Educational Goals Extracted from Homepages of Pharmacy Schools in Korea

BACKGROUND: The current educational goals and missions of pharmacy schools in Korea were analyzed to examine the current orientation and future direction of pharmaceutical education. METHODS: Educational mission statements were obtained from the homepages of 35 pharmacy schools and subjected to convert into codes. Themes and categories were induced using qualitative content-analysis from the codes and compared according to location of school (capital area versus province), public versus private, and date of initial enrollment (before versus in 2011). The themes and categories were compared with “the eight-star pharmacist” suggested by World Health Organization (WHO) and International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). RESULTS: Twelve themes, 44 categories, and 496 codes were identified. Themes included pharmaceutical expertise, professionalism, contribution to society, basic educational ideology, sphere of activity, leadership, research, dealing with future change, problem-solving ability, self-management and development, cooperation, and respect for life. Mission statements of schools that initially enrolled in 2011 cited humankind level contribution (p=0.011), patient-centered care (p=0.026), and globalization (p=0.018) more frequently than those enrolled before 2011. Most schools mentioned about care-giver, researcher, and decision-maker which were stated in “the eight-star pharmacist”. CONCLUSION: To meet the growing social requirements of a pharmacist's roles, wide-ranging active discussion on establishing educational goals should be made.

La carrera de Farmacia en la Universidad de La Habana durante los cursos 1900-1901 y 1901-1902: el Plan Varona / The career of Pharmacy in the Universidad de La Habana during the 1900-1901 and 1901-1902 courses: The Varona's Plan

El curso 1900-1901 marcó el inicio de una nueva era en la Universidad de La Habana pues, por primera vez, su plan de estudios fue diseñado con un verdadero sentido pedagógico y con el objetivo de dar respuesta a la urgente necesidad de profesionales en Cuba. El artífice de tan significativo cambio fue el insigne pedagogo cubano Enrique José Varona, a quien el gobierno interventor de los Estados Unidos encargó la elaboración de un nuevo plan de estudios para la enseñanza media y superior y le nombró como Secretario de Instrucción Pública. El Plan Varona transformó radicalmente la estructura de la Universidad de La Habana, cuyas enseñanzas quedaron agrupadas en sistemas de escuelas pertenecientes a solo tres facultades. Por tal motivo, a partir del curso 1900-1901 la hasta entonces Facultad de Farmacia pasó a ser una de las escuelas de la nueva Facultad de Medicina y Farmacia. Se presentan las principales modificaciones de carácter general que introdujo el Plan Varona en el sistema de estudios en la Universidad de La Habana y se detallan los aspectos más relevantes de la vida académica en la Escuela de Farmacia durante los cursos 1900-1901 y 1901-1902. En las postrimerías de este último se trasladó la sede universitaria al lugar que ocupa actualmente, poco antes de la retirada de las autoridades interventoras norteamericanas del territorio cubano

The 1900 to 1901 course was the onset of a new era in the Universidad de La Habana, since for the first time; its study plan was designed with a real educational sense and in reply to the urgent need of Cuban professionals. The author of such change was the distinguished Cuban education Enrique José Varona who was designed by operating United State Government to draw up the new study plan for the secondary and higher education naming as Public Instruction Secretary. The Varona's Plan transformed radically the structure of the Universidad de La Habana whose teachings were grouped in school systems pertaining to only three Faculties. Thus, from the 1900-19901 courses the known Pharmacy Faculty becomes one of the schools of the new Medicine and Pharmacy Faculty. Authors present the leading and general modifications introduced by Varona's Plan in study system of this Educational Center and the more relevant features of the academic life in Pharmacy School during 1900-1901 and 1901-1902 courses are detailed. Afterwards the university headquarter was moved to place where is nowadays, not much before the retirement of Americans operating authorities from the Cuban territory

The Pedagogical Validity for a Six Years Curriculum in Pharmacy Education / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study was to examine the pedagogical validity for a the six-years curriculum in pharmacy education in Korea. METHODS: The focus group, composed of 5 specialists, analyzed the pedagogical validity for a six-years curriculum from the perspective of administrative policies of higher education, educational sociology, curriculum composition, and educational economy. In addition, 3 consultants advised on the main issues related to the reformation of the school system in pharmacy education. RESULTS: It is not clear that the reformation of the school system in pharmacy education is aimed at undergraduate or graduate education in view of specialization of a higher education institute. The reformation of the school system is likely to cause educational inequality since a student who lacks financial support and cultural resources might give up entering pharmacy school. It also may ignite a struggle for power between pharmacists and physicians. The six- years curriculum is supposed to offer integrated experiences with a balance of theory and practice, representing characteristics such as consistency, clarity, reliability, and legitimacy. From the educational economy view, the validity of reformation of the school system can only be secured on the premise the expected income exceeds the total costs if the age-earning profile is constant in the current situation. CONCLUSION: Prior to discussions on the reformation of the school system in pharmacy education, the quality of pharmacy education should be improved first through multifarious efforts such as curriculum development, improvement to teaching and learning, introduction to an accreditation system, revision of the license examination, and graduate and continued pharmacy education and so on.