MODELING OF INTERNSHIP PRACTICAL COMPONENT – A WAY TO IMPROVE PHARMACEUTICAL PERSONNEL TRAINING

Abstract

Training of pharmaceutical professionals is a dynamic process that constantly evolves to meet the changing needs of society and global standards. The internship system in Ukraine, as in many countries, is a key stage in the development of a pharmacist. Aim. To assess the compliance of the requirements of Ukrainian legislation on internship in the specialty “Pharmacy” with the needs and vision of interns and practicing pharmacists. To outline the directions for the formation of an optimal internship model to ensure that interns receive high-quality theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Research objects: requirements in normative-legal acts (NLA) for the internship base (IB), its head, and the head / curator of interns (ICI); results of the survey of interns and practicing pharmacists (PP) on the wishes (visions) of respondents regarding the optimal IB. Research methods: comparative analysis of scientific literature and NLA; survey of interns and PP; systematization of results. An anonymous survey was conducted from 2021 to 2024. The respondents were 239 interns of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University and 263 PP in the specialties “Organization and Management of Pharmacy” and “Pharmacy”. The presence of a separate workplace for an intern at the IB is prescribed in each of the NLA, which corresponds to the opinion of the majority of interns (127 people), but 67 PP have the opposite position. The majority of respondents do not support the mandatory participation of pharmacies in certain programs, including reimbursement programs. In some countries, interns have the opportunity to do internships in several pharmacies. 60% of the surveyed interns did their internship in a pharmacy that is not part of a pharmacy chain. Since 2022, the share of interns who do their internship in a pharmacy chain has been constantly increasing due to changes in the legislation. Approximately 75% of interns and PP consider that extemporaneous medicine preparation should be done at the IB, but most of them do not plan to work as pharmaceutical technologists. This paradox indicates a discrepancy between respondents’ understanding of the importance of extemporaneous medicine preparation and their career aspirations.