Pharmacy Graduates Research Articles

Workforce supply of pharmacists in Queensland communities from James Cook University Pharmacy Graduates

This study investigates whether the regional pharmacy school at James Cook University in North Queensland is providing graduates geared to address the pharmaceutical needs of the state's regional, rural and remote communities. A cross-sectional study of practice locations of James Cook University pharmacy graduates in 2019 compared to those from other Australian pharmacy schools. Pharmacists from the James Cook University pharmacy program and those from other Australian pharmacy schools working in Queensland. Comparison of the proportion of James Cook University pharmacy graduates practising in the seven Modified Monash Model rurality classifications in Queensland to graduates from other pharmacy schools. Comparison of Index of Relative Social Advantage and Disadvantage for local government areas in these practice locations. Association between Modified Monash Model for hometown and Australian practice locations for domestic James Cook University pharmacy graduates. Of 973 James Cook University pharmacy graduates, 640 (65.8%) practised within Queensland in 2019. Compared to other Australian pharmacy graduates practising in Queensland at this time, James Cook University graduates had significantly higher odds of practising in local government areas with greater social disadvantage (lower Index of Relative Social Advantage and Disadvantage indices [<975]) and in rural and remote locations. Of 822 domestic James Cook University graduates, 84.5% were from a regional, rural or remote area, and compared to their hometown Modified Monash Model classification, two-thirds of these graduates practised in settings with the same or more rural Modified Monash Model classification. This study indicates that regional pharmacy schools have potential to attract and retain graduates in regional, rural and remote areas, including disadvantaged and/or rural towns.

Pharmacy residency directors' concerns with implementing in‐training examinations in pharmacy residencies

AbstractIntroductionThe use of in‐training examinations as formative assessment in graduate medical education is commonplace and performance has varying degrees of positive correlation with physician performance on future board certification examinations. Such a formative tool does not exist in graduate pharmacy education and may be a useful tool to consider developing and implementing into pharmacy residency programming.ObjectivesTo evaluate the concerns of residency program directors (RPDs) should they be faced with implementing an in‐training examination into their postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency program.MethodsThe concerns‐based adoption model framework was used to conduct a mixed‐methods evaluation of RPDs' concerns about in‐training examinations in pharmacy residency training. RPDs from the eastern United States were invited to participate in a 35‐item survey, followed by a scripted interview to learn about their concerns with the idea of examination integration.ResultsTwenty‐four program directors completed the stages of concern (SOC) quantitative survey and seven continued on to complete the levels of use qualitative interview. Survey data identified that program directors were in the informational stage, requiring more information and understanding before implementing such an assessment tool. The qualification of their survey responses contained themes of equality and equity between participating programs, the difference between summative and formative assessment, and curriculum changes that would accompany such a programmatic change. All participants were in the early SOC and had not actively sought information about this practice before being part of this research.ConclusionSignificant efforts will be required to inform RPDs about in‐training examinations and formative assessment practices leading up to the implementation of such a practice in graduate pharmacy education.

Transition to online teaching and learning for clerkship activities during COVID-19 in Malaysia

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Prior-to the COVID-19 outbreak, undergraduate PharmCare II Clerkship activities consisted of two phases. The first phase requires pharmacy students to clerk infectious disease and endocrine-related cases of patients admitted into wards at a teaching hospital, whilst in the second phase, the students are required to present the clerked cases in front of their group members with a thorough assessment by lecturers at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Due to sudden outbreak of COVID-19, presentations at hospitals and face-to-face learning were no longer feasible; therefore an online methodology was executed. Each student was assigned a real completed case clerked by a previous Master’s in Clinical Pharmacy graduate. The students then critically evaluated any pharmaceutical care issues (PCIs) in each of the cases, recorded a video presentation for assessment by the lecturers and discussed each case with other group members in a synchronous online session via web-conferencing software.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Views and experiences of community pharmacy team members on antimicrobial stewardship activities in Scotland: a qualitative study

Background It has been acknowledged and recognised internationally that the community pharmacy team has a major role to play in antimicrobial stewardship programmes, particularly regarding patient engagement. However, there is a paucity of published research on community pharmacy-based activities in antimicrobial stewardship, and views and perceptions of the community pharmacy team on their role in antimicrobial stewardship. Objective To explore views and experiences of community pharmacy teams across Scotland on antimicrobial stewardship, activities related to European Antibiotic Awareness Day, and a self-help guide to treating infection. Setting Community pharmacy, Scotland. Methods Qualitative, semi-structured in-depth telephone interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of community pharmacy team members over a six week period between November and December in 2016. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and data analysed thematically using the framework approach. Main outcome measure Views and perceptions of antimicrobial stewardship and European Antibiotic Awareness Day activities and role of the pharmacy team. Results Twenty-seven participants were interviewed—20 pharmacists, five pharmacy graduates completing their pre-registration year, and members of the pharmacy support team including two pharmacy technicians and one medicines counter assistant. They were working mainly in urban areas and across five regions of Scotland. Most were aware of antimicrobial stewardship but some were not familiar with the term. Participants identified roles for the community pharmacy team in antimicrobial stewardship including the importance of the pharmacy as a first port of call for self-care advice. Some participants, including pharmacists, showed lack of awareness of European Antibiotic Awareness Day; those who were aware thought it may not have the desired impact on educating the public. Most participants, irrespective of role within the team, were not familiar with the self-help guide but they perceived this as a useful resource for the pharmacy team. Conclusion The participants recognised and identified roles for the community pharmacist within antimicrobial stewardship. However, the lack of awareness of European Antibiotic Awareness Day shows a need for European Antibiotic Awareness Day tools and other materials to be more effectively disseminated and for more training to be provided.

Evaluating prescribing competencies covered in a Canadian-accredited undergraduate pharmacy program in Qatar: a curriculum mapping process

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to evaluate the existing Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy [BSc (Pharm)] curriculum at Qatar University College of Pharmacy (QU CPH), for addressing international prescribing competencies.MethodsThe Australian National Prescribing Service (NPS MedicineWise) Competencies Required to Prescribe Medicines framework (the Prescribing Competencies Framework) was used in the BSc (Pharm) curriculum mapping process. The NPS MedicineWise Prescribing Competencies Framework outlines seven competency areas that are essential for pharmacist prescribing. The first mapping activity assessed the learning outcomes (LOs) of 62 courses within the BSc (Pharm) curriculum for covering and addressing the NPS MedicineWise competencies. The second mapping activity involved matching the LOs identified to address the NPS MedicineWise prescribing competencies, to the 2017 Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (AFPC) educational outcomes, on which the QU CPH BSc (Pharm) program is based. The AFPC educational outcomes address seven key program-level learning outcomes.ResultsThe QU CPH BSc (Pharm) curriculum addresses most of the prescribing competencies listed in the NPS MedicineWise Prescribing Competencies Framework. However, gaps were identified in the curricular content and in the LOs that were related, but not restricted, to the following: electronic prescribing, physical examinations/preparing patients for investigations, and policies/procedures and quality assurace related to prescribing. Other gaps identified include legislative and workplace requirements for obtaining consent to access confidential patient's health information.ConclusionThe curriculum mapping exercise provided evidence that, for the most part, the existing BSc (Pharm) curriculum at QU CPH prepares pharmacy graduates for prescribing. However, there are areas that need better alignment between the taught curriculum and training on prescribing in practice. The results of this study are important to consider if pharmacist prescribing is to be implemented in Qatar.

The acceptance and awareness of healthcare providers towards doctor of pharmacy (Phram D) in the Palestinian health care system

Clinical pharmacy (Pharm.D or MSc Clinical Pharmacy graduates) is a patient care oriented specialty. It aims to improve patient therapeutic outcomes and minimize medication errors. In Palestine, it is a new specialty taught at two universities. In order to implement this new specialty in healthcare settings, healthcare providers should have a high awareness about it, its role and importance in clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness and acceptance levels among healthcare providers’ about clinical pharmacy specialty. A cross sectional study carried out using a self-administered questionnaire that was developed and tested by a panel of experts for validity and reliability, then it was distributed and filled by the convenient sample of health care providers in the northern and middle of Palestine between January and March 2019. An awareness scale and acceptance scale were developed from the questions used to identify the healthcare providers’ awareness and acceptance. Chi-square (X2) -testing was performed to check for the significant association. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version22). Among 309 respondents, 203(65.7%) were male, 67(21.7%) were working at Jerusalem, 229(74.1%) of them completed their first degree at Arab countries and 69(54.7%) completed higher education. Regarding their work, 169(54.7%) were physicians, followed by 85(27.5%) nurses and 55(17.8%) pharmacists. Results revealed that the majority of healthcare providers had a moderate 182(58.9%) and good 81(26.2%) awareness level toward the Clinical pharmacy specialty roles and 217 (70.2%) had a good acceptance level toward their implementation among the health worker team. Significant differences were found between healthcare providers’ awareness level and their sex (P = 0.001), professions (P = 0.006) and job descriptions (P = 0.013). There were no significant differences between the health care providers’ acceptance level and their age, sex, qualification, profession and job descriptions. Our results revealed the ability to collaborate in the integration of such specialty within the Palestinian healthcare system. Additional interest from the Ministry of Health is recommended to integrate clinical pharmacy workers among the health system and promote their relations with other disciplines.

Job Satisfaction among Swedish Pharmacists.

Understanding the role of pharmacists’ job satisfaction is important because a lack of job satisfaction might have negative impacts on patient care and safety. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore and compare job satisfaction among pharmacists graduating from the pharmacy programs at Umeå University, Sweden. Data concerning job satisfaction and associated factors were collected using an alumni survey conducted among pharmacists graduating between 2015 and 2018. Ethical committee approval is not required for this type of study in Sweden. A majority (92.6%) of the pharmacy graduates were female. A majority of the graduates (91.4%) were satisfied with their job most of the time or all of the time, which was similar to a previous investigation among pharmacists graduating between 2006 and 2014. High access to continuous professional development (CPD) was associated with higher job satisfaction (odds ratio (OR): 18.717 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.685–207.871)). In total, 65.6% considered access to CPD to be high (i.e., satisfactory to very good). Variables like gender, age, employee category, workplace, years since graduation, and income did not affect job satisfaction. Knowledge regarding job satisfaction will enable employers to respond to employees’ needs, decrease turnover, and improve the work environment.

Proposed Educational Strategies for A Reformed Pharmacy Curriculum Based on Graduate’s Self-Perceived Assessment of Pre-Service Education

Introduction : Pharmacy practice witnessed dramatic significant changes over the past years worldwide. The traditional role of the pharmacist involving preparation, dispensing and selling of medications is no longer adequate. This has evolved into direct involvement of the pharmacist in the design, implementation, and monitoring of therapeutic plans to produce specific care outcomes. The Bachelor degree in pharmacy at the University of Aden, Yemen, witnessed scarce reviews or evaluation studies on graduates and curriculum introduced in 1995 and unchanged till 2018. Objectives : To (1) assess perception of pharmacists, working in Aden, of their pre-service education and its relevance to current work and (2) analyze the available benchmarks and propose educational strategies that could be addressed in designing and adopting a reformed pharmacy pre-service curriculum in light of results of the study. Methods : A self-administered questionnaire distributed to 220 pharmacists working in urban Aden city with response rate 86% (n=189). Questions covered general personal information; perception of pre-service educational subjects/courses and their relevance to current job; status of respondents’ practice of skills and attitudes acquired during their study. Analysis of the 7-star role of pharmacist is done based on results of the study. Results : Practicing pharmacists work in 5 different settings in Aden, in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, industrial pharmaceutics, management of medicines and medical supplies and academic pharmacy. Majority marked existence of weak linkage between preservice curriculum and daily work demands. 16 out of the 17 basic sciences were not used in work and to a lesser degree, similar results of pharmaceutical sciences, skills and attitudes. Accordingly, seven educational strategies are proposed. Conclusion : The study showed that pharmacists working in Aden, Yemen, need different knowledge, skills and attitude to be able to perform the current job demands. The results also showed weak link between education and job practice. One of the main challenges facing pharmacy education is the adoption of educational strategies that respond to lack of active acquisition of the needed competencies to produce a “fit-for-purpose pharmacy graduate.” Keywords: pharmacy, pre-service, education, reform, strategies DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/76-01 Publication date: June 30th 2020

The Impact of COVID-19 Through the Eyes of a Fourth-Year Pharmacy Student

This commentary, written primarily by a recent pharmacy graduate, discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the class of 2020. Everyone has been impacted by COVID-19, but pharmacy students have been affected by and experienced COVID-19 in unique ways. This was the first class to complete pharmacy practice experiences in an online format, miss out on milestone events including graduation, and face uncertainty about becoming licensed and entering the job market in the midst of a pandemic. However, instead of discouraging them, these events have in many ways strengthened the resilience of the class of 2020. Additionally, COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of continued advocacy for the profession and articulation of the pharmacist's expanded role and value to the health care team, and inspired the class of 2020 to join the ranks of colleagues nationwide in raising awareness in these areas. Nevertheless, uncertainty over their future and that of their peers lingers as COVID-19 has forever changed pharmacy education and practice.

Maintaining Core Values in Postgraduate Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The novel coronavirus identified in 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted pharmacy graduate and postgraduate education. This crisis has resulted in a cosmic shift in the administration of these programs to ensure core values are sustained. Adjustments may be needed at a minimum to ensure that postgraduate trainees complete program requirements while maintaining safety. Moving forward, additional issues may arise that will need to be addressed such as admissions and program onboarding, acclimating students to new training environments, and managing inadequate resources for distance education, distance practice, and remote versus in-person research opportunities.

Pharmacy education and practice in Syria: Past, present, and future

AbstractSyria, a country with a strong rooted pharmacy history is still following a traditional pharmacy curriculum in its public and private institutions. The rising number of pharmacy graduates is putting pressure on an already weakened pharmacy job market with the majority of graduates still pursuing careers in retail pharmacy. This report sheds light on the development of pharmacy education and practice in this country. It provides a review of the curriculum content, the level of experiential training, and the current available practice venues. Existing graduate diploma available in public universities can be restructured to provide a Pharm D program. Existing residencies need to be revisited to include more clinical competencies that cover different pharmacy specialties. Pharmacists need to prove they are competent for the local authorities and other health care professionals to recognize the need for their clinical services and create new career venues and role recognitions. A clear legal framework to redefine the role of pharmacists as health care providers and their scope of practice need to be advocated by pharmacists associations and adopted by the Syrian authorities.

Pharmacists of the future: What determines graduates' desire to engage in patient-centred services?

Pharmacists increasingly need to provide patient centred activities like medicine management (e.g., medicine use review/home medicine review), screening for chronic illness (e.g., point of care testing for cardiovascular diseases including hypertension and hypercholesterolemia), treatment for chronic conditions (e.g., warfarin for thrombotic prophylaxis), and primary care treatment (trimethoprim, emergency contraceptive pill, and sildenafil). However, the adoption of patient-centred services into practice is still low, and it not known which pharmacist characteristics are associated with the adoption of these services. The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether personality and other characteristics of pharmacy graduates are associated with their intention to provide patient-centred services in the future. The study design was a cross-sectional survey of pharmacy graduates from the University of Otago at the end of 2017. The web-based survey involved several potential determinants: (1) the Achievement Goals Questionnaire (Revised), (2) five-factor ('Big Five') model of personality, (3) decision-making style using the Rational Experiential inventory, (4) general self-efficacy, (5) sense of belonging to the pharmacy profession. Additionally, interest in provision of services was assessed. A total of 83 graduates completed the survey (response rate 63%, female 64%, age 22.5 years, SD: 1.7). Intention to provide patient-centred services was associated with higher: conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion; mastery-approach; self-efficacy; and sense of belonging to the profession. Relative to the New Zealand population norms, these students were higher in conscientiousness and lower in neuroticism. Graduates were more interested in providing new patient-centred roles than more traditional services. Overall, pharmacy graduates were very positive regarding their future involvement in patient-centred services. Pharmacy graduates' sense of self-efficacy and a sense of belonging in the profession were associated with interest in patient-centred roles. Increasing their self-efficacy and sense of belonging to the profession and building on their enthusiasm as new graduates are key to greater provision of patient-centred activities.

Career and professional development services for pharmacy students

IntroductionAs the number of pharmacy programs and graduates continue to rise, pharmacy students are being faced with new challenges in seeking post-graduate positions. A Career Connections program was established as part of the student affairs office to develop, implement, and evaluate career and professional development at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. The objective of this paper was to evaluate student perceptions and value of career and professional development services in preparing students for competitive job and residency markets. MethodsAn electronic survey was administered to second-, third-, and fourth-professional year students and 2017 graduates to evaluate all facets of career and professional development services offered by the college of pharmacy. ResultsThe majority of students (76.8%) were satisfied with their access to career development services. Of all the services and events evaluated, students were most satisfied with the internship panel, fourth-year residency seminars, and third-year professional development elective course. Additional services recommended by students included more networking opportunities with alumni, continued exposure to different careers in pharmacy, and more emphasis on the job searching process. ConclusionsCareer development services were generally perceived favorably. The college has implemented several changes based on feedback from students, including splitting students into career-based tracks in the professional development elective and adding additional job-searching seminars. Future initiatives will include increasing outreach to college alumni. Career and professional development services at pharmacy programs should be continuously evaluated in a rapidly changing post-graduate landscape.

Striving for excellence in experiential education

AbstractHigh‐quality experiential education builds on didactic education to enable graduates to meet the full spectrum of entry‐level pharmacy‐related roles and responsibilities, including lifelong learning and professional development. The 2019 Educational Affairs Committee A, an ACCP standing committee, was charged to review and update the 2008 ACCP white paper and position statement on quality experiential education. The main objective of this white paper is to provide colleges and schools of pharmacy (C/SOPs) and affiliated partners in experiential education with practices expected to assist in achieving excellence in experiential education and fulfilling the goal of developing fully competent practice‐ and team‐ready pharmacy graduates.

Factor Analysis of English Language Teacher Learning Scale for Assessing Pharmacy Graduates' Language Competencies

The English Language Teacher Learning Scale (ELTLS) has been tested in different academic fields worldwide. However, there is no evidence about its validation in Pakistan. This study reports on validation of ELTLS in Pakistan. The 49 items scale was tested on a sample of 112 teachers from pharmacy departments. The process of validation consisted of two stages. First, the scale was piloted to check reliability Second. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the factor structure of the scale. The four factors are teacher cognition, teacher emotion, teacher motivation, and contextual variables. The Principal Component Analysis was applied with orthogonal Varimox rotation method to test the four-factor scale. The results provided evidence for the reliability and validity of the scale. Hence, the scale may be used for assessing language teaching and learning among teachers and students in the field of pharmacy. It is recommended that ELTLS may be tested in other contexts.

Insights from a capstone workshop: An investigation of soon-to-be pharmacists' readiness to provide culturally competent pharmaceutical care

IntroductionThis study investigated readiness of soon-to-be pharmacists to provide culturally sensitive patient-centered care through administration of a capstone workshop. MethodsThe workshop was delivered in 2017 and 2018 and consisted of a pre-survey, a didactic lecture followed by group discussions of Worlds Apart cases, and a post-survey. The surveys contained knowledge questions and perception statements. Results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Group questions were aligned to constructs from Campinha-Bacote's Model of Cultural Competence. The percentage of groups with correct answers was calculated. ResultsBoth cohorts significantly increased their knowledge by the end of the workshop (p = 0.007, 2017; p < 0.001, 2018). Significant increases in respondent agreement to perception statements were also observed post-workshop. The percent of correct group responses varied by construct within the cultural aspect, between the aspects for each year, and between years. The evaluation of overall cultural readiness yielded the lowest results. ConclusionThis research revealed the necessity and value of the capstone workshop. Significant improvements in meeting cultural competence standards were observed upon completion of the exercise. Alignment of group discussion questions to Campinha-Bacote's Model of Cultural Competence constructs was useful in augmentation of assessment armamentarium as it unearthed gaps in cultural competences of pharmacy graduates. Further multi-institutional research aimed to generalize the findings of this study is highly desired.

Factors Associated With Intention to Pursue Pharmacy Residency: The Undecided Student Issue

PurposeWith over 14,000 pharmacy graduates in 2019 in the United States, the pharmacy job market may be steadily becoming saturated. As part of the quality indicators, many Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs report and encourage their graduates to pursue residencies. However, there is a portion of the pharmacy students that are undecided about residencies. The purpose of this study was to learn about contributing factors that leads students to being undecided regarding considering residency programs. MethodThis was a survey-based study of year two and three pharmacy students from five Colleges of Pharmacy in the United States, conducted retrospectively. This study compared students’ past behaviors, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control between students who were undecided and those with an Intent to Pursue (ITP) residency. ResultsA total of 287 students responded to the survey (response rate = 24.78%). Students that had not attended Midyear/residency showcase were more likely to be undecided about residencies than those that did (91.67% vs 62.50%). In addition, undecided students were less likely to agree that the people who were important to them believed that they should pursue residency compared to ITP group (4.36 vs. 5.72, on a 7-point Likert score). Lastly, those who perceived large student loans or family obligations as barriers were more likely to be undecided (OR 1.761 and 1.560, respectively). DiscussionFocusing on undecided students and addressing these major contributing factors as part of the career advising/preparation may result in shifting these students’ intention to pursue residency.

ANALISIS KINERJA ASISTEN TENAGA KESEHATAN FARMASI DI APOTEK WILAYAH KOTA TEGAL SESUAI DENGAN PERMENKES RI NOMOR 80 TAHUN 2016 TENTANG PENYELENGGARAAN PEKERJAAN ASISTEN TENAGA KESEHATAN

In playing its role and function, a pharmacy cannot be alone. Pharmacists need the role of other fields that are able to manage or carry out their functions and roles to the maximum, namely pharmacists. Thus, the pharmacy becomes very dependent on the pharmacist who can run all the pharmacy's work. Therefore a pharmacist in carrying out his duties can be assisted by several technical personnel namely assistant pharmacist (AA). The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of pharmacist assistant (AA) graduates of pharmacy school graduates in the pharmacy area of Tegal city in accordance with the Republic of Indonesia Minister of Health Regulation No. 80 of 2016 concerning the Implementation of Health Workers Assistant Work. and compare with existing regulations, and analyze the reasons for not implementing the regulations. The results of the study aimed that the majority of pharmacy fitness assistants had carried out work in accordance with the Republic of Indonesia Minister of Health Regulation No. 80 of 2016 concerning the Implementation of Health Workers Assistant Work. Namely Recording About Purchasing and Storage of Medicines As well as Collecting Drug Inventories with 100% results, Receiving Payment of Prescriptions, Stock Prices, Marking Items for Sales, Recording and Insurance Claims with 100% results, Household Health Supplies Services with 100% results, Prescription Archiving In Accordance with Data and Conditions Valid with 100% results, Examination of Suitability of Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies Orders with 92.86% results. Keyword : Pharmacy, Pharmacist Assistant, Pharmacy Work

Regards croisés sur la formation du pharmacien d’officine : le point de vue des pharmaciens d’officine, des enseignants et des étudiants en pharmacie

The evolution of community pharmacist education is guided by successive reforms. They aim to reduce the gap between academic education and community pharmacy practice but the perception regarding these reforms is poorly documented. The present study describes the cross-perceptions between community pharmacists, pharmacy students and academics teachers regarding the gap between academic education and community pharmacy practice, and, therefore, the essential knowledges and skills for the community pharmacy practice. This study was conducted between April 2017 and April 2018 using an electronic survey for community pharmacists, academic teachers and pharmacy students. The results were discussed regarding previous studies with the aim to detect improvement points and vigilance related points. This study shows that the pharmacy education program remains to be improved: 77% of respondents believe that there is a significant gap between the initial education program and the community pharmacy practice. This cross-perception helps to better identify the several ways to improve the points of vigilance and the associated-barriers. All the propositions by the three groups of respondents prior ask for a better definition of the needed skills for community pharmacy practice before determine the most important knowledges and pedagogic methods to reach these. All these propositions seem consistent with reducing the gap between pharmacy education and community pharmacy practice but they also raise several questions about unicity of the pharmacy graduation in France.

Bachelor of pharmacy graduates' perceptions of the pharmacy administration curriculum in Trinidad and Tobago

IntroductionAs the profession of pharmacy has evolved, pharmacy education has developed to include competencies and skills related to pharmacy administration services. Competencies taught in pharmacy administration courses are expected to provide graduates with skills to effectively undertake administrative functions. Our study aimed to assess perceptions about knowledge and skills gained by the pharmacists during the Pharmacy Administration course at the School of Pharmacy, the University of the West Indies (UWI), Trinidad and Tobago. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out among pharmacists working in hospitals and community pharmacies in Trinidad using non-probability convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 262 pharmacists who completed the Pharmacy Administration course. Two-hundred eighteen (83%) usable responses were included for analysis. ResultsMany (45.4%) respondents agreed that the course provided them with the knowledge of running a business, 78% said they were able to apply the skills in their practice, and 80% mentioned that the course should be mandatory. Pharmacists found that the course on business management enhanced their knowledge in the fields of managing human resources, conflict management, marketing, project management, corporate turnaround, inventory, and financial management. ConclusionsThe Pharmacy Administration course in the bachelor of science degree in pharmacy programme at the School of Pharmacy, UWI remains relevant in the areas of marketing, human resource management, and inventory management. The programme can be extended to a full time masters course to interested pharmacy graduates.