An odyssey across Europe

The hospital pharmacists’ mobility across the European Union (EU) has been a recurrent subject matter. The ambiguity in the recognition of professional qualifications has previously discouraged many pharmacists wishing to gain valuable experience across the EU, widen their perspective, and eventually raise practice standards by sharing their expertise. The publication of the Labour Mobility Report¹ and its support towards the development of a Common Training Framework (CTF)² has undoubtedly raised hopes for the possibility of lifting the barriers currently imposed by each country’s legal framework.

But how do individual countries currently facilitate the hospital pharmacist’s recognition of qualifications?

In France, the hospital pharmacist’s professional qualification is a well-defined 9-year pathway,^3–5 resulting in a professional registration which is distinct from the ones for community and industrial pharmacists.⁶ A recent change in the regulations⁷ though serves as an opportunity for hospital pharmacists who possess a foreign qualification.

The hospital pharmacy registration is governed by two organisations, the pharmacists’ professional body known as ‘Ordre des Pharmaciens’ (Pharmacist Chamber) and the administrative body for hospital professionals, for instance physicians, pharmacists, and managers, known as ‘Centre National de Gestion’. The applications are evaluated from both organisations on an individual basis before permission to practice is granted. A justification of 2 years’ experience or a hospital pharmacy specialisation iare mandatory requirements at present.^{8 9} Once all the criteria are fulfilled and before the registration is completed, there is a requirement for the applicant to obtain a post in a hospital to which he will eventually be attached to, as a registered pharmacist.

The experience of a Greek pharmacist with 7 years of hospital practice in the UK and a hospital degree specialisation who went through this process had a positive outcome with a professional registration in less than 6 months. The support of a future employer is indispensable throughout this journey, a journey for which all future applicants should be equipped with motivation, patience, and perseverance.

The example of a journey like this one towards professional recognition across the EU naturally provides elements for reflection, notably in the current context of the COVID-19 crisis. Hospital pharmacists, an indispensable part of the healthcare team, reportedly played a crucial role facing the pandemic. The substantial healthcare demands were, on many occasions, met partially by upskilling pharmacy colleagues while filling medical shortages (ex. pre-assessment clinics, vaccination clinics, and so on).^{10 11} But could this potentially be a future normal reality? And could this signal new opportunities for our profession? Could these opportunities be strengthened by a better mobility inside Europe?

In any case, pharmacists should be prepared to confront any future healthcare challenges and benefit from a professional mobility that allows this but at the moment it is more like an odyssey than smooth sailing.

The CTF development from the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists represents the future and will considerably enhance not only professional mobility but all European collaborations, therefore improving the outcomes for European patients receiving health products (drugs, medical devices, and so on).

By defining the pathway to hospital pharmacist recognition and thus facilitating mobility, France already appears to be taking a step forward. But could this be the right timing for the EU to take some further action and eliminate the risk of any future unmet healthcare service demands?