In response to Standard No. 5 of the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) Accreditation Standards and Guidelines for the First Professional Degree in Pharmacy Programs (2020 revision), structured practice experiences must be an integral component of the pharmacy curriculum. These experiences should be of sufficient intensity, breadth, structure, and duration to achieve the defined educational outcomes. They must integrate, reinforce, and advance the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values developed through other components of the professional program. The practice experiences must include both introductory and formative placements throughout the program, as well as a sustained period of advanced practice near its conclusion. They must also provide direct interaction with diverse patient populations in a variety of practice settings. Students should be able to contribute to patient care delivered by interprofessional teams that include pharmacists. At all stages, student activities must meaningfully contribute to the professional work of the practice site without requiring excessive oversight from the preceptor. All practice experiences must take place under the supervision of pharmacist preceptors.
According to CCAPP, early and mid-program practice experiences must consist of at least four weeks (160 hours) of student placement at practice sites. These may be supplemented with additional volunteer work, service learning, or other forms of community-engaged learning. Early practice experiences should begin early in the curriculum, be integrated with didactic coursework that introduces the profession, and progress in a structured manner leading into the advanced practice experiences.
The concluding sustained practice experiences, which take place near the end of the program, must consist of at least twelve weeks (480 hours) of full-time placement at practice sites. Collectively, these experiences must ensure that students achieve all educational outcomes and entry-to-practice competencies prior to graduation. Practice experiences may also be offered through co-op arrangements, provided the Faculty ensures that site and preceptor selection criteria, program-defined educational outcomes, and student assessment procedures are equivalent to those of traditional experiential placements.
Structured Practical Experiences in Pharmacy (SPEP) Program at Qatar University
The SPEP Program at Qatar University's College of Pharmacy is designed as a progressive continuum to support students' growth in delivering patient-centered care as competent, independent practitioners. SPEP includes placements in community (minimum of 2 rotations), hospital (minimum of 2 rotations), clinic (minimum of 1 rotation), and industry pharmacy settings over a two-year period. In addition, the program offers an elective international rotation.
SPEP consists of 24 weeks (960 hours) of structured practice experiences, delivered in six successive rotations:
- SPEP-1 (PHAR 330): Summer semester of the second professional year; 160 contact hours (4 weeks).
- SPEP-2 (PHAR 430): Summer semester of the third professional year; 160 contact hours (4 weeks).
- SPEP-3, SPEP-4, SPEP-5, and SPEP-6 (PHAR 530, 531, 532, 533): Spring semester of the fourth professional year; 640 contact hours (4 × 4 weeks).
By completing all SPEP rotations, each student is expected to achieve a core set of outcomes associated with daily pharmacy practice. Preceptors are responsible for providing students with opportunities to progressively engage in professional activities, within the legal scope of practice, to develop entry-to-practice competencies.
The Five National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) Professional Domains for Canadian Pharmacists at Entry to Practice, which guide SPEP Program, are as follows:
- Providing Care (Clinical Care & Distribution)
- Knowledge and Expertise
- Communication and Collaboration
- Leadership and Stewardship
- Professionalism