Concerns raised as new pharmacy course launched
Will students’ education suffer? |
Kingston University received approval for its MPharm
degree course from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society this week. However, the Society expressed concerns over how new school openings might impact on pharmacy education.
Kingston is currently recruiting students and the first undergraduates
will start their courses in September. It plans to take 45
students, although there has been a large
demand for places and it has made offers to about 200 applicants.
John Brown, professor of pharmacy and head of the new department at Kingston,
told The Journal that the course will be run in conjunction with the
medical school at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, London. “Each
year a whole module will be taught at St George’s Hospital Medical
School. Clinical pharmacy will be partly taught by clinicians at St George’s,” he
said.
According to Professor Brown, the new course is expected to recruit pharmacy
students over and above those at existing schools of pharmacy in London
and the south-east of England.
Kingston is one of an increasing number of universities looking to provide
pharmacy
degree courses. Three universities are currently seeking approval, three
more are about to start this process and at least another six have expressed
an interest. Robert Dewdney, head of education, Royal Pharmaceutical
Society, told The Journal: “I am deeply concerned at the strain
on the limited pool of pharmacy academics, the resources and goodwill
of the NHS towards undergraduate clinical teaching and preregistration
training places.”
Although Dr Dewdney believes that some of the proposals and ideas from
universities newly involved in pharmacy undergraduate teaching are admirable
and their commitments to achieving good outcomes in terms of the qualities
of graduates are genuine, he is worried that the quality of provision
in
existing as well as proposed schools is at risk. “What is needed
is a national plan for the
expansion, and eventual consolidation, of pharmacy education,” he
said. “The Society, as regulator, is not in a position to do this
on its own and Government policies in health and education leave Department
of Health and Higher Education Funding Council officials in the awkward
position of not knowing if, or how, to intervene.”
The University of Hertfordshire is one of the universities that has expressed
an interest in establishing a new school of pharmacy. It hopes to accept
its first intake of students in September 2005, providing it can satisfy
the requirements of the Society. Mike Pittilo, pro vice-chancellor at
the university, told The Journal that Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
have the highest vacancy rates for pharmacists in the NHS across England. “Consequently,
there is enthusiasm for this development from our local pharmacy colleagues,” he
said.
The university has advertised for a foundation professor in pharmacy. “We
would be looking at the new head of pharmacy to come with some innovative
ideas,” Professor Pittilo said. One area that the university is
interested in is interprofessional learning. “We are keen to explore
to what extent the education and training can be enriched by training
alongside other health professionals,” he added.
Leading article p530 |
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