Postgraduate Education in Clinical Pharmacy: Why Do We Need It?
July 7, 2014
THE pharmacy profession is
changing at an exponential rate
and postgraduate education is
becoming increasingly important
to ensure that pharmacists are
equipped to offer a unique patient
centred service that goes beyond
dispensing of medications.
Pharmacists are increasingly
engaged in chronic disease
management, immunisation
providers, running anticoagulation
clinics and providing expert advice
to pharmaceutical industry in a
consultative role.
Recent healthcare reforms in
Australia indicate that we are at the
beginning of a series of changes to
the Australian healthcare system
and the way it will be funded in the
future. If pharmacy is to thrive in
this changing environment then
pharmacists need to take the lead
in challenging the status quo.
Services like screening for chronic
diseases, managing disease
management clinics, becoming an
immunisation provider for travelrelated
vaccination and many more
unique business opportunities can
be explored within the Australian
context.
However, the big question that
comes to consumers’ minds is if
pharmacists are qualified for such a
paradigm shift?
Traditional training of pharmacists
relies heavily on the current
model of practice and may not be
adequate for advanced roles.
Postgraduate education in
clinical pharmacy can equip
pharmacists with the basic
principles of advanced clinical
knowledge, positioning them to
deliver innovative clinical services
in this rapidly changing healthcare
environment.
This
week’s contributor
is Dr Syed Tabish
R. Zaidi, Lecturer
in Pharmacy at
the Faculty of
Health, University of Tasmania
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