Healthcare professional Membership

Join UKCPA as a healthcare professional for expert support and guidance on medicines, and a community to support you throughout your career.

Join today for less than £3 per week

Education
Expert-led pharmaceutical education and training.
Events
Access to virtual and in-person networking events.
Resources
Extensive healthcare resource library.
Clinical forums
Share your knowledge and experiences in our healthcare professional forums.

Overview

Join UKCPA as a healthcare professional or prescriber to benefit from the knowledge and extensive experience of our medicines expert members.

Access practitioner-led education and events either online or in-person via our healthcare professional network. Benefit from leading advice and an extensive resource library from our community of practising pharmacy experts.

Keep your prescribing knowledge up to date with ongoing training, education and expert-led coaching for healthcare professionals. Improve your skills and feel reassured that you’re following best practice guidance when dealing with patients. 

What does your membership include?

If you’re a healthcare professional or prescriber, you can benefit from the knowledge and experience of our medicines experts through your UKCPA membership.

Join today for less than £3 per week

Clinical communities
Access to pharmaceutical and medical communities tailored to different specialisms.
Networking
Connect with other healthcare professionals around the world.
Resources
Unlimited access to clinical resource libraries to support your healthcare career.
Events
Calendar of healthcare professional networking events and conferences.
Education
Webinars and virtual events, led by expert speakers.
Connected
Membership of a dedicated healthcare professional network.

Benefits of joining our healthcare professional network

Becoming a member of UKCPA gives you unique access to medicines experts to help you support your patients.
High-quality education
Access medicines-focussed education and training delivered by our experts, including practising pharmacy professionals.
Professional network
Join dedicated professional forums to discuss the key medicine-related challenges for healthcare professionals, and share your knowledge and experiences.
Clinical communities
Participate in a wide range of healthcare communities, from community health to medicines safety to emergency care.
Connect and collaborate
Build your healthcare professional network as you connect with like-minded individuals.
Networking events
Meet other healthcare professionals online and in person via our extensive calendar of events.
Resource libraries
Get unlimited access to helpful medicines-focussed resources developed by fellow UKCPA members.

Not sure which pharmacy membership is right for you?

We also offer memberships for qualified pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Join today from less than £3 per week for unlimited access to resources, education and expert-led training.

Member stories

Sharing ideas with others

I get to meet and share ideas with others. It provides me with useful networking opportunities which help me with my own development and in my job.

Karen Gunnell - Senior lecturer in pharmacy practice

Promoting development

UKCPA has always been there to promote development and give me reassurance that specialist practice is thriving.

Dr Keith Ridge - Former Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England

What is a healthcare professional?

As a healthcare professional interested in medicines and prescribing, you can take advantage of UKCPA’s medicines experts to support you in your career.

A healthcare professional is someone who is qualified to provide advice, care and/or treatment to patients. Some examples of job roles that come under the healthcare professional umbrella include nurses, midwives, paramedics, healthcare technicians, occupational therapists, and pharmacists. All pharmacy practitioners are classed as healthcare professionals.

As a healthcare professional, you may work in a number of disciplines, from critical care to diabetes and from care of older people to education and development.

There are different routes to becoming a healthcare professional in the UK, depending on the specific position you’re interested in pursuing. Many healthcare professions require a university degree, which typically includes a work placement in a clinical setting to provide real-world experience. Some medical professions require a specific degree, but others will accept a high grade in a relevant health or science-related subject. 

It can take years to become a qualified healthcare professional, but you’ll be gaining on-the-job experience, building on your skills, and working alongside patients throughout your training. Some healthcare jobs also require you to spend time working as a trainee or junior before you become fully qualified.

Part of becoming a healthcare professional is also getting registered with the right professional body or regulator, such as the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), or the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Joining a supportive healthcare professional network such as UKCPA as you embark on your career means you can access support and guidance throughout your whole professional journey.

Core competencies for healthcare professionals

Every healthcare professional in the UK must be able to demonstrate the 6 Cs, which are fundamental to delivering a high standard of care. These essential attributes of a healthcare professional are:

  • Care: a healthcare professional must be committed to delivering high-quality care to patients.
  • Compassion: all care must be delivered with respect, empathy and dignity.
  • Competence: to have the ability to understand an individual’s health and social needs, and to have the expertise, clinical and technical knowledge to deliver effective care and treatments based on research and evidence. UKCPA membership can help healthcare professionals keep their medicines knowledge up-to-date.
  • Communication: the day-to-day role of a healthcare professional requires strong listening and clear communication skills. Those from overseas must pass an approved English language test to an acceptable standard.
  • Courage: this is one of the most important responsibilities of healthcare professionals, who must speak up when they have concerns. It’s also essential to embrace new ways of doing things to support the best outcomes for patients.
  • Commitment: every health and social care worker needs to be committed to improving care for patients, and facing the key challenges for healthcare professionals head on.

The role of a healthcare professional can vary significantly depending on the exact position. However, there are some key roles and responsibilities of healthcare professionals that the majority of people working in this sector will share. These include:

  • Identifying and diagnosing illness or injury
  • Delivering patient care 
  • Monitoring patients’ vital signs
  • Communicating results to patients
  • Advising patients on disease prevention, and other aspects of health and wellbeing
  • Dispensing medication
  • Administrative tasks

Join UKCPA as a healthcare professional today to get unlimited access to educational resources, clinical communities, and networking events to support your career for less than £3 a week.

Pharmacy technician resources

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Join UKCPA for less than £3 a week and access all our communities, education and resources.

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