Presentation of the Degree Course in Pharmacy - ord. 2018
Specific objectives of the course
The professional figure of the Pharmacist is, in Europe, among those that require a five-year master’s degree. The planned path takes into account the European Community directive 85/433 / EEC of 16 September 1985, which makes possible the free circulation of pharmacists in the countries of the European Union and the mutual recognition of the title of pharmacist.
Specific training objectives of the Master's Degree in Pharmacy are:
provide the methodological basis of scientific investigation, applied in particular to the issues of the sector;
provide multidisciplinary notions fundamental for the knowledge of drugs, their structure and activity in relation to their interaction at tissue and cellular level;
provide the technological and normative knowledge necessary for the preparation and control of medicines;
provide the basic chemical, biological and biotechnological knowledge to guarantee the safety, quality and efficacy requirements required by OMS regulations, and national and European directives;
provide the knowledge to operate as health consultants for health products (medical-surgical aids, cosmetics, dietetics, herbal products, diagnostic products, etc.);
provide all the knowledge useful for the training of the professional figure who, operating in the pharmaceutical sector of the National Health Service, must interact with the other health professions.
The specific training objectives also concern the new professional functions. For the Community Pharmacist: integrated home care, first instance analysis, health care, correct use of drugs, guarantee of drug dispensing, role of health educator. For the Territorial Pharmacist: information on the drug, development of Pharmacovigilance, monitoring and management of drugs.
The course includes a compulsory period of professional training, at a pharmacy open to the public or hospital, of not less than six months.
Graduates must also be able to fluently use, in written and oral form, at least one European Union language besides Italian, with reference also to disciplinary lexicons.
With the attainment of the master's degree and the relative professional qualification, the graduate carries out the profession of pharmacist in accordance with Directive 85/432 / EEC and is authorized to exercise the following professional activities: production of medicines in various pharmaceutical forms; control of medicines in the control laboratory; storage, conservation and distribution of medicines in the wholesale stage phase; preparation, control, storage and distribution of medicines in pharmacies open to the public; preparation, control, storage and distribution of medicines in hospitals (hospital pharmacies); dissemination of scientific information and advice on drugs and health products.
Description of the training course
In the first two years, the training course mainly includes basic activities (mathematical, physical, chemical, biological and medical knowledge) useful for developing a solid scientific preparation, preparatory and adequate for understanding and related cultural insights. 77 ECTS/CFU are allocated for this purpose. In the following two years of the course the didactic organization includescharacterizing activities (chemical, biological, .0pharmaceutical, pharmacological and technological knowledge) necessary to acquire:
a) adequate knowledge of the chemical and structural characteristics of the active ingredients/ active principles and raw materials used in the formulations of medicinal products;
b) adequate knowledge of the pharmacological bases in terms of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, necessary for the understanding of the mechanism of action of drugs, including the toxicological and pharmacovigilance aspects;
c) an adequate knowledge of the legislative and ethical rules, useful for the exercise of the various aspects of the professional activity;
d) adequate theoretical and practical training aimed at the qualitative and quantitative analytical aspects of drugs, even in complex matrices;
e) adequate technological knowledge for the preparation of the various pharmaceutical forms and their quality control. 129 credits are intended for these purposes.The training is completed with similar or supplementary training activities thanks to teachings that provide knowledge on medical-surgical aids, dietary, cosmetic, herbal, diagnostic and chemical-clinical products, also taking into account the employment opportunities offered within the community.
Upon completion of the aforementioned training activities and the practical-professional preparation, acquired with the internship (30 ECTS/ CFU). Students are expected to acquire further knowledge, through the autonomous choice of training activities among those provided by the study courses belonging to the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences or offered by the University for a total of 12 ECTS/CFU. The fifth year of the course is mainly reserved for carrying out the practical-professional internship and preparing the final exam.
For each qualifying SSD, an adequate number of credits is provided, both theoretical and experimental, divided over several years, thus enabling the graduate to acquire in-depth and complete knowledge and skills in the pharmaceutical sector.
Poster to be inserted - 2018
CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNIQUES
Expected learning outcomes
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
Graduates in Pharmacy must possess the knowledge of the professional figure of the pharmacist, guarantor of the safety, quality and efficacy requirements of the drug.
He must therefore know:
- concepts of physics, mathematics, computer science, statistics and chemistry preparatory to building a solid preparation in the characterizing and professionalizing disciplines;
- notions of anatomy, biology, pharmaceutical botany, microbiology, general and molecular biochemistry, physiology and pathology to understand the interaction of drugs
in the organism, their therapeutic potential and their final effect;
- chemical-pharmaceutical and pharmacological disciplines for the understanding of the mechanism of action of drugs, their therapeutic use, any toxicological aspects, their correct dispensing, their correct information;
- chemical-pharmaceutical disciplines for the characterization and analytical determination of drugs;
- pharmaceutical technology disciplines for the formulation and preparation of medicines and their quality control;
- national and community legislative rules governing the activities of the pharmaceutical sector and the profession of pharmacist;
- the fundamentals of the composition and use of nutritional, dietary, herbal, cosmetic, diagnostic and medical device products to provide advice in the field of health products;
- specific notions of pharmacovigilance, pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics essential for professional practice.
This knowledge is imparted through:
1. classroom lessons delivered with conventional teaching methods (lectures) and interactive teaching methods (group work in the classroom, flipped classroom, use of multimedia tools, use of online platforms for quizzes / discussions in real time);
2. single-seat laboratory activities;
3. sequential preparation of preparatory exams
4. in-depth seminars related to specific disciplinary and / or professional aspects;
5. internships and traineeships in dedicated laboratories or structures.
6. preparation, presentation and discussion of the degree thesis.
The actual acquisition of knowledge is verified by passing the exams of the individual courses which, depending on the type of subject and the expected learning, may consist of intermediate tests, discussion of articles / topics, oral presentations on the subject, reports on laboratory exercises, written and / or oral tests. The assessment methodologies are defined by the professors on the basis of the training objectives of the individual course. Also the
exam related to the internship period and the discussion of the degree thesis are an integral part of verifying the acquisition of specific professional skills.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
Graduates in Pharmacy must be able to apply the knowledge of the basic, characterizing (chemical-pharmaceutical, pharmacological and technological-pharmaceutical) and professionalizing disciplines described above in the exercise of the specific activities of preparation, control, storage and distribution of medicines in pharmacies open to the public, in hospital pharmacies and in the wholesale phase; in the dissemination of scientific information and advice on drugs and health products, in the production of medicines in various pharmaceutical forms, in the control of drugs and medicines. They must be able to tackle post-graduate learning paths, such as Postgraduate Schools in Hospital Pharmacy, but also Masters, higher training courses and professional courses.
The teaching methods and tools with which these results are achieved are classroom lectures (both frontal and through active learning techniques), laboratory activities, compliance with established prerequisites, possible attendance to in-depth seminars, attendance of internships and traineeships. The actual achievement of the knowledge is verified by passing the exams of the courses (with the types chosen by each teacher and described in the teaching syllabus). The positive evaluation of the exam relating to the internship period will be essential to verify the professional skills acquired, as well as the outcome of the discussion of the final exam.
Autonomy of judgment (making judgments)
Graduates from this course of study must have the ability to find and use data to formulate answers to practical or theoretical problems, in the context of their specific professional action as a pharmacist and in the context of additional services frequently requested from pharmacists. In detail in the areas of:
- dispensing of drugs and medical devices;
- preparation of medicines in pharmacies;
- advice on self-medication medicines and on nutritional, health and cosmetic products;
- reporting of drug interactions, adverse drug reactions;
- problems relating to drug control and analysis;
- management of the drug and the pharmaceutical service;
- health education and information.
The autonomy of judgment can be supported by in-depth studies (bibliographical and databases), in particular according to the social and ethical responsibilities that the pharmacist may be called upon to assume.
Independent judgment is developed by attending the characterizing and professionalizing activities, especially of a practical type (laboratory exercises), and is verified through the mandatory oral and / or written tests at the end of these activities. A fundamental part for achieving independent judgment is the practical-professional internship in Pharmacy (guided, supervised and assessed by the tutor-pharmacist), as well as courses relating to particular aspects of the professional activity also in collaboration with professional associations.
Communication skills
This aspect is particularly important in consideration of the variability of the interlocutors, both from a social and cultural point of view.
Therefore, the graduate in Pharmacy must be able to communicate clearly and unambiguously his thoughts and knowledge, to his colleagues and to all users of his professional activity. Must be able to:
- inform and educate the user on the correct use of medicines, providing information, instructions, warnings, advice before and after using the medicines;
- provide advice in the health field by exercising a role of connection between patient, doctor and health structures;
- promote and participate in information campaigns of public utility in the health sector.
In this sense, he / she must be able to use, in written and oral form, at least one language of the European Union (English) in addition to Italian, with reference also to the disciplinary lexicon.
Communication skills are developed through lectures, the professional training period in Pharmacy and the thesis period. These skills are verified through oral exams, the assessment interviewat the end of the Internship and the writing and discussion of the final exam (thesis).
Learning skills
Graduates in Pharmacy must have developed learning skills useful for:
- autonomous professional updating of one's knowledge;
- the use of IT tools for consulting databases and specialized literature;
- undertake more advanced studies aimed at further professional development in Postgraduate Schools, higher training courses, Advanced Courses, Masters, Research Doctorates in the pharmaceutical, pharmacological and biomedical areas;
- continuous professional updating related to ECM initiatives.
The acquisition of these skills is developed during the entire training course, but above all in the internship period and in the period ofdevelopmentdrafting/ and during the writing of the degree thesis (final exam). The verification of the acquisition is entrusted to the individual exams, to the interactive activities during the delivery of as part of the lessons (classroom discussions, reports on specific topics, presentation of individual and group projects) and above all to the presentation and discussion of the thesis.
Knowledge required for access
Students who intend to enroll in the Master's Degree Course in Pharmacy must possess of a secondary school diploma or other qualification obtained abroad, recognized as suitable according to current legislation.
Basic knowledge of Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Biology is required in order to access the Master's Degree Course in Pharmacy. The analytical list of this knowledge is approved by the CCLand made public as an attachment to the admission notices.
The knowledge required will be verified through an access test. If they are not sufficient (admission test score lower than the minimum established in the admission notice), additional educational obligations/training obligations (OFA) will be assigned, as indicated in the admission notice (passing a specific curricular exam by 30 September of the first year of enrollment).
Characteristics of the final exam
The final exam will consist of a thesis written in an original/personal way by the student under the guidance of a supervisor and its oral presentation. The subject of the thesis may concern the activities carried out in a scientific laboratory of the University or of other public or private bodies, with which specific agreements have been stipulated, or bibliographic documentation and designactivities relating to the various training aspects in the fields and in the sectors defined in annex 1 of the Didactic regulations.
The discussion of the thesis will take place in front of a Commission appointed by the Director of the Department, whose composition is regulated in the RDA.
In the case of a research period abroad, the final exam may be taken in a foreign language, previously agreed with the President of the Degree Program Board. In this case, an extended summary of the work / activity carried out in Italian will also be prepared.
Occupational areas
The professional activity of the pharmacist takes place mainly in private and public pharmacies in Italy and in the countries of the European Union , upon acquisition of the license to practice the profession, and in hospital pharmacies and in the service territorial pharmaceutical, after obtaining the Specialization Diploma in Hospital Pharmacy.
Graduates in Pharmacy can find employment (with or without professional qualification) also in other related sectors specifically to drugs, in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries, in the context of the analysis and quality control of pharmaceuticals, in regulatory affairs and as pharmaceutical scientific informant.
