Farmacija

A group of experts assessed a new application for the integrated master’s program (EMŠP) Pharmacy which was prepared jointly by the Faculty of Medicine (UM MF) and Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (UM FKKT) of the University of Maribor (UM). The program is organized and structured so that it offers students the appropriate conditions for obtaining knowledge, skills, and competencies for work in pharmaceutical science. It includes medical, clinical, pharmaceutical, and chemical subjects in accordance with the EU Directive (2005/36/EC) and updated version 2013/55/EU for obtaining a Master’s degree in Pharmacy as a regular profession. The curriculum is designed so that the student earns 30 ECTS in each semester, which amounts to 300 ECTS in the entire program, which lasts 10 semesters. The curriculum corresponds to the objectives of the study program and enables the acquisition of defined competences or learning outcomes. The specificity of the program is the emphasis on clinical courses in the 4th year (7th and 8th semesters), within which students acquire in-depth knowledge of clinical biochemistry, clinical pharmacology, and pharmacotherapy. In the supplement, the applicant attached a comparative analysis to the application, which enables comparability with related study programs and thus also facilitates the assessment of the course as well as the obligations of students. The expected forms of teaching are lectures, seminars, laboratory and clinical exercises, demonstrations, practical training in a pharmacy and clinical environment. According to the required contents, the study program includes all the contents that the future graduate must acquire during the the study program, characterized by connectivity between contents and different levels of complexity in terms of prior knowledge between subjects. The curriculum contains 42 compulsory courses (together with pharmacy practice and individual work for the Master's thesis and defense), 8 optional and 1 freely optional course. 10% optionality is guaranteed. The order of courses, their distribution by semesters and years, and credit evaluation are adequate. The courses follow each other in terms of content and are horizontally and vertically interconnected, so that the student's knowledge is appropriately upgraded during the study. The curricula of individual subjects are structurally appropriate and interconnected. It is noticeable that there are a large number of seminars in compulsory courses, which, according to the applicant's assurances, should not significantly increase the burden on students, since in only 10 compulsory courses is the seminar also part of the final grade of the course, while in the other 18 compulsory courses, the seminar is planned as an interactive form of lectures. The study literature is adequate, predominantly English textbooks and some German literature, and is appropriately separated into fundamental and supplementary. Practical training will take place in several phases as part of laboratory and clinical exercises, and the 9th semester is dedicated to pharmacy practice. The first phase of practical training includes exercises in individual preclinical subjects in the first five semesters, and the second phase includes (mainly) clinical and demonstration exercises in clinical and industrial settings. Pharmacy practice will take place in the 9th semester in public pharmacy institutions with which the faculty has concluded contracts for the implementation of pharmacy practice, which also defines the maximum number of mentors with at least five years of work experience after passing the professional exam. The pharmacy practice program is coordinated with the Programme for the Profession of Master of Pharmacy, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia (Ur. l. RS), No. 44/2004 of 28.4.2004 and will last 1 semester and is valued 30 ECTS. After graduation, practical training in a pharmacy will be the basis for taking a professional exam, as defined in the Rules on Internships and Professional Examinations of Health Care Professionals and Health Care Associates in the Field of Health Care (Ur. l. RS, No. 47/2018 of 6 July 2018). The study program contains chemical, pharmaceutical, medical and clinical subjects, which is in accordance with the EU Directive (2005/36/EC) (and amended by 2013/55/EU), which defines education for the regulated profession of pharmacist. In March 2024, the new Directive 2024/782/EU for regulated professions entered into force, which defines additions to the content and subjects that training for the regulated profession of pharmacist must contain. The UM MF and UM FKKT have well-developed scientific, research, and professional cooperation with other national higher education institutions and institutes. UM FKKT is also perfectly integrated into the wider environment through cooperation with Slovenian and foreign companies and actively participates in domestic and international projects with chemical and technological factories and institutes, among which the Lek (a Sandoz company) and Krka Novo mesto factories stand out in the field of pharmaceutical industry. Both faculties are equipped with state-of-the-art research equipment and can provide advanced methods of education. Lecturers are research-active, so they can integrate research content into their courses and also involve students in research during their studies. Research projects are focused on the development of new knowledge in the chemical, medical, and biochemical fields. In the new application, the applicant has included a larger number of experts from abroad, who are envisaged as holders of professional courses. The habilitation of holders obtained abroad was recognized by the Senate of the UM at its meeting on 27.02.2024. The subject- specific competencies of the other experts involved are adequate. They also have valid habilitation decisions, they are habilitated at various higher education institutions in Slovenia or abroad. In the application, the applicant ensures that lectures by foreign experts will be interpreted and that the translation of study materials into Slovenian will be ensured. The Commission further notes that by including new teachers, the applicant eliminated the inconsistency from previous reports about the excessive teaching load of individual providers. Appropriate consents from employers for cooperation are attached, except for foreigners, which is not required (paragraph 10 of Article 63 of the ZViS). The study program will be carried out as a full-time program in the premises of the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University Medical Centre Maribor, and some hospital pharmacies and other institutions with which the Faculty has signed appropriate cooperation agreements. Students will be able to study in modern premises, with the help of state-of-the-art information and support technology, with modern diagnostic apparatus and research equipment that enables competitive activity in the field of scientific research and publishing activities. Activities will also take place in the simulation center, which represents a quality learning environment for pharmacy students (implementation of various scenarios of pharmacotherapeutic approaches). The laboratories are modernly equipped and enable quality research work. To conduct laboratory exercises in professional pharmaceutical subjects, a special laboratory is planned, which currently includes the basic infrastructure for the implementation of exercises. The list of equipment at the disposal of the UM MF and UM FKKT is attached to the application. UM has also acquired a major project for the purchase of infrastructure and the purchase of new research and development equipment within the framework of cohesion funds. UM MF and UM FKKT are connected to the University Information System (AIPS). The learning technology consists of the Moodle e-learning environment, the EXe program, the JING program, smart pen. The lecture halls are equipped with projectors and computers. The Eduroam wireless network is available to students at all locations. Students with special needs are provided with accessibility, disabled parking spaces, and arranged toilets. The UM MF and UM FKKT libraries are integrated into the university library system. They have an adequate reading room and number of computer seats. The room is equipped with an Eduroam wireless network. The application is accompanied by a list of literature, most of which, according to the applicant, is already available in libraries, and a commitment from both faculty senates that the missing literature will be completed after the accreditation of the study program is also attached. It is necessary to update the edition years of some textbooks. Users also have access to several information resources that provide access to current literature. Students also have access to a variety of licensing equipment. Learning outcomes are assessed using procedures and assessment methods that are generally well designed and presented for each individual subject. The obligations that a student must fulfil in order to advance to a higher year and to complete their studies are properly defined. The conditions for enrolment in the study program and the possibilities for transfer to the proposed study program, which is possible from the study programs General Medicine and Dental Medicine of the University of Maribor and Pharmacy from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Ljubljana, are defined in detail. The formal requirements for completing the study are duly stated in the application. The Ministry of Health has approved the proposed study program Pharmacy of the UM MF and UM FKKT in accordance with the response and opinion given by the Chamber of Pharmacists of Slovenia (LZS) for the proposed study program Pharmacy of UM FKKT in 2021. The application for EMŠP Pharmacy accreditation was originally accompanied only by the opinion of the Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society from 2021, but in the supplement to the application, the applicant also submitted a new opinion of the SFD, which gives a positive opinion on the proposed study program EMPŠ Pharmacy at UM. The applicant responded appropriately to the SFD's remarks and comments and provided explanations in the supplement to the application for accreditation. The EMŠP Pharmacy study program fits well into the environment and the profession. NAKVIS experts believe that the applicant still has some opportunities for improvement in the proposed program.