Shutterstock.com
The Pharmaceutical Journal’s first Twitter chat was held earlier in April, and it was a debate that was fantastically open, engaging and impassioned.
Although gender inequality was the intended theme for discussion, other pertinent social issues, such as diversity and the recognition of pharmacy technicians, were also raised during the discussion. It was clear that participants had a lot to say about the state of pharmacy and that Twitter provided a platform on which they felt comfortable to voice their opinions and share their experiences.
So, now what? You may be asking. A Twitter conversation will not, by itself, fix the issues raised during the debate. Despite the positive feedback we have had, it goes without saying that it is not enough for us to sit back and let the momentum slowly fade.
Of course, national pharmacy organisations and the profession as a whole have to be involved, but as a publication representing the whole of the pharmacy profession, we also are in a unique position to be able to use our editorial independence to highlight the latest issues affecting pharmacy professionals. We can advocate for pharmacy and provide a medium for students, preregistration trainees, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmaceutical scientists to voice their concerns and have them heard. And we take this responsibility very seriously.
We have many ideas about how to carry these themes forward but we would also like to listen to your views on what you feel we should focus on. Please leave a comment below, or email Angela Kam, our careers editor, at angela.kam@rpharms.com, with your views on these topics and let us know what you would like us to achieve.
We will continue to advocate for the profession and listen to the concerns and opinions of our readers so that the issues we cover in The Pharmaceutical Journal— whether it be gender inequality, diversity or inclusion — are of importance to you, but we are also determined that this conversation runs two ways.
