Requirements For Accrediting Pharmacy Programs In Nigerian Universities By Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (P.C.N)
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| Pharmacy school accreditation |
To practice in Nigeria as a pharmacist, all aspiring students must study in an accredited school. This accreditation must come from National Universities Commission (N.U.C) and Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (P.C.N).
Accreditation is a review of academic quality of a program by regulatory bodies. It ensures the quality of the study. The ultimate goal is to produce pharmacist with adequate knowledge and skills to provide pharmaceutical services.
How can students know if their school is accredited? The list of accredited faculty of pharmacy can be found at NUC and PCN websites.
Accreditation requirements for each program of pharmacy are the same and change from time to time as the profession grows.
The accreditation status is divided into:
Rejected: In this case, no student can be admitted after getting this label. All those who have started the program will be advice to withdraw
Interim: Those in the program will be inducted. This last for two years after which another accreditation team will review the school to see if there is an improvement in the program. It happens when the requirements are not completely met.
Approved: The standard of such school is up to date.
Any student that graduates within 2 years after the programme would have been granted Interim or Denied Accreditation, will not be denied recognition of his/her certificate.
Read Also: Accreditation Requirements For Running A Pharmacy Technician Program
There are general review/re-accreditation after every four years or so.
For schools who have not yet been accredited, most students may be wondering what is the accreditation all about. Well, accrediting B. Pharm is different from Pharm. D and M. Pharm.
Most of the requirements from NUC and PCN are similar. The reason is that the accrediting team from NUC are a pharmacist who has practice. This is the same thing from PCN. Here we shall discuss the major requirements together as it is.
The accrediting team looks at three areas:
1. Curriculum
2. Infrastructure
3. Staff
b. The ratio of student to staff should be between 1:6 for PCN and 1:10 for NUC
c. All full-time academic staffs must have a second degree or a professional degree
There are minimum academic qualifications for any level of staff. The following is just a general guide
1. Graduates assistants must have a minimum of first degree
2. Staff with PHD must not be less than 50 % of staffs on the ground .
However, here is the percentage of staff for accrediting pharmacy school for now:
Professors 25 %
Senior lecturer 30 %
Lecturer one and below 45 %
a. A laboratory for each of the department with functional equipments. The size should suit the size of the students
b. Each department should be stand-alone.
c. Library fully equipped with books and other pharmaceutical journals
d. Internet facilities
e. Workshops
f. Lecture theatres, which must reflect the size of students on the ground. For 150 students, the room should be the size of 160 m2
g. Students common rooms of 140 m2
h. Staff room of 55 m2
i. Sterilisation room of 50 m2
j. Grinding room of 40 m2
k. Drug information centre of 40 m2
l. Administrative block with deans’ office, boardrooms, deputy deans room, administrative officers office, secretary office, general office, reception, toilets etc.
m. Office rooms for both teaching staffs and non-teaching staffs
The following is a guide to the size of offices
a. Academic areas should have a minimum sitting capacity of 50 students
b. Staff rooms should be about 608.5 m2
c. Research area should also be about 20–25 m2
d. Seminar/visual audio rooms with 40-50 m2
e. Animal house, plant room/cold rooms, herbarium with 30 m2.
Pharmaceutical technology should have
1. Unit operation laboratory
2. Liquid processing
3. Drug processing
4. Sterile processing laboratory
Microbiology work area should accommodate at least 25 students
a. Things that will be observed is the work include clean area, sterilised, wash-up
b. Raw materials
c. packing store
Laboratory with solvent purification and recovery room
Drug information centre
Pharmacy communication laboratory 21-180 sitting capacity depending on several factors
Stores rooms with chemical, inflammable etc.
Workshop
General workshop
Office stores
Woodworking
Experimental laboratory, operating rooms, colony-holding rooms.
Plants room
Gas, vacuum, compressed air, water pump
Teaching and research equipment
Refrigerator, infusion pump, centrifuge etc.
Dispensing balances, single pans, PH meters etc.
Name of lecturers including the subjects that are teaching and periods for each course
Past questions and script as far as three years back.
Read Also: Courses In Pharmacy School In Nigeria
The minimum admission requirements must meet with NUC and PCN standard. The pass mark for pharmacy courses must not be less than 50 % and can be as high as 60 % for certain courses.
All staff information
Note: This is a general guide. The list of things needed is much more than this. and like I said before, I have not seen any pharmacy school in Nigeria that has successfully met all the conditions. What I have observed is that before accreditation of any school of pharmacy, most of the things listed must be met.
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How can students know if their school is accredited? The list of accredited faculty of pharmacy can be found at NUC and PCN websites.
Accreditation requirements for each program of pharmacy are the same and change from time to time as the profession grows.
The accreditation status is divided into:
Rejected: In this case, no student can be admitted after getting this label. All those who have started the program will be advice to withdraw
Interim: Those in the program will be inducted. This last for two years after which another accreditation team will review the school to see if there is an improvement in the program. It happens when the requirements are not completely met.
Approved: The standard of such school is up to date.
Any student that graduates within 2 years after the programme would have been granted Interim or Denied Accreditation, will not be denied recognition of his/her certificate.
Read Also: Accreditation Requirements For Running A Pharmacy Technician Program
There are general review/re-accreditation after every four years or so.
For schools who have not yet been accredited, most students may be wondering what is the accreditation all about. Well, accrediting B. Pharm is different from Pharm. D and M. Pharm.
Requirements Of Accrediting Pharmacy School In Nigeria For B. Pharm
Most pharmacy schools start with little or nothing on the ground for accreditation. Things change as month’s turn to years. However, before any school must apply, there are certain criteria’s to be met. I have not seen any school that met all. However, one thing is sure is that such school must meet the majority of the requirements.Most of the requirements from NUC and PCN are similar. The reason is that the accrediting team from NUC are a pharmacist who has practice. This is the same thing from PCN. Here we shall discuss the major requirements together as it is.
The accrediting team looks at three areas:
1. Curriculum
2. Infrastructure
3. Staff
Staff
a. There must be a dean that is a pharmacist registered with the Councilb. The ratio of student to staff should be between 1:6 for PCN and 1:10 for NUC
c. All full-time academic staffs must have a second degree or a professional degree
There are minimum academic qualifications for any level of staff. The following is just a general guide
1. Graduates assistants must have a minimum of first degree
2. Staff with PHD must not be less than 50 % of staffs on the ground .
However, here is the percentage of staff for accrediting pharmacy school for now:
Professors 25 %
Senior lecturer 30 %
Lecturer one and below 45 %
Infrastructure
The faculty should have enough space for both students and staffs including lecture rooms and offices. Each should be equipped to suit the conditions. The following is just a guidea. A laboratory for each of the department with functional equipments. The size should suit the size of the students
b. Each department should be stand-alone.
c. Library fully equipped with books and other pharmaceutical journals
d. Internet facilities
e. Workshops
f. Lecture theatres, which must reflect the size of students on the ground. For 150 students, the room should be the size of 160 m2
g. Students common rooms of 140 m2
h. Staff room of 55 m2
i. Sterilisation room of 50 m2
j. Grinding room of 40 m2
k. Drug information centre of 40 m2
l. Administrative block with deans’ office, boardrooms, deputy deans room, administrative officers office, secretary office, general office, reception, toilets etc.
m. Office rooms for both teaching staffs and non-teaching staffs
The following is a guide to the size of offices
a. Academic areas should have a minimum sitting capacity of 50 students
b. Staff rooms should be about 608.5 m2
c. Research area should also be about 20–25 m2
d. Seminar/visual audio rooms with 40-50 m2
e. Animal house, plant room/cold rooms, herbarium with 30 m2.
Pharmaceutical technology should have
1. Unit operation laboratory
2. Liquid processing
3. Drug processing
4. Sterile processing laboratory
Microbiology work area should accommodate at least 25 students
a. Things that will be observed is the work include clean area, sterilised, wash-up
b. Raw materials
c. packing store
Laboratory with solvent purification and recovery room
Drug information centre
Pharmacy communication laboratory 21-180 sitting capacity depending on several factors
Stores rooms with chemical, inflammable etc.
Workshop
General workshop
Office stores
Woodworking
Experimental laboratory, operating rooms, colony-holding rooms.
Plants room
Gas, vacuum, compressed air, water pump
Teaching and research equipment
Refrigerator, infusion pump, centrifuge etc.
Dispensing balances, single pans, PH meters etc.
Curriculum
The curriculum must be reflected from the standard set by NUC and PCN. Other factors considered are current timetableName of lecturers including the subjects that are teaching and periods for each course
Past questions and script as far as three years back.
Read Also: Courses In Pharmacy School In Nigeria
The minimum admission requirements must meet with NUC and PCN standard. The pass mark for pharmacy courses must not be less than 50 % and can be as high as 60 % for certain courses.
All staff information
Note: This is a general guide. The list of things needed is much more than this. and like I said before, I have not seen any pharmacy school in Nigeria that has successfully met all the conditions. What I have observed is that before accreditation of any school of pharmacy, most of the things listed must be met.
Share On Social Media With Family And Friends To Show You Care!
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