FIP and Pharmacy Education
FIP Education Initiatives - FIPEd
FIPEd, the new umbrella directorate encompassing FIP Education Initiatives, is bringing together all of FIP's education actions; strengthening our projects and our partnerships with the World Health Organization (WHO) and with UNESCO.
During the congress, the structure and activities of FIPEd were presented during several meetings, including in the FIP Bureau and Council meeting. The FIP Bureau reviewed the first FIPEd Steering Committee Terms of Reference, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Steering Committee, staff and appointed volunteer leaders. The appointed Steering Committee members include: the Chair, Dr Henri Manasse, the BPP Representative, Assoc Prof Jennifer Marriott, and the BPS representative, Prof Ross McKinnon.
FIPEd is comprised by the Academic Institutional Membership (AIM), led by Dr Wayne Hindmarsh, Canada; the Pharmacy Education Taskforce, led by Prof Ian Bates, UK; and the Academic Section, Presided by Dr Ralph Altiere, USA.
FIPEd is working to stimulate transformational change in pharmaceutical education and engender the development of science and practice, towards meeting present and future societal and workforce needs around the world. We are advocating for the use of needs-based strategies where pharmacy education is socially accountable, where practice and science are evidence-based and practitioners have the required competencies to provide the needed services to their communities.
FIP Education Initiatives will be achieved through:
- providing a global platform for exchange, mentoring and learning for leaders and academics, focussing on the development of leadership skills and academic management and pedagogic skills;
- building, advocating for, and disseminating evidence-based guidance, consensus-based standards, tools and resources for educational development for both organisations and practitioners.
Building on the success of the action plan (2008-2010) implemented by the FIP-WHO-UNESCO Pharmacy Education Taskforce the domains of activity will continue to move forward and to grow sustainably.
For further information about FIPEd and its activities, please contact us by email at education@fip.org .
Pharmacy Education Taskforce
Recognising the need to support and strengthen pharmacy education worldwide, in November 2007, FIP, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), formed the Pharmacy Education Taskforce. The Taskforce is a coordinating body of organisations, agencies, institutions, and individuals with the shared goal of catalysing actions to develop pharmacy education.
The purpose of the Taskforce is to oversee the implementation of the Pharmacy Education Taskforce Action Plan 2008-2010*. The Action Plan aims to enable the sustainability of a pharmacy workforce that is relevant to local needs. The Action Plan is dedicated to three domains of action: quality assurance, academic and institutional capacity, and competency and vision for pharmacy education.
*Pharmacy education refers to the educational design and capacity to develop the workforce for a diversity of settings (e.g. community, hospital, research and development, academia) across varying levels of service provision and competence (e.g. technical support human resources, pharmacist practitioners, pharmaceutical scientists, pre-service students) and scope of education (e.g. undergraduate, post-registration, continuing professional development, practitioner development, life-long learning).
News and Updates
Taskforce Monthly Newsletters
Volume III | 2011
Issue 9 | November & December
Issue 8 | October
Issue 7 | August & September
Issue 6 | July
Issue 5 | June
Issue 4 | April & May
Issue 3 | March
Issue 2 | February
Issue 1 | January
Contact us, at education@fip.org, if you would like to see issues of Volume I (August 2008 to October 2009) and Volume II (November 2009 to December 2010).
Input needed for draft competency framework
One of the three domains of activity in the Taskforce is related to competency of the pharmaceutical workforce. As part of the work in this area, the Competency project team have been gathering competency frameworks, documents and standards for pharmaceutical services from across the world. Many of you have contributed to this process and the team offers sincere thanks for this.
The collected frameworks have been synthesised into a draft Global Competency Framework (GbCF) for the provision of pharmaceutical services. Ideally, once finalised, this global framework could then be adapted for use at the country level.
The draft GbCF contains a core set of behavioural competencies which should be generally applicable for the pharmacy workforce worldwide. It has been through a process of consensus group meetings, content validation meetings and an iterative content phase to reach this stage.
For the next stage, we need the input of pharmacists regardless the area of practice in vetting this draft framework widely to ensure it will meet our general needs. The purpose of the input is to evaluate the relevance and validity of the current draft, especially reactions to the specific behavioural competencies.
For this reason, we would greatly appreciate it if you would use the following link to respond to an online survey – http://bit.ly/aYNgJU or http://www.codegnet.org.uk/gbcf/ and forward to your colleagues as you see fit.
Please note the linked version of the document is still in draft form and will undergo further revision once we have collected your input.
A booklet has been developed which contains more information about the development of the GbCF (draft version), a glossary and an evidence and references guide to the documentation used for the development of the document. The booklet is available to download here.
If you have further comments and suggestions or if you have any queries, contact Andreia Bruno at education@fip.org.
Pharmacy Education Journal Launched at FIP
Pharmacy Education, an International Journal for Pharmaceutical Education, is now an official FIP Electronic Publication, available online free of charge at http://pharmacyeducation.fip.org/. The online publishing and re-release has been made possible by the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and in collaboration with the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy (EAFP).
To read the full media release, click here.
FIP Statement of Policy on Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education
On 8 September 2009 at the FIP Congress in Istanbul the FIP Council adopted an official FIP Statement of Policy on Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education. Click here to access a PDF copy of the Statement.
The Working Group on Public Policy that presented the FIP Statement of Policy on Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education consisted of:
Dr Lowell Anderson, Convenor
Dr John Gans
Mr Henri Lepage
Dr Carmen Peña
Mr Niels Kristensen
Dr Chui Wai Keung
FIP Bureau approves the "Global Framework for Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education"
During the FIP Congress in Basel, Switzerland the FIP Bureau has formally approved a new document that incorporates core principles and elements considered essential for an effective approach to quality assurance of pharmacy education.
Read the full Media Release here and download the draft copy of the "Global Framework for Quality Assurance in Pharmacy Education" here.
Taskforce Materials Now Available in Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish ana Japanese
The Taskforce's Pharmacy Education Action Plan 2008-2010 and promotional brochure are now available in Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish. Please click on the links below to download the translated versions.
Action Plan - Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese
Brochure - Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish
FIP Congress 2010
Reports from the Taskforce events at FIP Congress 2010 in Lisbon, Portugal are now available. Please see the links below. The PowerPoint Presentations are also available in the Taskforce's Community of Practice Library in the folder, "FIP Congress 2010."
Learning to Teach Workshop Report 2010
5th Global Pharmacy Education Consultation Report
Objectives
The objectives of the Taskforce are to:
1. Define pharmacy service competencies across all settings and levels of the health system.
2. Set educational objectives aligned with competencies and develop a framework that considers the entire pharmacy education continuum from undergraduate education through to continuing professional development at the post-graduate level.
3. Develop a global framework for quality assurance and the development of accreditation systems (e.g. development of standards for educational institutions and programs) in pharmacy education.
4. Gather and analyse data on academic/faculty workforce, and review and develop capacity development strategies that meet local, regional or global needs.
5. Guide stakeholders towards an accepted holistic vision for the entire continuum of pharmacy education at global, regional and local levels.
6. Provide advocacy and technical guidance to country level stakeholders and educational institutions.
7. Establish a global platform for ongoing dialogue, sharing of evidence, practices, lessons learned, resources and tools for pharmacy education and workforce planning.
JOIN US!
How do I find out more about the Taskforce?
Read more about the work of the Taskforce through the background documents, articles and tools posted in the Resources and Links Section . You can also contact education@fip.org.
How do I become involved in the Taskforce?
Join the Taskforce’s Community of Practice to receive updates about activities in the Taskforce, network with other colleagues from around the world, or take part in activities. The Community of Practice, or COP, is an online learning space where people interested in the Taskforce can share documents and resources, hold discussions and keep informed of activities and events. Membership is free and open to all. To learn how to join the Community of Practice, also contact education@fip.org.
Who do I contact to become involved in one or more of the project domains?
The Project Leads for the project domains are:
Academic and Institutional Capacity – Claire Anderson, claire.anderson@nottingham.ac.uk
Vision and Competency – Ian Bates, ian.bates@pharmacy.ac.uk
Quality Assurance – Mike Rouse, mrouse@acpe-accredit.org
Pharmacy Support Workforce - Andrew Brown, andrew.brown@canberra.edu.au
How can I support the work of the Taskforce?
The work of the Taskforce is largely achieved through the efforts of dedicated and enthusiastic international team of volunteers. The in kind, financial and other support of donors, associations, groups, schools and individuals is much appreciated to ensure that we meet the objectives of the Action Plan. Please contact us if you would like to offer support to the Taskforce.
