SCOPE OF PRACTICE OF PHARMACY AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF

PHARMACISTS

A. The Scope of Practice of Pharmacy

B. Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Functions of Pharmacists

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10918

An Act Regulating and Modernizing the Practice of Pharmacy in the Philippines, Repealing
for the Purpose Republic Act Numbered Five Thousand Nine Hundred Twenty-One (R.A. No.
5921), Otherwise Known as the Pharmacy Law

Section 4. Scope of the Practice of Pharmacy. - A person is deemed to be practicing

pharmacy, within the meaning of this Act, when with or without a fee, salary, percentage or
other rewards, paid or given directly or indirectly, shall:
(a) Prepare, compound or manufacture, preserve, store, distribute, procure, sell, or
dispense, or both, any pharmaceutical product or its raw materials; or
(b) Render services, such as clinical pharmacy services, drug information services, regulatory
services, pharmaceutical marketing, medication management, or whenever the
expertise and technical knowledge of the pharmacist is required; or
(c) Engage in teaching scientific, technical, or professional pharmacy courses in a school or
college of pharmacy; or
(d) Dispense pharmaceutical products in situations where supervision of dispensing of
pharmaceutical products is required; or
(e) Chemical, biological or microbiological analyses and assay of pharmaceutical products,
food/dietary supplements, health supplements, and cosmetics; or
(f) Physico-chemical analyses for medical devices used in aid of administration of
pharmaceutical products; or
(g) Administration of adult vaccines as approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA): Provided, That they shall undergo the training on the safe administration of adult
vaccines and management of adverse event following immunization (AEFI) for
pharmacists and hold a certificate of training issued by an institution duly accredited by
the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC); Provided, further, That the safe
administration of vaccines be part of the higher education curriculum for pharmacists; or
(h) Conduct or undertake scientific research in all aspects involving pharmaceutical products
and health care; or
(i) Provide other services where pharmaceutical knowledge is required.
Activities under paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (i) are exclusive to licensed pharmacists.
However, nothing herein shall be construed as requiring other persons carrying out only
the activities under paragraphs (e), (f), (g) and (h) to be licensed pharmacists, subject to
any qualification that is imposed by other laws with respect to such particular activity.
Reference: Republic Act No. 10918
C. The 7-Star Pharmacist

We live in a rapidly changing world where technology and innovation continuously

disrupts the way organizations and institutions do business. Similarly, the education sector,
and higher education institutions in particular, are affected by these changes. The question
one wrestles with is how do we keep pace with these changes while maintaining the key
focus of educating the future generation of pharmacists to remain relevant through
adequate and dynamic training.

What then does the future pharmacist need to know and who do they need to be in
order to remain relevant and provide the 21st century healthcare?

In its 1997 report entitled The Role of the Pharmacist in the Health-Care System –
Preparing the Future Pharmacist: Curricular Development, the World Health Organization
(WHO) identifies seven key roles (the “seven-star pharmacist”) which should be considered
essential, minimum, common expectations of pharmacists by healthcare systems worldwide.

The identified roles and responsibilities are:

1. Care-giver
2. Decision-maker
3. Communicator
4. Leader
5. Manager
6. Life-long learner
7. Teacher

D. The 10-Star Phamracist

Over the several years since the publication of the seven-star pharmacist roles,
scholars have been suggesting the addition of three more roles to give birth to a new “ten-
star pharmacist”. A ten-star pharmacist is expected to fulfil these roles in addition to the
seven identified by WHO in 1997:

8. Researcher
9. Entrepreneur
10. Agent of Positive Change
Reference:
e-Pharmaciae Vol 4 No 21 2017, UNSW Sydney, accessed Aug. 30, 2021, https://pharmaciae.org.za/shaping-the-
pharmacist-of-the-future/
Qualities of a 10-Star Pharmacist:
1. Pharmaceutical Care Provider
The pharmacist provides caring services. Whether these services are clinical,
analytical, technological or regulatory, the pharmacist must be comfortable interacting
with individuals and populations. The pharmacist must view his or her practice as
integrated and continuous with those of the health care system and other pharmacists.
Services must be of the highest quality.

2. Decision-maker
The appropriate, efficacious and cost effective use of resources (e.g., personnel,
medicines, chemicals, equipment, procedures and practices) should be at the foundation
of the pharmacist’s work. Achieving this goal requires the ability to evaluate, synthesize
and decide upon the most appropriate course of action.

3. Communicator
The pharmacist is in an ideal position between physician and patient. As such, he or
she must be knowledgeable and confident while interacting with other health
professionals and the public. Communication involves verbal, non-verbal, listening and
writing skills.

4. Leader
Whether the pharmacist finds him/herself in multidisciplinary (e.g., team) caring
situations or in areas where other health care providers are in short supply or non-
existent, he/she is obligated to assume a leadership position in the overall welfare of the
community. Leadership involves compassion and empathy as well as the ability to make
decisions, communicate, and manage effectively.

5. Manager
The pharmacist must effectively manage resources (human, physical and fiscal) and
information; he or she must also be comfortable being managed by others, whether an
employer or the manager/leader of a health care team. More and more, information
and its related technology will provide challenges to the pharmacist as he/she assumes
greater responsibility for sharing information about medicines and related products.

6. Life-long-learner
It is no longer possible to learn all one must learn in school in order to practice a
career as a pharmacist. The concepts, principles and commitment to life-long learning
must begin while attending pharmacy school and must be supported throughout the
pharmacist’s career. Pharmacists should learn how to learn.

7. Teacher
The pharmacist has a responsibility to assist with the education and training of
future generations of pharmacists. Participating as a teacher not only imparts knowledge
 to others, it offers an opportunity for the practitioner to gain new knowledge and to
fine-tune existing skills.

8. Researcher
The pharmacist must be able to use the evidence-based practice (e.g., scientific,
pharmacy practice, health system) effectively in order to advice on the rational use of
medicines in the healthcare team. As a researcher, the pharmacist is able to increase the
accessibility of unbiased health and medicines-related information for the public and
other healthcare professionals.

9. Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses,
taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. The 'Pharma-preneur'
must possess and apply appropriate pharmaceutical sciences knowledge perform
pharmacist-directed patient care solve problems and continue to learn as the healthcare
laws and policies change enhance patient care by creating new outcomes improvements
paradigms innovate new pharmacy business solutions that enhance the patient
experience and strengthen the business of community pharmacy.

10. Agent of positive change

The pharmacist must be the lead in creating change in pharmacy practice to improve
patient care, pharmacy services and inter professional collaboration. Advances in
technology have greatly expanded the prevention and treatment options for dozens of
conditions, and enabled coordination and collaboration across health care providers and
institutions. As technology has become more sophisticated, patients have become more
involved in their own care than ever before, setting clear expectations for transparent,
patient-centered care and increased access to health care information.