A curriculum was designed for a pharmacy school student completing a practicum at the pharmacy of the Neagari Municipal Hospital, a mid-sized hospital, and the practicum was carried out according to the curriculum.
The curriculum was based on the criteria described in a medical educational manual and incorporated three factors, namely “Objectives, Learning Strategies, and Educational Evaluation, ” which together covered the educational processes. The time schedule was designed to be similar to that of typical work duties, thus enabling the student to experience real pharmacy practice. During the practicum, no exercises were omitted and we were able to implement, as requested by a doctor, modifications to the program. Accordingly, the quality of the practice was maintained, since each factor was based on a specific behavioral objective. The student's accomplishments were evaluated by the medical staff, including pharmacists and doctors, in order to reduce the individual instructors' burden as well as to maintain objectivity. By this manner of evaluation, not only were the achievements graded more objectively, but we could also evaluate the curriculum by comparing the evaluations of the instructors with those of the student.
In conclusion, this curriculum is practical for small-and mid-sized hospitals accepting undergraduate pharmacy students and does not negatively influence the daily duties, while still maintaining the quality of the educational experience. This curriculum is simple to initiate and easy to modify. As a result, such a program is considered to be useful for other similar mid-sized facilities since it can help such institutions to promote efficiency in designing their own curriculum.
