Enhancing student pharmacist professionalism through co-curricular efforts has been gained much attention in pharmacy education since release of Standards 2016. Interestingly, traditional and current definitions and attributes of professionalism do not include components of well-being; ideas of altruism and self-sacrifice predominate. However, it is imperative that student pharmacists are provided with the tools, resources, and time needed to invest in themselves to maintain their well-being, which in turn, allows them to fulfill our profession's standards of professional conduct and engagement. Thankfully, while seeming to conflict based on classic interpretations, practicing self-care to promote our personal well-being is not in conflict with being an altruistic, self-sacrificing professional. This commentary explores the interplay between the two constructs and postulates that some issues related to student pharmacists' unprofessional behavior can be linked to a lack of well-being. Therefore, pharmacy educators should consider incorporating well-being initiatives into efforts focused on refining student pharmacist professionalism.
Well-Being: A Missing Component of Professionalism?