Practice pharmacy programme at QIUP
THE practice of pharmacy worldwide is evolving at a fast pace with pharmacists expected to be providers of care away from the traditional thinking of pharmacists being looked upon as providers of products.
The traditional view of doctors prescribing and pharmacists dispensing has become blurred with pharmacists being empowered with prescribing rights in the developed world.
This empowerment is necessary for pharmacists to carry out their roles are providers of care.
It is with this in mind that the QIUP Pharmacy programme has been developed with practice outcomes in mind – practice in Community Pharmacy, Industrial Pharmacy and Hospital/Clinical Pharmacy in line with the Faculty’s tag-line of Real World Holistic Pharmacy Education.
The 4-year full time programme leading to the award of the degree of Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) was specifically put in place taking into account the current and future needs of the pharmacy profession and to ensure that its graduates will be able to adapt to the real working world.
Speaking about the programme, chief operating officer, Nicholas Goh emphasized that graduates of the QIUP Pharmacy programme will be prepared to enter the real world and start contributing from their first day of employment.
“The programme is designed specifically to equip undergraduates with the skills and knowledge pharmacists will need in the future, so at every stage they will find themselves experiencing real-life or simulated clinical and patient situations.
“This practical element is supported by fundamental pharmaceutical and medical science studies, taught by our researchactive academic and professional staff. It’s the ideal balance of hands-on learning and in-depth study,” stressed Goh.
But to develop such a programme, the University went to great lengths to find the right person to be the backbone of the Faculty of Pharmacy who could help realize the vision of starting a profession relevant programme. That person was Prof. Datuk Dr Allan Mathews, Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy.
Dr Allan is a well-known figure in the pharmacy profession. Having 14 years’ experience in the government sector, pioneering Clinical Pharmacy Services and 22 years in the pharmaceutical industry, he is highly sought after for his tremendous experience.
He has been involved in the academic world for the last 7 years.
Whilst in the government sector he was appointed as a WHO Advisor on Hospital Pharmacy and established the Pharmaceutical Production and Quality Control Unit where injections, parenteral nutrition, eye and ear drops, dialysis solutions, galenicals were manufactured.
He is also a member of the Pharmacy Board of Malaysia. He was admitted to the American College of Clinical Pharmacy in 1990.
He is also a consultant to a Pharmaceutical Firm in Brunei. He currently practices community pharmacy at the university’s Quest Pharmacy.
Dr Allan has served in a variety of positions on professional associations including Past-President of Sabah Pharmaceutical Society, life member of the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society, Member of the Malaysian Academy of Pharmacy and Associate Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of UK.
He is a member of the Editorial Board of Madridge Journal of Pharmaceutical Research.
Allan emphasised that the faculty leadership has extensive experience in hospital, clinical, industrial, academia, research, consultancy and management and this will ensure that the pharmacy undergraduates will be ready for the real world upon graduation.
Our academic staff continue to be involved in practice areas of Community, Industry and Hospital/Clinical Pharmacy.
“The academic staff consists of those who have worked in the hospital / clinical pharmacy, industrial pharmacy and community pharmacy. Adjunct Lecturers from the Ipoh General Hospital with a Masters/Doctorate in Clinical Pharmacy are involved case studies and tutorials (based on real cases) from year 1 of the programme.
“With pharmacists being involved in direct patient care also means that pharmacists need to be in tune with the basic medical sciences of anatomy, physiology, pathology, immunology, biochemistry and microbiology and medical lecturers are involved in the teaching these subjects to pharmacy students. In addition there are interprofessional learning by means of problem-based learning.
This approach prepares the pharmacy student to be tuned to working alongside the medical doctor from the university days.
“Our programme is tailored in such a way that students are exposed to the real world form Year 1 itself. Students visit the General Hospital when a certain aspect of the course is taught.
As an example, on completion of the course in pharmacokinetics (study of what the body does to the drug), students visit the General Hospital to see the relevant service being carried out including visiting patients.
The faculty has established a close relationship with the Ipoh General Hospital which has very well established Clinical Pharmacy Services.
In addition, Clinical Pharmacists from the hospital are appointed as Adjunct Lecturers to conduct real-world case study sessions.
“Our students also perform Pharmaceutical Care at Senior Citizens Home as senior citizens have multiple medicines to take.
A students is assigned one resident which the student together with the lecturer visits once a month to carry our medication management.
A report is sent to the home after the visit. Students get the opportunity of learning about communication, the different classes of medicines, monitor achievement of outcomes, side-effects, interactions of medicines with other medicines, food, herbal or complimentary medicines’ added Dr Allan.
The University has set up a real Community Pharmacy within the campus to cater for staff, students and also the member of the public.
Students from Year 1 undergo rotational placement on a continuous basis where there are taught about all aspects of community pharmacy including the layout of an ideal pharmacy, the legal requirements, the services carried out. Focus is on the pharmacist role in responding to symptoms using controlled medicines.
Pharmacy education in Malaysia generally have focussed on Hospital / Clinical Pharmacy. However, the program at QIUP has given adequate emphasis on Industrial Pharmacy including enriching the curriculum as well as exposure to Industrial Pharmacy practice by setting up a Pharmaceutical Product Pilot Plant in the university thus giving students hands-on experience in formulation, production, quality control, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, product management and pharmacovigilance.
Besides that, the university has set up a Pharmaceutical Dosage Form Library consisting of more than a hundred different dosage forms and students get the opportunity of knowing all the different dosage forms available in the market. Throughout the course there will be attachment periods in community pharmacy, pharmaceutical industry and in hospitals where the undergraduates will be exposed to real practice situations.
Students will have attachment periods totalling 20 weeks. The focus is on outcome-based teaching using the teaching and learning methods of lectures, tutorials, problem-based learning, case-based studies, clerkship, presentations as well as hands-on exposure to therapeutic drug monitoring, clinical oncology pharmacy practice, parenteral nutrition and medicine management.
QIUP graduates will be equipped with adequate knowledge to practice pharmaceutical care, practice in the pharmaceutical industry and in community pharmacy as well as being equipped to carry out research in the various aspects of pharmacy.
The faculty has established a Centre for Pharmaceutical Research and postgraduate studies with post-graduate students at the Masters and PhD levels.
Third-year pharmacy students carry out a research project with sufficient scope for publication.
QIUP’s interim campus is strategically located in Ipoh, away from the distractions of bustling city life and aptly providing a conducive learning environment and lower cost of living.
Should you have high hopes on a rich student life and opportunity to interact with the best academicians, QIUP is simply the best answer.
The demand for pharmacy graduates is expected to continue over the years towards the achievement of an ideal pharmacist: population ratio.
If you need more details about the programmes, please call +605 249 0500, email enquiries@qiup.edu.my or log on to www.qiup.edu.my.