Pharmacists' roles are evolving from that of compounders and dispensers of medicines to that of experts on medicines within multidisciplinary health care teams. In the developing country context, the pharmacy is often the most accessible or even the sole point of access to health care advice and services.

Michael J. Rouse, B.PHARM. (Hons.), M.P.S.; Continuing professional development in pharmacy, American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Volume 61, Issue 19, 1

Objective: To summarize a resource document that explains the concept and components of continuing professional development (CPD) for pharmacists, describes some of the drivers behind the reevaluation of current systems of continuing pharmacy education (CE), defines relevant terms, and outlines some experiences with CPD in selected countries that have already adopted the model. Summary: CPD is an approach to lifelong learning being discussed as a potential model for pharmacists in the United States. CPD does not replace CE, but quality-assured CE is an essential component of CPD. Evidence is mounting, however, that traditional methods of CE do not adequately meet the lifelong learning and professional development needs of health care professionals (HCPs) and are not always successful in affecting practice behavior and improving patient outcomes. The Institute of Medicine has concluded that the education and training of HCPs are in need of major overhaul. CPD, which is based on sound principles and adopts educational strategies that have been shown to be effective, potentially offers a quality improvement to the current systems for pharmacist CE. Conclusion: Interest in and support for the concept of CPD is growing. Case studies of successful implementation in the United States and other countries now exist. Further discussion on the implications of widespread implementation for pharmacists in the United States is needed.

This paper presents an analysis of the end of degree expectations, expressed as learning outcomes, for pharmacy graduates from Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States. The authors compare the end of degree expectations, through mapping these requirements to the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework (GbCF). The anticipated end of degree expectations are similar but also reveal some individual characteristics. Irrespective of degree title, achievement of learning outcomes specified in any one of the four jurisdictions should enable students to become pharmacists who are patient-orientated medicines experts. The mapping provides impetus for cross-border institutional networking to generate a dependable set of assessment tools across national borders developing a common metric for outcome assessment irrespective of different program delivery.

The SMART Pharmacist Program was initiated by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and Pharma Expert in 2014. It was designed to introduce a new continuing education model for pharmacists for the Turkish Pharmacists’ Association, and to support development of competencies for future practice. After successful implementation in Turkey, the Program spread to 16 additional countries. To assure quality, globally adopted and validated tools and best practices were used, respecting the national context. National competency frameworks and quality indicators for pharmaceutical care delivery were developed. Pharmacists’ learning portfolios were introduced and patient care modules created. Under the sub-title “Learn Today—Apply Tomorrow,” the changes in practice were introduced under the leadership of national host organizations. The Program showed an impact on the patient level in several countries, especially in areas of patient care in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Hypertension and Dyslipidemia, Diabetes, and the patient care process in general (e.g., identifying drug-related problems, improving patient safety, collaborating with medical doctors). Changes are visible at the individual (pharmacists) and organizational levels. Barriers and facilitators to the change-management process during Program implementation are identified. In some countries, the Program is recognized as one of the most important initiatives in pharmacy education and practice, with visible support of national medicines agencies, academia, government, and WHO regional offices.