First batch of PharmD students graduating at KNUST

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has for the first time graduated 142 pharmacy doctors after changing the focus of the training program.

Pharmacy student training (the PharmD programmed) at KNUST changed from a patient-centered drug, adapted to the social and cultural environment.

It is in tandem with international pharmaceutical practice to improve competence in response to changing societal needs.

Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Prof. Yaw Adu-Sarkodie, says that it has become necessary to replace the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) with the PharmD program taking into account global trends in the world. teaching and practice of contemporary pharmacy.

"It was imperative that pharmacists trained in Ghana be kept internationally-oriented and internationally marketable, in addition to having the skills and abilities to provide total pharmaceutical care to improve the quality of life of our patients, Board Chair Benjamin Kwame Botwe said the move would ensure patient protection. "In order for pharmacists to effectively play these roles and properly deliver these new patient-centered pharmaceutical care, it is important to It was urgent to acquire new knowledge and develop the skills and competencies required for this new treatment.The doctoral program in pharmacy, which gives trainees pharmaceutical care skills, incorporates new transformative concepts and represents growth. in the profession of pharmacist.

It is a question of & # 39; a six-year skills-based program. First four years of rigorous academic and professional training where the focus is on the basic, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.

This is followed by 2 years of clinical and professional training with more time devoted to experiential training at training sites and the whole of the past year (off campus) on the sites of 39, teaching by rotation.

The program is in full response to emerging changes in pharmacy education and practice globally, badociated with the advice and support of the Ghana Pharmacy Council and the Ministry of Health. West African Health Organization (WAHO) to improve the clinical training of pharmacists. harmonize the training of pharmacists in the West African region.

In the same vein, the Faculty also began to improve the bachelor's degree in pharmacy for practicing pharmacists with a complementary program to bring them to the current international level. standards.