The six-year education system for pharmacy students was established in April, 2006.Under it, the practical training period has been extended in response to the“Model Core Curriculum for Practical Training”which stipulates more rigorous clinical education for students.The Model Core Curriculum has specific behavioral objectives (SBOs) associated with inpatient pharmaceutical services that not only concern the acquisition of the basic knowledge and skills needed for inpatient care but also proficiency in patient interviews and communication with other medical staff.In addition, students must interact with a diverse population of patients who have a wide range of diseases.In view of this, the review of current programs should be conducted as soon as possible to include training matched to all of the SBOs.
We developed a training program for postgraduate students of Okayama University focusing on the SBOs of inpatient pharmaceutical care and communication skills.In it, we included role-playing, case report conferences and practical work at inpatient care units in addition to activities based on an original textbook.All students were given two or more medical specialties to deal with.The training program was conducted from April to July of 2006.
In the training program all of the students achieved most of the SBOs.The role-playing and conferences meant that every student had equal opportunities to take part in the training, and they participated enthusiastically in discussions during the role-plays and conferences.We felt that our program was good at motivating the postgraduate students and provided them with effective practical training in inpatient pharmaceutical services.