Education in Pharmacy: Purposes, Knowledge and Identities

Changes in education of pharmacists and regulation of pharmacy practice are parallel developments. Traditionally, education has been a strong driver of changes in practice, but sometimes it may lag behind the needs of practice. The need for pharmacy education reconstruction and redirecting of attention towards pharmaceutical care in focus, with the aim of pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical sciences developments, has never been greater. This is common characteristic for pharmacy in each country regardless on its historical background, geographic position, political system and economy, but all these have impact on each national pharmacy education development. On the other hand, globalization with no borders for information (Internet, e-pharmacy) and with quite uniform pharmaceutical market regarding the wide spectrum of medicines, requires almost the same level of knowledge and pharmacy competences. Effective pharmacy practice, based on research evidence and best practice, requires an understanding of the social context within which pharmacy is practised, recognising the particular needs and circumstances of the users of pharmaceutical services, and of pharmacy's place within health service provision. All these have to be implemented from the early stage of pharmacy education, because undergraduates today are future pharmacy practitioners. Recently pharmacy education in European region has passed their curricula reform within Bologna process, and many new courses relevant to modern pharmacy and pharmaceutical care have been introduced into new syllabus. With all these changes at local European level and strong support from the global level (FIP-WHO Pharmacy Education Action Plan) many questions regarding the entry-to practice degree program, as well as continuing pharmacy education (CE) and continuing professional development (CPD) are still opened: Do we really prepare our undergraduates for their mission in forthcoming years? Do we prepare them for demanding role of pharmaceutical researcher today and in the future? Are they ready to fit the practice purpose? Can we predict the near and longer-term trends in pharmacy education? Have we any (or the only) impact on pharmacy professional behaviour latter? How to establish needed parameters for quality assurance in pharmacy education and pharmacy practice in CPD?