How To Become A Consultant Pharmacist

Some months ago, the Lagos state government approved the consultant cadre for pharmacists. The celebration was cut short when the government revoke the licence due to outrage by many in the medical field. In the month of September, 2020 the federal government of Nigeria sitting in Delta state approves the consultant cadre for pharmacists. This again sparked a whole lot of protest from other medical professionals. But this time, the battle will be nationwide.

Many people will wonder why the medical profession is fighting tooth and nail to see an end to this achievement in the pharmacy profession in Nigeria? Does it in any way encroach on their practice or reduce their knowledge? Is it a new practice in the world or is Nigeria not part of the late adopters of modern trends? Instead let reason from the angle of benefit to the patient. One may wonder what the consultant cadre for pharmacist really means. Let us see.

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I was able to get my hands on the circular. Not much information was contained in it. Also, there is still much to do to bring it to fruition which may still require more planning. Let us see what is obtainable in other civilized and developed countries.

Consultant cadre for pharmacists was introduced in 2003. The pharmacist consultant role was identified in the department of health document 'A vision for pharmacy in the new NHS.' It was followed by DOH guidelines in 2005 on developing consultant pharmacist posts in England. Over the years, more details emerged as to how it is to function.

Consultant pharmacist

Consultant Pharmacist

A consultant pharmacist is a pharmacist who works as a consultant providing expert advice on the use of medications or on the provisions of pharmacy services to medical institutions, medical practices and individual patients. They ensure that patient medications are appropriate in line with pharmaceutical care. They may specialise in four pillars of the practice which is regulation, quality, technical or clinical.

Consultant pharmacists ensure their patients' medications are appropriate, effective, as safe as possible and used correctly; and identify, resolve, and prevent medication-related problems that may interfere with the goals of therapy.

Because the consultant pharmacist is specially trained to assist long-term care patients with their special medication needs, they can influence a prescribers decision based on expert advice and personal interaction with the patients. They also work in other sectors like community pharmacy.

They are leaders of the profession in education, research and in delivery of expert pharmaceutical practices. Knowledge of pharmacotherapy is very important.

Any pharmacist with license can become a consultant pharmacist. It does not matter the number of years of practice or more academic qualifications. However, the requirement may differ from one country to the other.

Function Of Consultant Pharmacist

1. Provide access to recognisable, high quality care for patients

2. Achieve strategic engagement of pharmacies in specialist care

3. Create the opportunity for a new kind of relationship with higher education

4. Promote a form of expert practice unconstrained by traditional boundaries of institutions or sectors.

How To Become A Consultant Pharmacist

In other professions especially in the medical profession, a consultant rises to that level through ranks and training processes to attain a high level of expertise. Consultants in other fields are the most senior clinicians, scientists, nurses or allied health professionals in a specialty.

The first criteria for becoming a consultant pharmacist used to be a combination of individual motivation and serendipity. However, there is development underway led by the royal pharmaceutical society to have a structure recognised. Currently those who wish to be consultants will need to develop knowledge and skills in the four pillars of the practice. But to be a credential consultant pharmacist, the person must be a practicing pharmacist with his licence and degree. Also, must be credentialed by an independent panel responsible for credential consultant pharmacists. Alternatively a consultant pharmacist must be approved by a legal post holder having been approved by a consultant pharmacist.

In Florida, consultant pharmacist course require applicants to must have successfully completed a consultant pharmacist course that is no fewer than twelve (12) hours sponsored by an accredited college of pharmacy, and approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy Tripartite Continuing Education Committee which is based on the Statement of the Competencies Required in Institutional Pharmacy Practice and subject matter set forth in Rule. The course shall be instructionally designed to include a cognitive test on which the applicant must score a passing grade for certification of successful completion of the course.

Applicants must have successfully completed a period of assessment and evaluation under a preceptor within one (1) year of completion of the consultant pharmacist specified in the second requirement. This period of assessment and evaluation shall be completed over no more than three (3) consecutive months and shall include at least 40 hours of training in specified practice areas, 60% of which shall occur on-site at an institution that holds a pharmacy permit.

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Preceptors must meet the requirements set forth in Rule which are as follows:

(a) Be a consultant pharmacist of record at an institutional pharmacy which is required to have a consultant pharmacist under the provisions of Chapter and Rule of Florida law.

(b) Have a minimum of one year of experience as a consultant pharmacist of record.

(c) Maintain all pharmacist licenses in good standing with the board.

(d) Act as a preceptor to no more than two applicants at the same time.

More and more countries are adopting the consultant pharmacist cadre with evidence pouring in about the benefit to the patient. Most of these politicians that make the laws have benefited from the services of pharmacists that they are willing to back the post. The profession is growing and evolving so is the practice and the pharmacist.

Consultant Pharmacist In Nigeria

In the mid-seventies, pharmacists in the West African Region realized the need for them to come together to harmonize and develop pharmacy education, laws and practice in order to improve the quality of healthcare and the life of the people of the region. This led to the formation of the West African Pharmaceutical Federation (WAPF) in October 1976 in Monrovia, Liberia. In the process of realizing its vision, there was the need to establish a Postgraduate Professional Training Program leading to award of Fellowship in order to meet the expanding roles of pharmacists worldwide and the changing needs of the society in pharmaceutical care.

In 1991, the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) was established under the educational mandate of WAPF. The College was officially inaugurated in Accra, Ghana in February 1991. On November 2nd, 1999, the Assembly of Health Ministers (AHM) of the then West African Health Community (WAHC) approved the change of name of WAPF to WAPCP. With this, the WAPCP became the official agency representing the pharmacy profession in WAHC. The WAHC has since been replaced by the West African Health Organization (WAHO).

The vision of WAPCP is to be internationally recognized as a centre of excellence that promotes the teaching, research and training in postgraduate pharmacy education for the development of pharmacy specialists to meet the challenges of health care.

The mission of WAPCP is to advance postgraduate education and training in all disciplines of pharmacy for the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes, skills and competency to promote and maintain a high standard of professional pharmacy practice. Fellows by Examination are pharmacists registered in any member country with at least three (3) years post-graduation on admission and who have passed the examinations and satisfied all other requirements prescribed by the College.

The WAPCP has facilitated the establishment of the School of Pharmacy in University of Liberia and University of Sierra Leone. It has facilitated the establishment of the Quality Control Laboratories in WAPCP member countries using the machinery of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other Non-Governmental Agencies. It has harmonized Drug Laws and Regulations in WAPCP member countries. It is championing pharmaceutical care in the sub-region. The programmeis designed to train aspiring specialist pharmacists in various disciplines of pharmacy to be well equipped to practice as consultants on successful completion of the programme.

The Ghana College of Pharmacists (College) was established by section 84 to 113 of Act 833, 2011. This is another body that have graduated 16 student in 2019. They are new. This is extracted from allafrica.com