Contribution to the Development of Pharmaceutical Education in Six-year and Four-year Programs

Abstract

I joined efforts to promote the pharmaceutical education system by participating in committees for developing a model core curriculum for pharmaceutical sciences (core curriculum), in pharmacist educator workshops, in the development of a pharmaceutical common achievement test, evaluation of pharmaceutical education programs, and the creation of a national examination for pharmacists. This review outlines the efforts to reform these pharmaceutical education systems. The core curriculum was prepared under the initiative of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. Pharmacist educator workshops were frequently held for the training of educators engaged in the six-year undergraduate course. The Subcommittee of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Science Council of Japan also held workshops for the development of pharmaceutical education. Under these efforts, the education system consisted of the six- and four-year courses started in 2006. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare revised the national examination for pharmacists. More than 10 years after formulating the core curriculum, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology led the reform of the core curriculum in 2013. The basic idea of the revised core curriculum is outcome-based education. Minor revisions to the national examination for pharmacists were also made following this revision of the core curriculum. The Subcommittee of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Science Council of Japan conducted reference standards for pharmaceutical sciences to promote education and research in the four-year course. Thus, we created education systems for developing pharmacists and researchers capable of contributing to medical care through the creation, production, and proper use of medicines.