Abstract
Effective engagement with students and employers is important to address issues and share ideas. Khaled et al. (2013) stated that the review and redesign of the curriculum must focus on the relevance of the programme to workforce needs and how it compares to similar programmes.
Recurring feedback from students, especially those from Middle East countries, suggested their employers and pharmacy bodies attach greater value and recognition to clinical pharmacy master’s courses longer than one-year. This led to developing a cognate programme, MSc Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy (CPIPP) with Extended Placement.
Responding to student feedback through the creation of the new programme aligns with UCL’s aim of integrating education for the long-term benefits of the global community.
The cognate programme welcomed its first set of students in 2021/22 and this case study presented in person during the conference discussed its creation and shared progress. We continue to welcome contributions on how to further enhance the experiential programme.
This link takes you to the programme information on the UCL website
Creating a Cognate Programme_UCL Education Conference 2023_JFalade
Societal needs require the experiences of higher education to be one that is adaptable and responsive to change (Murdoch-Eaton et al, 2011). Students commented their employers required experiential learning of longer duration that what we provided within the 12-month programme. This was impacting students’ employability and recognition of the professional development gained through the postgraduate master’s from our institution.
We conducted a critical review of our curriculum and initiated discussions of options to widen access and participation as well as support the workforce needs of those countries. The curriculum review showed there was no capacity within the existing 12-month programme structure to enable more time at placement. From steering student surveys and team discussions, the 18-month programme was proposed. A mini market research was conducted with current and past students about the proposal, as well as other members of the department and hospital stakeholders. This was alongside liaison with department and faculty leads, the external examiner, and the student recruitment team to set quality standards and ensure feasibility. I also did a competition analysis to identify if there were any competing programmes (Khaled et al., 2013) from other higher education institutions.
Getting going was not smooth sailing (as anticipated!). There were issues with incorrect offer letters regarding programme duration and lack of clarity on the fees for offer holders. Working closely with admissions and the departmental administrative team, the issues were addressed and noted. There was a lot to learn in the first year e.g., planning for approval of the results of the extended placement module in good time to ensure those students were able to have their graduation ceremony at the same time as the cohort from their first enrolment.
Feedback (as you will note on slides 10 and 11) from both students and hospital team involved in the extended placement module has been very positive and we are excitedly looking forward to another intake taking forward insight gained from the first year.
The new extended programme MSc Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy with Extended Placement’ shares all the MSc Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy modules but allows interested students to spend additional 6-months (by completing an extra module) solely at a hospital site. This has enabled students engage more fully with activities at a hospital site, enhanced their clinical pharmacy knowledge and skills, and developed their competencies further.
Contact j.falade@ucl.ac.uk with questions or comments. Here is the Link to programme information
Thank you for your time!