Russian society is undergoing profound, social and technological transformations. It currently faces an acute shortage in skilled professionals trained to ethically assess the impact of their activities on humans and society. The professionals are required to be aware of their social goals and values approved and implemented by their field. Under modern socio-economic conditions, educational institutions must balance specialized training with the cultivation of ideological and moral qualities, as well as ethical, moral, and value-based foundations to guide professional conduct and foster creative activity within the Russian society [1–3].

Focus of modern pharmaceutical education on training and producing a qualified and competent specialist requires developing a highly moral and socially responsible future pharmacist. Professional ethics in pharmacy hinges on a pharmacist’s awareness of their role, as well as an appropriate behavior model that should be followed when providing pharmaceutical care and interacting with colleagues [4].

The acting Russian Pharmacist Competency Standard [5] contains key competencies of a pharmacist with secondary vocational education that should become a guideline for building a personal growth plan and professional development plan of an educational organization. This standard ensures compliance with ethical and deontological principles in professional practice of pharmacists including building professional communication with adherence to business etiquette and pharmaceutical deontology, as well as observing ethical norms and knowing the rules of business communication, culture and professional ethics [5, 6].

The need to integrate professional standards into pharmacy curricula forces educational institutions to create conditions for formation of necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities in future pharmacists.

As pharmacists must adhere to strict ethical and deontological principles, it is necessary to model the moral character of a pharmacist and familiarize pharmacy students with professional ethics during training.

Russian secondary vocational education programs are strictly based on Federal State Educational Standards (FGOS/ FSES) and approximated basic educational programs (ABEP) [7].

According to the Federal State Educational Standard (FGOS) for 33.02.01 Pharmacy [8], minimum requirements for pharmacist competence (Wholesale and Retail of Medicines and Dispensing Medicinal Products for Medical and Veterinary Use) focus on knowing the basics of pharmaceutical ethics and deontology in accordance with regulatory documents.

Meanwhile, related ABEP [9] indicate that the issues of professional ethics are only explored in interdisciplinary course IDC 01.02 Retail of Medicines and Dispensing Medicines and Pharmacy Products within the professional module entitled Wholesale and Retail of Medicines and Dispensing Medicinal Products for Medical and Veterinary Use. This interdisciplinary course covers three essential pillars of pharmaceutical practice such as basics of ethics and deontology, selling techniques and sale procedures of medicines and pharmacy products.

In our opinion, insufficient attention is paid to professional ethics in 33.02.01 Pharmacy secondary education. Thus, it is essential to introduce into the curriculum a separate additional discipline that addresses understanding and acceptance of the professional ethics of behavior and responsibility of pharmacists. The subject can be introduced into the educational program due to its variable part, which provides tools for in-depth training of students and obtaining additional competencies.

To prepare qualified pharmacy personnel in 33.02.01 Pharmacy secondary vocational education, Ethics and Deontology of a Pharmacist was included into the curriculum by the Department of Pharmacy Management and Economics of Yaroslavl State Medical University.

This discipline is mastered in the second semester of initial professional education. It belongs to the variable part of the educational cycle.

The goal of the discipline is to guide students through key aspects of pharmaceutical ethics and deontology, including the principles of professional behavior and business etiquette in various work conditions, professional duty and honor, proper attitude to the chosen specialty and the ability to maintain occupational prestige.

The discipline aims to equip pharmacists with essential knowledge of ethical principles, codes of conduct, and moral values. It also focuses on fostering practical skills.

The discipline consists of 42 total academic hours. It is structured into 36 hours of direct training sessions and 6 hours of independent study.

Integrating Ethics and Deontology of a Pharmacist into 33.02.01 Pharmacy education has long been overdue. Since each profession, including pharmacists, rests on certain moral rules and norms, the absence of a dedicated, independent course on pharmacy ethics and professional aspects has driven educators to integrate these topics across the curriculum. This is related to their key role in shaping a qualified specialist, because understanding ethical requirements is essential for developing professional moral principles. And most importantly, ignoring pharmaceutical ethics and deontology hinders delivery of high-quality care, which is the main task of the pharmacist.

Ethics and Deontology of a Pharmacist is an applied discipline focusing on the professional responsibilities and competencies necessary for pharmacists to provide high-quality care.

The discipline program includes three modules. Professional Ethics and Continuous Development of Pharmacists, the first module, focuses on the historical aspects of pharmaceutical ethics and deontology, principles of professional ethics in pharmacy, professional qualities and possibilities for professional development.

Organizing High-Quality Public Pharmacy Services, the second module, is devoted to specifics of pharmacy service and customer types, using both verbal and non-verbal types of communication and applying service standards.

Management of Conflicts, Aggression and Stress, the third module, is aimed at acquiring knowledge and skills of conflict resolution in pharmacy, working with stress and burnout syndrome of pharmacists, principles of work with aggressive customers and manipulators.

Students will acquire expertise in managing consumer conflicts, mastering effective communication, and understanding various pharmacy customer profiles; they will master both verbal and non-verbal communication to provide responsible self-medication advice.

The approach to teaching this discipline consisting in familiarizing students with the ethical and deontological features of the chosen profession and requirements of the pharmaceutical industry has been chosen as first-year pharmacy students often have a limited understanding of the profession’s scope and lack familiarity with the necessary professional and interpersonal qualities of a pharmacist.

Practical training in pharmacy focuses on developing essential ethical and deontological skills, enabling students to behave professionally in real-world patient interactions and team collaborations. Most questions in the classroom are debatable. It should be noted that pharmacy students increasingly recognize the need for strong interpersonal skills to manage complex pharmacist-visitor relationships and resolve conflicts in the workplace. Pharmacists frequently encounter with such cases and pharmaceutical students engage in team collaboration and solving professional challenges.

Independent study hours provide time for students to solidify and comprehend knowledge while stimulating activity and interest of students in qualitative curriculum adoption and focusing on in-depth learning. It includes self-preparation for classes and presentations, writing research papers and essays.

Intermediate certification in Ethics and Deontology of a Pharmacist is conducted via testing to evaluate students’ mastery of ethical principles and deontological knowledge.

CONCLUSION

Thus, the discipline entitled Ethics and Deontology of a Pharmacist builds competencies essential for interpersonal interaction in pharmaceutical care. It equips future pharmacists with a practice-oriented understanding of ethical obligations for pharmacy employees.

Moreover, the academic discipline directly correlates with the educational function of the learning process, which is reflected in student’s personal results and forms professional consistency.