The Professional Development Program in Clinical Pharmacy organized by the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, FAHS, USJ was held on 21 st and 22 nd November 2022. This program comprised of two events aimed at undergraduates, and graduate pharmacists working in Sri Lanka. The program was resourced by Prof. Ian Coombes, Director of Pharmacy, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, and Professor at School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Australia, and Dr. Judith Coombes, Conjoint Lecturer (Princess Alexandra Hospital), School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Australia. Both Ian and Judith Coombes are directors of CASPPER (Collaboration of Australians and Sri Lankans for Pharmacy Practice, Education and Research) and supported this effort on a voluntary and honorary basis. Participants too were offered this experience free of charge by FAHS.
Dr. Judith Coombes |
Prof. Ian Coombes |
Australian perspective of clinical pharmacy for undergraduates
The first session was a talk and Q/A session by the resource persons on ‘The clinical pharmacist – Role in improving patient care’ which was a knowledge and practice awareness program for undergraduates in the department and was held on 21 st November 2022 from 3.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. at the Department premises. Clinical Pharmacy is a course component offered in the 4 th year of the B.Pharm degree and this
program aimed to enhance the knowledge of undergraduates on this subject area and provide a broader perspective of clinical pharmacy practice. This program was an excellent opportunity to share experiences related to clinical pharmacy in countries like Australia where this practice is established and normalized. The program was attended by 3 rd and 4 th year pharmacy undergraduates of FAHS, USJ, as a compulsory course, while 1 st and 2 nd year undergraduates were also given an opportunity to experience this activity. Ninety-five undergraduates attended this program and engaged actively in the Q/A session. As clinical pharmacy practices are not formally adopted in state sector Sri Lankan hospitals, this program assured undergraduates that it is a possible and realistic practice to enhance quality of life of patients. The students who attended appreciated this initiative and provide very positive feedback.
Continued professional development for graduates in pharmacy practice.
This program on ‘Prospects of hospital pharmacists to provide clinical pharmacy services in Sri Lanka’ was conducted on 22 nd November 2022 from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. at FAHS, USJ. The program was targeted especially for pharmacy graduates working in state hospitals in Sri Lanka, but a selected number of pharmacy graduates working in private hospitals and academia were also invited. The objective of this program was to motivate pharmacists working with patients to provide clinical pharmacy services even if clinical pharmacy cadres are still not established in Sri Lanka. Forty-one hospital pharmacists from the state sector, and nine pharmacists from private sector and academia
attended. Many who already engaged in providing clinical pharmacy services took this opportunity to clarify their doubts and resolve problems encountered by them when providing clinical pharmacy services. The resource persons who are experienced clinical pharmacists in Australia, mentored and guided the pharmacists to further enhance their efforts. Those who attended the program conveyed their sincere appreciation and urged the need for professional development programs of this nature in the future as well.
