Pharmacy Curriculum Vital For Community Pharmacist

Pharmacy student

As a student in the faculty of pharmacy, there are so many topics taught from the six pharmacy departments. There are also topics from the three colleges of basic medicals course, school courses and others from the science department. They are all arrange in the curriculum. The end is a total pharmacist ready to help the sick.

The only way to be prepared for the challenges ahead, a pharmacy student must pass all these courses. But a pharmacist can work in one area of specialization. Although changing areas of specialization is not a problem. Some of the topics taught in school will be more vital for that area than others.
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For example, to survive as a community pharmacist, the pharmacist must put into use some of the topics taught back in the days. The others may not even be needed at all. This was the reason some questions the benefit of some topics. However, they are all important. The only problem was that the time to teach those topics and period of examination is too close.

So this post is going to high light some basic topics in pharmacy school community pharmacists use in their day to day activity.

Pharmacy Curriculum

Most of the topics in pharmacy curriculum equip pharmacy students for the job of a community pharmacist. Highlighted here are the list of topics that directly influence community pharmacy practice.

Dosage Form

This is one of the most important topics every community pharmacist must be abreast with. Dosage form is that shape a pharmaceutical product is marketed. The choice of a dosage form for a particular customer is considered based on so many factors. Knowledge about the different types, their advantages and disadvantages is very important when making choices.

Half-Life

This can also be called dosage frequency. How often a particular drug is taken is done by the marketer. However, knowledge of the reason for dosage frequency is important to explain to customers why they need to follow the prescribed dose. Some customers want a drug that is taken three times a day. Given then a once daily regimen can lead to non-adherence. But those calculations in school ended in school. Except those who get to work with manufacturers of drugs.

Toxicity

The minimum and maximum effective dose is the dose that allows the drug to work without causing a negative effect. How will a customer adhere to a drug strength when there is no counsel on the consequences. Knowledge about the toxicity of drugs will enable the community pharmacist to adequately enlighten such customers. And the topic was well covered in pharmacy.

Shelf life

School taught pharmacists how to calculate shelf life and the implications of using drugs after their shelf life. The customer may not bother with their drug expiry date unless they are adequately enlightened. That is where knowledge of shelf life comes in.

Communication Skills

Talk about the pharmacy management department, they did not fail in this one. How to talk to customers, other pharmacists, others in the health care sector to mention but a few. Oh! I forgot to mention listening skills. That emphatic listening to a customer's complaint. Well school was theory. Here is practical.

Generic/Brand

Just as the problem of generic and brand name is confusing to customers, it was the same with many pharmacy students. However, some customers benefit from the explanation of how generics are the same with brands except on maybe the excipients. Helping a family with a single prescription choose a cheap effective product is a source of happiness. Imagine a mother with prescription for branded albendazole for three children. Buying the brand can result in spending up to 1500 naira. Going for a cheaper and effective alternative generic can save the mother more than a thousand naira.
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Account

Remember those statistics? Tricky huh. Yeah very tricky. Worst nightmare to so many. Then, they seem like mathematics from space. However for pharmacists that are managing a community pharmacy, those figures are normal in their day to day activities.

Computer

Computer skills were not taught just ones. It was more than two times. That is because every area of specialization of pharmacist, computer skills is needed. It is with a computer that a pharmacist can work in a community pharmacy inventory for those using a computer system. Not much skill needed but just the basics. And knowing the type of software a computer will run can help to plan the specifications that are needed in a computer.

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