Abstract
The 1985 European Economic Community (EEC) directive on the sectoral profession of pharmacy assumed that the comparability of pharmacy education across Europe could provide a basis for the mutual recognition of diplomas. A study by the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy (EAFP) in 1994 showed, however, that there was large variability in course content. The 2011 PHARMINE study investigated whether such variability had decreased. Information from across the EU countries on the number of contact hours in specific subject areas was compared for the years of 1994 and 2011. Data was obtained from the original 1994 Bourlioux/EAFP study and the 2011 PHARMINE survey. As the latter was based on the 1994 survey, the questions and categories were similar. Results show that there has not been a fall in the variability of course content. Furthermore, EU pharmacy courses have become more “clinical” with an increase in contact hours in the subject area of medicinal sciences.
Highlights
Pharmacy education and practice in the EU are under the auspices of the directive on sectoral professions that aims at bringing education in line with practice, and ensuring that education throughout the EU is harmonized leading to mutual recognition of diplomas by member states
This paper looks secondly at whether the changes in pharmacy education with a shift towards more clinical activities correspond to changes in policy
As the latter was based on the 1994 survey, the questions and categories were similar with the main difference being that the PHARMINE survey added a topic on generic subjects
Summary
Pharmacy education and practice in the EU are under the auspices of the directive on sectoral professions that aims at bringing education in line with practice, and ensuring that education throughout the EU is harmonized leading to mutual recognition of diplomas by member states. The 1985 European Economic Community directive [1] pertained to “the coordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in respect of certain activities in the field of Pharmacy 2014, 2 pharmacy” and this “...with a view to achieving mutual recognition of diplomas”. Based on the assumption that courses in Europe were broadly comparable—with little variation in the subject matters treated—recognition of qualifications for sectoral profession of pharmacy could be automatic. P. Bourlioux and others from the EAFP surveyed pharmacy courses in the 11 European
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