2022 Volume 6 Article ID: 2021-024
The revised Model Core Curriculum for Pharmacy Education introduced ten professional competencies required of pharmacists upon graduating from a 6-year pharmacy program. However, it is unclear whether they improved upon these competencies after graduation. In this study, a questionnaire assessed 517 graduates on improving these competencies during their careers in the medical setting. The respondents had registered their e-mail addresses previously with the Faculty of Pharmacy’s alumni association at Osaka Ohtani University. The online survey was anonymous and included 15 multiple-choice questions related to the ten competencies. The response rate was 22.2%, with the male/female ratio and years of experience as a pharmacist of the responders relatively equal. The self-evaluation of community pharmacists showed significantly higher scores for “professionalism” and “community health and medical care” compared to those of “interprofessional team-care” and “research,” which were significantly lower than that of hospital pharmacists. In conclusion, there were large disparities in the improvement level of the ten competencies, with “research” the most difficult area to improve on even for pharmacy specialists working at healthcare facilities.
