In different countries in the WHO European Region, the regulations governing the education of pharmacists may set:
- duration of training (theoretical and practical),
- its subject matter (or competency framework), quality assurance requirements.
In some states, such as France, the law also stipulates a maximum number of applicants per year who are admitted to the specialty of pharmacy.
According to European Union Directive 2005/36/EC, the duration of education of pharmacy pharmacists (pharmacists) is a minimum of five years, including at least four years of full-time theoretical and practical training, as well as internship in pharmacy for six months.
This directive also sets out the official qualifications for pharmacists in each country. In the WHO European Region, this is usually a five-year university education program that prospective pharmacists undertake in higher education with some differences between countries.
For example, in some countries, such as Albania and the Republic of Moldova, only a diploma is awarded upon completion of studies, while in other regions intermediate titles are also provided. In many post-Soviet states, graduates in pharmacy are awarded the degree of specialist pharmacist or specialist provisor. Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees are compulsory in Azerbaijan (4 + 2 years) and Ukraine (3 + 2 years), while, for example, in Poland only one Master’s degree is required.
The duration of compulsory internship varies from 6 months to 12 months and 10 weeks (in France). In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, the period of compulsory internship (pre-registration training) is not included in education, but is a requirement of the pharmacy regulator.
Form and content
In the United Kingdom, legislation authorizes the pharmacy regulator to issue standards for the initial education of pharmacists. In Switzerland, legislation defines the learning objectives and competencies that pharmacists must master by the end of their training. In some countries, such as Belarus and Ukraine, it is possible to obtain higher education in pharmacy by distance learning, while in others this option was prohibited.
The application of distance learning model has certain historical background: when only few universities offer educational programs in this specialty, distance learning allows students from other regions to receive higher education to meet the need for pharmacy specialists.
In many countries, specialization or differentiation between pharmacy pharmacists and pharmacists who specialize in regulatory, industrial or pharmaceutical sciences is provided at the master’s level.
Postgraduate training and specialization
In some countries, pharmacists can specialize in out-of-hospital pharmacy after graduation. This is the case, for example, in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (where it is mandatory). This specialization is usually organized and/or regulated by the regulator in pharmacy. For example, in Germany, postgraduate training in out-of-hospital pharmacy is only possible in general pharmacy. Specialized training programs are offered in various areas, including geriatric pharmacy, diabetes, homeopathy and others.
In the United Kingdom and a number of other countries, there are postgraduate training programs for clinical pharmacist qualification, which is mandatory to work as a pharmacist with the right to prescribe medicines. In Ukraine, a specialist applying for the position of pharmacy manager or head of pharmacy is required to obtain postgraduate education in pharmacy management and economics (with the issuance of a certificate).
Continuing education
In many countries, the obligation for pharmacists to undertake continuing education or continuing professional development (CPD) courses is enshrined in legislation and/or provided for by an ethical standard (which is included in the pharmacists’ code of professional ethics). Continuing education refers to education for adult learners after they leave the formal education system, the purpose of which is to maintain their knowledge and skills.
The International Pharmaceutical Federation defines continuing professional development (CPD) as “the individual pharmacist’s responsibility to systematically maintain, develop and expand their knowledge, skills and abilities to maintain their continuing professional competence throughout their career”. It is the process of tracking and documenting the skills, knowledge and experience that professionals acquire in formalized and informal settings in the course of their work activities in addition to any initial training.
There are significant differences between countries in the organization of continuing education. In some countries, they are a legal obligation. In some they are a legal obligation, in others they are a professional right, the implementation of which is organized and monitored by the government or professional bodies.
For example, continuing education may be an individual requirement for the pharmacist, an obligation of the employer (in Estonia, the employer must ensure that pharmacists receive a minimum of 40 academic hours of training every two years) or an obligation of both the employer and the pharmacist, as in Finland. It may also be included as a requirement for the issuance or renewal of a professional pharmacist license, as in Serbia.
The frequency of credit validation ranges from one year in Romania and three years in France to five years in Portugal. In Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine, a pharmacist without a valid certificate of continuing professional development (CPD) is not allowed to practice.
The most detailed regulation of the NDP concept is in the United Kingdom. The pharmacy regulatory authorities in this country define:
- the scope and type of NDP program that the pharmacist is required to complete;
- the information to be provided by the pharmacist about the NDP program completed and the form and manner in which it is to be provided;
- deadlines for providing information about the NDP program completed (including any NDP activities that fall under the explanation for a particular specialization and are entered into the register);
- the procedure for accounting for NDP programs completed by pharmacists.
Shutterstock/FOTODOM UKRAINE photos were used
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- The legal and regulatory framework for community pharmacies in the WHO European Region. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2020. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
