE points; it may count only if the SPC or the relevant accreditor accepts it. You receive a certificate of completion and a written reflection for your learning record.
Can I use it after a complaint to the SPC?
Many pharmacists use it to refresh their knowledge of standards and to support reflection. If you are subject to an order, condition or undertaking, the SPC or the relevant committee decides what learning is acceptable, so check with them, your supervisor or your lawyer before relying on it.
How long does it take and how is it assessed?
About three hours, including lessons, knowledge checks, case studies and a reflective account. The final assessment has 20 scenario-based questions with an 80% pass mark.
How this course was built
Official sources only
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: the Acts that set up each professional board, the boards' own codes and guidance, and the Ministry of Health. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Original, edition by edition
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
Reviewed when rules change
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.
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