FIP Abu Dhabi 2019

A8 - Integrating science and professional practice in pharmacy degrees

Conference Hall A - Section B & C

Organised by FIP’s Health and Medicines Information Section, in collaboration with the Academic Pharmacy Section

Chairs

Vivien Tong (The University of Sydney, Australia) and Dai John (Cardiff University, UK)

Introduction

Pharmacy degree programmes the world over aim to produce graduates who are well prepared to meet the dynamic needs of their profession and community. Moreover, pharmacy education aims to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge needed to deliver pharmacy and health-related services in a range of settings, and to build on these skills and knowledge as the roles of pharmacists expand in primary care settings. In some nations, pharmacists also need skills to prescribe independently, including cognitive, clinical and higher-level decision-making skills. An integrated curriculum is critical to pharmacy education, not only in ensuring that students understand the importance and application of basic and applied sciences to the clinical and professional practice of pharmacy, but also to provide pharmacists with the core skills for lifelong learning, expansion of roles, and delivery of new services to meet the demands of healthcare and the community. There are limited pharmacy degree programmes that effectively integrate science with practice within all subjects. This session focuses on how to develop, implement and evaluate units of study within pharmacy degree programmes that integrate science with practice.

Programme

09:00 – 09:10 Introduction by the chairs

  1. 09:10 – 09:45 Overview of curriculum change and redesign
    Chantal Pharand (University of Montreal, Canada)
  2. 09:45 – 10:20 Case example 1 ― The South African experience in integrating sciences and practice in the pharmacy curriculum
    Mariet Eksteen (Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa, South Africa)

10:20 – 10:40 Coffee/tea break

  1. 10:40 – 11:05 Case example 2 — The US experience in integrating sciences and practice in the pharmacy curriculum
    Pam Heaton (University of Cincinnati, USA)
  2. 11:05 – 11:30 Case example 3 ― The British experience in integrating sciences and practice in the pharmacy curriculum
    Adam Rathbone (University of Newcastle, UK)
  3. 11:30 – 11:50 Workshop

Participants will be asked to produce a targeted and tailored framework based on the presentations, which they can use to develop, implement, and evaluate integrated units of study within their pharmacy degrees. There will be a brief feedback session in which participants can present their framework to the group.

Facilitated by the chairs

11:50 – 11:55 Conclusion by the chairs

11:55 – 12:00 Room refresh

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the principles of curriculum review and redesign, with specific focus on the integration of science with professional practice subjects
  2. Explain the development, implementation and evaluation of units of study where science has been integrated with professional practice
  3. Describe examples of units of study and identify barriers and facilitators to the integration of science with professional practice
  4. Outline a targeted and tailored framework for individual educational institutions, which can be used to develop, implement and evaluate integrated units of study.

Type of session: Knowledge-based