8

THE FUTURE OF PHARMACY

INTERNATIONAL PHARMACY JOURNAL

The int e r n e t h a s p r o v i d e d a gr e a t we a l t h of r e s o u r c e s t h a t c a n b e a c c e s s e d wit h r e l a t i v e e a s e a n d t hi s e x t e n d s t o p h a r m a c y e du c a t i o n . Open s o u r c e uni v e r s i t i e s (fo r e x a m p l e s e e : http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm ) a n d a c a - d e m i c gr o u p s (Pha r m a c y l e a r n i n g r e s o u r c e da t a b a s e 15 ) p r o v i d e e x i s t i n g a n d d e v e l o p i n g p l a t f o r m s f r o m whi c h su c h r e s o u r c e s c a n b e sh a r e d . Limit e d int e r n e t a c c e s s a n d a s s o c i a t e d inf r a s t r u c t u r e m a y b e a b a r r i e r t o a c c e s s i n g su c h r e s o u r c e s in r e s o u r c e s - p o o r s e t t i n g s . In a d d i t i o n , t h e r e a r e t h e us u a l is s u e s of int e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y, ow n e r s h i p , r ig ht s of us e a n d m a i nt e n a n c e e sp e c i a l l y in t h e int e r n a t i o n a l co nt e x t . Educ a t i o n a l in s t i t u t i o n s t h a t a r e co nt i n e nt s a p a r t m a y n ot b e in dir e c t co m p e t i t i o n a n d t h e r e is a n a lt r u i s t i c a r g u m e nt fo r m a k i n g a ll e du c a t i o n a l m a t e r i a l s m o r e r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e . Howe v e r, l o c a l , r e g i o n a l a n d int e r n a t i o n a l co m p e t i t i o n is a re a l i t y t h a t c a n h e lp t o b o o s t qu a l i t y of p r o v i s i o n a n d t hi s sh o u l d n ot b e un d e r m i n e d .

A solu t i o n co u l d b e a n a p p r o a c h t o ma k e a v a i l a b l e r e s o u r c e s un d e r t h e a u s p i c e s of a n int e r n a t i o n a l b o d y, su c h a s FIP. Inde e d , o n e of t h e o b j e c t i v e s of t h e FIP Phar m a c y Educ a t i o n V i s i o n a n d Comp e t e n c y Proj e c t Tea m is t o ‘Est a b l i s h a gl o b a l p l a t f o r m t h a t will e n a b l e co m m u n i c a t i o n a n d sh a r i n g of r e s o u r c e s a n d p r a c t i c e s ’ 1 6 . It will b e int e r e s t i n g t o fo ll o w t h e d e v e l o p m e nt s in t hi s a r e a .

Brave new world: The future of global pharmacy education Healt h p r of e s s i o n a l s h a v e m a d e e n o r m o u s co nt r i b u t i o n s t o h e a l t h a n d d e v e l o p m e nt o v e r t h e p a s t ce nt u r y, b ut t h e t im e ha s co m e t o co n s i d e r m e t h o d s m o r e b e fi t t i n g t h e gl o b a l v ill a g e . In a re c e nt Lanc e t Commi s s i o n , Chen a n d co ll e a g u e s

c a ll fo r a gl o b a l s o c i a l m o v e m e nt of e du c a t o r s , s t u d e nt s a n d yo u n g h e a l t h wo r k e r s , p r of e s s i o n a l b o d i e s , uni v e r s i t i e s , no n - g o v e r n m e nt a l o r g a n i s a t i o n s , int e r n a t i o n a l a ge n c i e s , d o n o r s , a n d fo u n d a t i o n s – t h a t c a n p r o p e l a c t i o n fo r t r a n s - f o r m a t i v e h e a l t h p r of e s s i o n a l e du c a t i o n fo r m o r e e qu i t a b l e a n d b e t t e r p e r f o r m i n g h e a l t h s y s t e m s wo r l d w i d e . 1 7

G l o b a l e du c a t i o n a lr e a d y e x i s t s in it s v a r i o u s fo r m s wit h sh a r e d e x p e r i e n c e a n d sh a r e d r e s o u r c e s . One e x a m p l e is t h e Afr i c a n V ir t u a l Univ e r s i t y (AVU), wit h h e a d q u a r t e r s in Ke n y a , d e s c r i b i n g it s e l f a s ‘a Pan Afr i c a n Int e r g o v e r n m e nt a l Orga ni z a t i o n … wit h t h e m a n d a t e of sig n i fi c a nt l y in c r e a s i n g a c c e s s t o qu a l i t y hig h e r e du c a t i o n a n d t r a i n i n g t hr o u g h t h e inn o v a t i v e us e of inf o r m a t i o n co m m u n i c a t i o n t e c h n o l o - g i e s ’ 1 8 . Among s t it s v a r i o u s p r o g r a m m e s it of f e r s B a c h e l o r of Educ a t i o n d e g r e e s in Math e m a t i c s , Phy si c s , Chemi s t r y a n d B i o l o g y. Anot h e r e x a m p l e f r o m t h e Afr i c a n co nt e x t wh e r e uni v e r s i t i e s h a v e sp a n n e d co nt i n e nt s is Mona sh S o u t h Afr i c a – a c a m p u s of t h e Aust r a l i a n uni v e r s i t y by t h e s a m e na m e 19 . The s e t w o e x a m p l e s d e m o n s t r a t e s o m e of t h e dif f e r e nt p o s - s i b l e m o d a l i t i e s of de li v e r y – v ir t u a l a n d p hy s i c a l . Howe v e r, t h e s e t y p e s of co o p e r a t i o n a n d m o d a l i t i e s – p a r t i c u l a r in p h a r m a c y e du c a t i o n – a r e us u a l l y sp o r a d i c un d e r in d i v i d u a l in s t i t u t i o n a l a g r e e m e nt s o r on a vo l u nt a r y o r co n s u l t a n c y b a s i s .

Nonet h e l e s s , t h e d e v e l o p m e nt of co m p e t e n c y a n d qu a l i t y f r a m e w o r k s wit h i n p h a r m a c y p r o v i d e b ui l d i n g b l o c k s fo r p h a r m a c y e du c a t o r s t o us e in t h e i r l o c a l co nt e x t s a c r o s s t h e gl o b e . The s e f r a m e w o r k s n e e d t o b e a p p l i e d t o b e ef f e c t i v e . Sh o r t a g e s of a c a d e m i c s t a f f a n d lim i t e d int e r a c t i o n wit h r e l e v a nt p h a r m a c y s t a k e h o l d e r s ( go v e r n m e nt s , e m p l o y e r s of p h a r m a c i s t s , p h a r m a c i s t s t h e m s e l v e s) a r e lim i t a t i o n s t o

NEEDS:

Local, regional, national & international

COMPETENCIES:

Demonstrated by the pharmacy workforce to provide these services

SERVICES:

Provided by the pharmacy workforce to meet these needs

EDUCATION:

Completed by the pharmacy workforce to achieve these compentencies

VISION

QUALITY ASSURED

NEEDS-BASED EDUCATION MODEL

WHO-UNESCO-FIP Pharmacy Education Taskforce

LOCALLY DETERMINED

GLOBALLY CONNECTED SOCIALLY ACCOUNTABLE

Fig. 2: Adapted from Pharmacy Education Action Plan 2008-2010