Alignment of CanMEDS-based Undergraduate and Postgraduate Pharmacy Curricula in The Netherlands

Abstract

In this article the design of three master programs (MSc in Pharmacy) and two postgraduate specialization programs for community or hospital pharmacist is described. After a preceding BSc in Pharmacy, these programs cover the full pharmacy education capacity for pharmacists in primary and secondary health care in the Netherlands. All programs use the CanMEDS framework, adapted to pharmacy education and specialization, which facilitates the horizontal integration of pharmacists' professional development with other health care professions in the country. Moreover, it is illustrated that crossing the boundary from formal (university) education to experiential (workplace) education is eased by a gradual change in time spent in these two educational environments and by the use of comparable monitoring, feedback, and authentic assessment instruments. A reflection on the curricula, based on the principles of the Integrative Pedagogy Model and the Self-determination Theory, suggests that the alignment of these educational programs facilitates the development of professional expertise and professional identity of Dutch pharmacists.

Keywords: CanMEDS; community pharmacist; competence-based pharmacy education; curriculum design; expertise development; hospital pharmacist; integrated pedagogy model; postgraduate specialization; professional identity; self-determination theory.

Figure 1

A model for development of professional expertise. Taken from ref. [9], with permission (nr. 4838831338331).

Figure 2

Dutch Pharmacy education. The curricula described in this article all use the CanMEDS model as a structuring principle. In this model professional competence is described in terms of the seven roles of Pharmaceutical expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Scholar, Health advocate, Leader and Professional.

Figure 3

Three different master programs. All programs last three years (indicated as 1, 2, 3), during 40 weeks every year (left to right in the schemes). Colors indicate structured courses (white; obligatory for all students), individual subjects/electives (salmon), experiential internships (blue; 50–60% workplace) and full-time internships (yellow; at least 80% workplace).