The development of elective discipline «Leadership in pharmacy» for training master of pharmacy, industrial pharmacy in Ukraine

Abstract

The conditions of modern pharmaceutical market development require leadership at each level that lets not only respond rapidly and efficiently on the changes of the environment but initiate the necessary changes. Leaders as agents of changes can transform people’s values, to motivate and inspire, to form the vision of development of healthcare system and pharmaceutical sector taking into account the principles of system thinking for the provision of population with available, quality and safe pharmaceutical care and the improvement of their life.
 The aim of the work is the development of an elective discipline «Leadership in Pharmacy» for training Master of Pharmacy, Industrial Pharmacy.
 The literature review based on the data of international and foreign educational standards of higher pharmaceutical education, the current national educational standard, the experience of teaching subjects devoting to leadership in pharmacy both abroad and in Ukraine has been carried out. Such a scientific quantitative method as a survey has been used. 221 students from the School of Pharmacy at Bogomolets National Medical University have taken part in the survey.
 The recommendations of the International Pharmaceutical Federation pay attention to the advisability of forming leadership competencies for pharmaceutical workers. The national standards of higher pharmaceutical education in the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Canada include a specific list of leadership competencies. The domestic standard of higher education for getting a Master’s degree in Pharmacy, Industrial Pharmacy includes certain general competencies based on the leadership. Some leadership skills are listed as special competencies and they are reflected in the discipline «Pharmaceutical Management and Marketing». However, a discipline aimed at the complex and systematic formation of leadership competencies is not presented in the working educational plan for training Masters in the field of knowledge «Healthcare» and specialty «Pharmacy». About 70% of the School of Pharmacy students at Bogomolets National Medical University think that the materials devoted to leadership «worth including» to the educational program and 28% of them notice that «rather worth including». According to the students’ opinions, the most interesting leadership topics are traits of leaders aimed at the success, leadership and team, the formation of leadership strategy – 76%, 72% і 70% respectively. The structure of the elective discipline «Leadership in Pharmacy» with an indication of the aim, list of topics, and the desired educational outcomes (competencies) has been presented.
 The elective discipline «Leadership in Pharmacy» considering the formation of leadership skills at three successive levels, namely individual, team and organization has been developed. This discipline consists of the following modules: «Foundations of Leadership. Personal Leadership», «Leadership and Collaboration», «Leadership and Organizational Change».