SPEP Program: 2024 Cycle - Year in Review
A total of 264 rotations, each consisting of a total of 160 hours of structured, practical experiential training, were completed by pharmacy students during the 2024 SPEP cycle. Of these, 104 took place in hospitals, 98 in community pharmacies, and 42 in primary health care clinics. In addition, 12 elective rotations were offered in industrial pharmacy practice at Qatar Pharma. These rotations involved the participation of a total of 242 preceptors in teaching and mentoring our students.
Our SPEP program continued to offer in its 2024 cycle:
1. New partnerships: In 2024, the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University expanded its collaborations with stakeholders from private hospital sector (The View Hospital), local pharmaceutical industries, and international institutions. New agreements were signed with The View Hospital, QLife, QPI, and IKOP Pharma for student internships.
2. International Rotations:
Nine students traveled abroad and completed 9 elective international community pharmacy, and pharmaceutical industry rotations in Scotland and Malaysia. Students were featured in local newsroom and TV interviews. These rotations provided students with unique opportunities to compare pharmacy practices across borders. By fostering cross-cultural learning and interprofessional collaboration, we are equipping our students to implement innovative practices and strategies in Qatar. To know more about our international rotations and partnerships, you can check the below links:
https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/colleges/pharmacy/departments/spep-program/international-rotations
Qatar Tribune
News - Al Sharq
3. Experiential Education Newsletter:
This initiative, which is fostered by the College of Pharmacy experiential education team, features the great work preceptors do in practice while precepting our students. It gives us great pleasure to invite you to contribute to this newsletter by sharing your preceptor achievements. Similarly, the newsletter also features work that our students (both, SPEP and PharmD) are involved with during their rotations, including outcomes on interventions or evidence-based answers to drug information queries encountered in practice. For the latest copy of the newsletter, click on the following link to check our most recent newsletter:
Https://sway.cloud.microsoft/S97rhVH2lthdvX1y?ref=Link
4. Preceptor Development:
The experiential program at the College of Pharmacy continues to be committed to preceptor development activities. Hosted by the College of Pharmacy Experiential Education team, our 2024 Preceptor Development Session was held on May 19, 2024 from 4-7 PM. The session, under the theme of “Entrustable Professional Activities", featured a presentation and an interactive discussion delivered by twos speakers (Dr Tarik Al-Diery, Lecturer at the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University; and Dr. Zachariah Nazar, Associate Professor at the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University). The session was well attended by preceptors, and those who attended the interactive workshop in person received 2 CPD points.
5. Online New Preceptor Orientation:
This program consists of several modules or chapters which provide, both new and experienced preceptors, an overview of the SPEP experiential learning program and best practices in precepting our pharmacy students. Although this online program does not preclude the provision of face-to-face or synchronous virtual orientations, it provides a more thorough review of the SPEP program, the experiential education electronic management system (eValue®), and practical examples and tips on precepting and managing students on their clinical rotations. Preceptors receive a completion certificate which can be used when applying for preceptor renewal and may also be eligible for continuing professional development (CPD) credits through the Qatar Council for Health Practitioners (QCHP). A total of 18 preceptors completed this online course and were awarded completion certificates in 2024.
Additionally, the SPEP program continued to offer support to our preceptors through a series of virtual and in-person orientations before the commencement of their rotations. Ongoing site visits by our experiential education team were conducted to assist preceptors in assessing student progress and supporting students with their assignments. A total of 130 site visits took place during the 2024 SPEP cycle. The support provided included the orientation of newly joined preceptors, on-site tutorials on eValue®, and guidance for students on optimizing learning opportunities from required assignments. Rotation sites are consistently evaluated using a validated checklist to uphold the quality of education for our students.
We express our gratitude to all our preceptors for their efforts in sharing their valuable experiences with our students and for their unwavering commitment over the years in mentoring and shaping the future pharmacy practice of our students.
SPEP
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