22

THE FUTURE OF PHARMACY

INTERNATIONAL PHARMACY JOURNAL

Round table and discussion The Sw i s s YPG s y m p o s i u m t r a c k e d p a s t a n d p r e s e nt e v o l u - t i o n s of t h e p h a r m a c i s t , by gi v i n g us t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o t hi n k a b o u t t h e f ut u r e of t hi s p r of e s s i o n . A his t o r i c a l p e r s p e c t i v e h a s fir s t a ll o w e d fo ll o w i n g t h e im p r e s s i v e d e v e l o p m e nt s a n d ch a n g e s in t h e p h a r m a c y p r of e s s i o n t hr o u g h o u t t h e la s t ce nt u r i e s . In t h e n e w e n v i r o n m e nt of inf o r m a t i o n t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d of a he a l t h s y s t e m co nf r o nt e d wit h m a j o r d e m o g r a p h i c c h a n g e s , t h e dr u g is n o w co n s i d e r e d a l s o in t e r m s of co s t s a n d r i s k s . Ther e f o r e , t h e p h a r m a c i s t c a n , a n d ha s t o , sig n i fi c a nt l y co nt r i b u t e t o t e a m s a n d n e t w o r k s of c a r e . The sit u a t i o n in t h e p h a r m a c e u t i c a l in d u s t r y w a s fin a l l y p r e s e nt e d f r o m t h e s c i e nt i s t ’ s v i e w p o i nt wit h e x p e r i e n c e in b ot h in d u s t r y a n d a c a d e m i c s . Pha r m a c e u t i c a l co m p a n i e s a r e s e e k i n g n e w co ll a b o r a t i o n s wit h uni v e r s i t i e s t o b r i n g m o r e m e d i c i n e s int o t h e pip e l i n e .

The ro un d t a b l e (Fig . 1 ) a l s o a ll o w e d a d d r e s s i n g t h e is s u e of e du c a t i o n of p h a r m a c i s t s . Gi v e n t h e e m p l o y m e nt m a r k e t , t h e qu e s t i o n a r i s e s wh e t h e r it m e e t s t h e ch a n g e s o b s e r v e d (Fig . 2 ) . Are yo un g p h a r m a c i s t s a b l e t o ma k e t h e r ig ht c a r e e r c h o i c e at t h e e n d of t h e i r s t u d i e s ? Are gr a d u a t e s “ fit fo r us e ” ? In a d d i t i o n t o p r e p a r i n g t o fe d e r a l e x a m , t h e fif t h ye a r of s t u d y is a l s o t h e cr u c i a l p e r i o d of c a r e e r o r i e nt a t i o n . The s t u d i e s ’ r e f o r m h a d a n “a s s e s s m e nt a r e a ” mu c h la r g e r a n d wi d e r in t im e t h a t is p o s s i b l e in Sw i t z e r l a n d t o d a y. One sh o u l d co n s i d e r t h e dur a t i o n of s t u d i e s of na t u r a l a n d m e d i - c a l s c i e n c e s in t h e co nt e x t of int e r n a t i o n a l co m p e t i t i o n fo r wo r k . This r a i s e s t h e qu e s t i o n wh e t h e r t h e s t r e n g t h a n d e xc e l l e n c e of Sw i s s du a l e du c a t i o n s y s t e m ( b ot h a c a d e m i c s c i e nt i fi c s t u d i e s a n d uni v e r s i t y of a p p l i e d s c i e n c e s , p r of e s -

s i o n a l p r a c t i c e - o r i e nt e d ) c a n b e a p p l i e d t o t h e p h a r m a c y. At any r a t e , s o c i a l a n d p r a c t i c a l sk i l l s , p o o r l y t r a n s m i t t e d dur i n g uni v e r s i t y s t u d i e s , sh o u l d a l s o b e p r o v i d e d t o a ge n e r a t i o n t h a t a lr e a d y ge n e r a t e s n e w s o c i a l int e r a c t i o n v i a t h e Int e r n e t . The s e c a p a b i l i t i e s a r e of t e n c r u c i a l fo r t h e jo b ’ s su c c e s s a n d s a t i s f a c t i o n . Howe v e r, unli k e in t h e p a s t , in d i v i d u a l c a r e e r o r i e nt a t i o n will of t e n b e m o d i fi e d , n ot a b l y by t h e infl u e n c e of t h e b a l a n c i n g b e t w e e n wo r k a n d f a m i l y a c t i v i t i e s . All t hi s hig h l i g ht s t h e im p o r t a n c e of lif e l o n g l e a r n - i n g , i . e . co nt i n u i n g e du c a t i o n ; o n e sp e a k e r a l s o t a lk e d a b o u t t h e n e e d fo r a pr of e s s i o n a l r e a l i g n m e nt e v e r y t e n ye a r s .

Comm e nt s f r o m yo u n g p h a r m a c i s t s , f a c e d wit h t h e cr u c i a l p e r i o d b e t w e e n gr a d u a t i o n a n d fir s t jo b , a r e v e r y im p o r t a nt . The y pr o v i d e r e fl e c t i o n o n t h e ef f e c t i v e a d a p t a t i o n of e du c a - t i o n a n d t r a i n i n g in p h a r m a c y, b ot h in t e r m of co nt e nt a n d of t h e i r a r r a n g e m e nt , a s we ll a s in t h e i r dur a b i l i t y a g a i n s t t h e e v o l v i n g n e e d s of t h e p r of e s s i o n 8 . This s y m p o s i u m sh o w e d in t hi s r e g a r d t h a t a n imp o r t a nt r e s p o n s i b i l i t y li e s o n t h e s w i s sYPG be c a u s e of t h e r e fl e c t i o n p l a t f o r m it p r o v i d e s . In co n c e r t wit h ot h e r h e a l t h p r of e s s i o n a l s a n d p e e r s , it c a n h e lp t o b ui l d b e t t e r p h a r m a c e u t i c a l r o a d s a n d t o de fi n e t h e f ut u r e of p h a r m a c y, ult i m a t e l y fo r t h e b e n e fi t of t h e p a t i e nt .

Acknowledgments To th e ot h e r m e m b e r s of t h e 2 0 1 1 s w i s sYPG co m m i t t e e (B a r b a r a Lüs c h e r, Jea n -Marc Kr ä h e n b ü h l , Nico l a s Riet h m a n n a n d Flor i a n S a r k a r ) fo r t h e h e lp t o or g a n i z e t h e s y m p o s i u m .

1ST YEAR OF STUDY

THEORY

Basic natural and medical sciences

Basic natural and medical sciences

Pharmaceutical basis

Deepening pharmaceutical basis

Master’s thesis Assistantship

Practice and patient- oriented Block courses

2ND YEAR OF STUDY 3RD YEAR OF STUDY 4TH YEAR OF STUDY

Sp ec

ia liz

at io

n

Fe de

ra l e

xa m

o f P

ha rm

ac y

5TH YEAR OF STUDY ASSISTANTSHIP’S YEAR

Introductory training: 4 (3) weeks

BACHELOR MASTER FEDERAL DIPLOMA OF PHARMACIST

BACHELOR’S DEGREE STUDIES Basel/Zürich/Geneva: Bachelor in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Bern/Fribourg: 1 st/2 nd year of study Neuchâtel/Lausanne: 1 st year of study

MASTER DEGREE’S STUDIES Basel: Master in Pharmacy Alternative: Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences = ‘Master in Pharmaceutical Industry’

Zurich: 1 st/2 nd Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences Alternative: Master in Medicinal and Industrial Pharmaceutical Sciences = ‘Master in Pharmaceutical Industry’ Geneva: Master in Pharmacy

Community pharmacist

Hospital pharmacist

Public health administration pharmacist

Industry pharmacist

Teaching & Research University

PRACTICE

Fig. 2. Undergraduate and continuing education: fit for use? (courtesy of pharmaSuisse)