University of Alberta launches new pharmacy after-degree program

EDMONTON – The University of Alberta is offering a new doctorate program to help pharmacy students get more hands-on experience with patients.

Unlike a typical PhD, which usually focuses on research, the doctor of pharmacy program – or PharmD – is focused on developing clinical skills.

“I like to think of our PharmD program as an opportunity to give them an intense clinical experience that they might not otherwise have in practice. So they get an opportunity in about a 12 to 14 month period to learn what it might take a pharmacist 5 to 10 years to learn,” says the PharmD program director, Catherine McCann.

Hazal Babadagli is one of ten pharmacy grads selected for the new program. Over the next year, she and her classmates will work in a variety of settings – including pharmacies, hospitals, and primary care clinics.

“It basically provides tools to better take care of patients in more complex clinical scenarios,” the 23-year-old explains.

Program mentor Hugo Leung says he’s seen a tremendous amount of change during the four years he’s been working as a pharmacist. The job now goes far beyond the traditional role of counting and dispensing pills.

“Us actually talking to patients, and helping them and having that as the core of our job – that’s something that was always a bit of an extra thing – something an excellent pharmacist would do. Whereas now it’s becoming the core of our job.”

Given the broadening scope of pharmacy practice, especially in Alberta, it’s hoped this new program will not only teach the students how to help patients maximize the benefits of their medications, but to also prescribe drugs and interpret lab results.

A new survey of 1,500 Canadians – partially funded by the Arthritis Research Centre – reveals 96 per cent want pharmacists to have more authority to provide services like refilling prescriptions. And a recent U of A study showed that when pharmacists are involved in care, patients’ blood pressure and cholesterol levels improved.

“In pharmacy school,” Babadagli says, “we do definitely learn patient assessment in looking at different lab values and monitoring patients based on different results – for example in their blood work. But as a PharmD student, you have the extra step of really doing physical assessments.”

“We’ll be able to provide more answers to more specific questions and more advanced questions,” she adds.

Leung believes the knowledge and skills Babadagli and the other students will be able to gain through this new program will allow them to build a long and successful career.

Next year, PharmD will also be open to working pharmacists looking to upgrade their skills.

With files from Su-Ling Goh, Global News