Pharmacists in the UAE participate in continuing education programs as part of their license renewal. To support pharmacists with their continuing education needs, College of Pharmacy at Gulf Medical University started with a series of training programs. The first event in the series was conducted at Gulf Medical University on January 26, 2018.
The College of Pharmacy is in a good position to offer training to pharmacists with its expert faculty, educational resources and smart technology. Taking up the social responsibility and commitment to enhance the pharmacy practice in the country, the College decided to extend its professional expertise to pharmacists in the UAE through Pharmacists Training Series. Every year 3 seminars/workshops are planned at different parts of the UAE, especially the Northern Emirates. The ‘series’ is structured to enhance the competencies of pharmacists over time. Those pharmacists who attend all the events in ‘Series’ and pass a comprehensive exam will be provided with an additional certificate of acknowledging their accomplishments.
The first seminar in its series was ‘Effective Supervising’. Supervising by experienced pharmacists is a common practice, whether it is part of the licensing process or just to enhance practice abilities of junior pharmacists. Pharmacists from different sectors and practice settings participated in the event. Senior and junior pharmacists from different workplaces attended together and the sessions were very interactive with sharing their training experiences. A total of 78 pharmacists attended Series 1.
Professor Sherief Khalifa, Dean, College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, said “a preceptor is a practitioner who teaches trainees on how to practice. The roles of preceptor vary from being a model to coach depending on the situation. An effective preceptor creates a conducive environment for effective learning to happen in workplaces.”
Dr. Dixon Thomas, Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice at the College pointed out the importance of the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) educational outcomes; “different practice competencies of individual pharmacists could be checked against 15 core CAPE educational outcomes.”
Pharmacists Training Series 2 will be organized in April and 3 in October 2018. The topic for the training program in April is “Evidence-Based Practice”. More information about the program will be available through the College of Pharmacy website soon.