Editorial: Musings on the Length of Pharmacy Education

It's interesting how the length of the pharmacy education process has been unchanged in about 50 years. The pharmacy education process includes both the academic and practical training required for pharmacy students prior to sitting for the NAPLEX exam.

In the 1960s, the length of the pharmacy curriculum was five years of rigorous coursework with numerous laboratories in each semester of the curriculum. In fact, during some semesters, the curriculum required 20 to 30 hours of contact with faculty in classes and laboratories. Either during the summers, vacations, or after graduation, 2,000 hours of "externship/internship" was required, which amounted to 50 weeks of 40 hours per week; this equates to one year of experience. In essence, during the 1960s and afterwards, the equivalent of a "six-year" training program was in place for a B.S. in Science in Pharmacy degree. During the work experience portion of the program, the student worked for a pharmacy/pharmacist-preceptor and earned a salary, as it was a job (on-the-job training). This training was under the auspices of the state boards of pharmacy.

The new PharmD curriculum requires that the last year of the "training program" be primarily devoted to "experiential programs," where the student rotates through different pharmacy/pharmacist-preceptor sites to gain practical on-the-job training. This last, or sixth year follows five years of didactic coursework (with very few laboratories). Also, the students do not get paid for these rotations and are required to pay tuition to gain experience that is offered by mostly volunteer faculty (pharmacy practitioners).

In summary, the length of the pharmacy educational process has been at six years for about 50 years; however, instead of a B.S. in Pharmacy a Pharm.D. is conferred. There has been a change in curriculum content with the loss of a significant portion of the scientific coursework. Some of the changes have been good; others have not. Thinking over the past, it's interesting that we think things change, but often they remain the same but are packaged differently and may or may not be a better value for their intended or actual purpose.

This week it was reported that the FDA is woefully under-funded to do the tasks with which it is charged. It makes only a small percentage of inspections of the food-producing facilities compared to its former activity level. With the expansion of international pharmaceutical production, it doesn't have the manpower to do its job correctly without increasing its budget. (Comment: If this is true, why does the FDA spend so much time and money trying to incorporate pharmacy compounding as a part of its area of responsibility? As a businessperson, if you can't do the job you need done and there are limited resources, the natural option is to cut back, not expand. There are only so many tax dollars and industry dollars available for funding the FDA. Maybe the Agency should prioritize the areas of greatest need within its sphere of responsibility.)

On December 12, 2007 on the CNNMoney.com website, the following was reported:

More than a million doses of a common vaccine given to babies as young as two months was being recalled Wednesday because of contamination risks, but the top U.S. health official said it was not a health threat.

The recall is for 1.2 million doses of the vaccine for Hib, which protects against meningitis, pneumonia and other serious infections, and a combination vaccine for Hib and hepatitis B. The vaccine is recommended for all children under 5 and is usually given in a three-shot series, starting at two months.

Drug maker Merck & Co., which announced the recall after testing showed a sterilization problem in a Pennsylvania factory, said concerned parents should contact their child's doctor.

Popular Medicines: An Illustrated History
Homan PG, Hudson B, Rowe RC
London, UK: Pharmaceutical Press; 2008 (www.pharmpress.com)

This book details and illustrates the history of popular medicine, dating back to the 16th century, in a way that will attract and inform pharmacists, educators, scientists, and students of medicine. With pages filled with dated pictures of advertisements and colorful depictions of "how things once were," the reader will learn much about specific formulas; where they originated, who invented them, and for what purpose they were used. Subjects included in the text range from patent medicines, proprietary medicines, medicine taxation, and advertising. Leading up to the medicine of today, technological advances are revealed in this publication in an almost timeline-type structure.

The authors that collaborated to bring the public this unique blend of art and fact have specific qualifications that have surely contributed to this wonderful depiction of medicine and its history.

Keep Emergency Supplies Ready!
This week has been a stark reminder of the need to keep emergency supplies ready. With over one-third of the population of Oklahoma being without power for a time, emergency supplies were lifesavers. For your pharmacy, a backup generator, flashlights, batteries, water, food, blankets, de-icer, etc. are a must. Almost every part of the nation has the potential for severe weather, whether it is ice, hurricanes, heat, tornadoes, strong straight winds, etc. An interesting observation this past week was that the pharmacies, food stores, restaurants, hardware stores, etc. received power first so they could serve the community. Set up a standard operating procedure to check your emergency supplies at least annually.