Importance of education cannot be overemphasized in the present day context as it is the single most important means to improve personal endowments, build capability levels, overcome constraints and improve well-being. Knowledge can be updated constantly through scientific literature, journals, brochures etc. The educational qualification is also a continuous lifetime process. One of the means of updating the educational qualification especially for a practicing pharmacist who cannot afford to join a regular course is the concept of a continuing education through distance learning.
Continuing education programmes are not of recent idea and they were followed even in the recent past in one form or the other.
There are four major steps in establishing a career development continuing education system.
● needs-defining the present system,
● vision-determining new directions and possibilities,
● action plan-deciding on practical first steps, and
● results -maintaining the change.
Applying the principal of continuing education in the field of pharmacy; it is seen that in India, the profession of pharmacy is still in its developing stages and is yet to bloom to its fullest extent. Here the pharmacist performs a job of a drug seller and does not practice the profession independently and depends on a doctor who is a decision maker.
To cater these needs presently, B. Pharm & M. Pharm. courses are available; D. Pharm being the minimum need. But all these higher courses are regular courses and the practicing pharmacist may not get an opportunity of attending the college regularly for updating the educational qualification.
With advancement in every field, the profession of pharmacy has also witnessed tremendous changes. The community expects more professional services from pharmacists and not as just drug sellers. There are many community pharmacists serving the country with the just D.Pharm qualification, who are not well equipped with adequate information.
The role of pharmacists, however, is frequently omitted from discussions of patient care issues, where the focus is on physician and other health care providers within the physician's immediate sphere of influence. Patients often make their own decisions about managing their medications. Pharmacists could usually serve as patient advocates, providing information that permits patients to assess risk and enhance their autonomy. Pharmacists thus play a pivotal role for the safe and right use of medicines. The need of the hour is to improve the image of pharmacist in the eyes of public and other healthcare professionals, to transform the perception people have that pharmacists are mere shopkeepers with medicines to sell. Thus there is a constant need for upgradation of qualifications of retail community pharmacists and this is only possible with continuing education programs for these professionals. Pharmacy education will prepare these pharmacists to provide patient-centered and population-based care to optimize medication therapy in order to manage health care system resources with improved therapeutic outcomes thereby promoting health improvement, wellness, and disease prevention.
In today's new economy, value is greatly enhanced by knowledge. The terms new economy and knowledge economy go hand in hand and are complimentary assets. Continuing education in the profession of pharmacy may be perceived as a structured educational activity tailored to suit development of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to maintain and enhance their competence.
Continuing pharmacy education (CPE) shall promote problem-solving and critical thinking and be applicable to the practice of pharmacy to cater the needs of future challenges.
CPE may aim at a distance education program and / or certificate course in pharmacy. Focus can be given to e-learning to facilitate user friendly approach with e-lectures and e-tutorials and a few personalized contact programs. E-learning is the process of extending learning or delivering instructional resource sharing opportunities, to locations away from a classroom, building or site, to another classroom, building or site by using video, audio, computer, multimedia communications, or some combination of these with other traditional delivery methods.
Grading can be given based on the performance in tutorials followed by presentation of a certificate on successful completion of the credits.
CPE shall primarily cater to those pharmacy professionals in the field of marketing, retail community pharmacists, industrial pharmacists, production scientists, drug control scientists as well as academicians, who find it difficult to devote time in catching up with new trends and upcoming issues.
The concept becomes essential for the practicing pharmacists who cannot afford to stay away from their establishments or family for a regular course, who are mostly D.Pharm holders. Also for degree holders, this will be an additional qualification. CPE shall help the pharmacist in acquiring better rapport in the society as well as help generate better revenue thereby uplifting the profession of pharmacy.
In the end it may be stated that "The aim of education is to enable individuals to continue their education ... (and) the object and reward of learning is continued capacity for growth."
(Arun Garg is principal, Advanced Institute of Pharmacy, Palwal and Gen. Secretary (Indian Pharmacy Graduates' Association (IPGA), Surabhi Khanna is lecturer, Maharaja Surajmal Institute of pharmacy and Ex-council member IPGA and Parvez Nayyar is assistant professor, Advanced Institute of Pharmacy, Palwal)