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PART 6

Authors:

Tara Hehir, Chairperson of the Young Pharmacists Group, International Pharmaceutical Federation, tara_hehir@yahoo.com; Marouen Ben Guebila, Chairperson of Pharmacy Education, International Pharmaceutical Students Federation, education@ipsf.org.

Summary

The International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF), established in 1949, currently represents more than 350,000 pharmacy students and recent graduates in 84 countries worldwide. The IPSF is the leading international advocacy organisation of pharmacy students promoting improved public health through provision of information, education, networking, and a range of publications and professional activities. The IPSF initiatives focus mainly on public health, pharmacy education and professional development. Initiatives include public health campaigns, research regarding pharmacy education and workforce development, the Student Exchange Programme (SEP), organising international and regional congresses and symposia, and publication of the IPSF News Bulletin, Newsletter and educational supplement Phuture. More information at: www.ipsf.org.

The Young Pharmacists´ Group (YPG) was officially established as a network of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in 2001 although young pharmacists have always been part of FIP. The aim of the YPG is to encourage young pharmacists to get actively involved in international pharmacy and within FIP. There are a number of young pharmacists who are actively part of FIP boards and sections, representing over 1000 young pharmacists in 80 countries worldwide. Members of the YPG meet formally at a business meeting once a year at the FIP Congress. At the business meeting the educational topics and the theme for Congress Programming are selected, new initiatives and projects are discussed, and the success of the previous year is shared. More information is available at: http://www.fip.org/young_ pharmacists_group.

The YPG offers its members an opportunity for support projects in their area of practice. The YPG grant for professional innovation aims to support young members from around the globe who have limited resources for professional organisational involvement or their own research, and providing funds for the implementation of a project. Projects can stem from any field of pharmacy (pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical science and/or pharmacy education), aimed to directly or indirectly benefit or improve community health and demonstrate the added value of pharmacy on health.

PHARMACY STUDENTS AND YOUNG PRACTITIONERS

6. 1 Current Policies and Projects

Education is a priority for the IPSF development plans. The pharmacy education team along with the professional development team is committed to provide primary and continuous education to pharmacy students and recent graduates. Primary education falls under the pharmacy education portfolio through several initiatives to provide quality education to pharmacy students. Most of the activities are centralised in the IPSF events regional congresses and World Congress, which take place usually in July/August each year. Scientific and educational symposia days are important events in the World Congress. The IPSF invites well-known specialists in the field of pharmaceutical sciences and practice to share their expertise. The theme is decided prior to the Congress, to meet the needs of students in terms of education concerning a particular topic. Usually the IPSF seeks themes that are related to the latest news and discovery in both fields, with an emphasis on global topics. Similar symposia take place in the regional events (Africa, America, East-Mediterranean and Asia), and the themes are centred on a regional issue that students would like to know more about. Also, along with the symposia, poster exhibitions aim at give opportunity for students to show their findings or share their current projects. This is particular interest for them, since it is usually their first scientific communication at a regional or global level.

During the year, students are also encouraged to write articles for the Phuture magazine, which is good training for scientific writing and publications. The essay competition has been running for three years and aims to further develop and improve writing skills as well as critical thinking and appraisal. The students are required to write in article format and the winner has the opportunity to be published in the Pharmacy Education journal (a collaboration with FIP Education Initiative Development Team) [1].

The IPSF is also involved in initiatives with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), by taking part in the Education For All (EFA) initiative and constantly submitting suggestions and reports to the UNESCO e-groups.

The IPSF has also collaborated with FIP on several occasions, and one worth mentioning is the Patient Counselling Event (PCE) booklet, an initiative started by the IPSF. The need for international cooperation in developing new innovations in training concordance-based communications that support adherence is evident. The IPSF has done important pioneering work by promoting PCE since the 1980s. To promote education, the patient counselling booklet Counselling, Concordance and Communication Innovative Education for Pharmacists was published as a joint project by FIP and the IPSF in 2012. The booklet has been a useful educational tool to enhance