Development of a specialist pharmacist career ladder system and a pharmacy residency program as a result of global partnerships: The experience of Taipei Medical University

Abstract

IntroductionGlobal partnerships and collaboration of pharmacy schools between the United States and Asian countries have great impacts on the development of clinical pharmacy. This article describes the decadal experience of Taipei Medical University (TMU) concerning clinical pharmacy development via partnerships with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and a number of schools of pharmacy and hospital pharmacies in the U.S. and Asian countries. We specifically focus on describing the process and outcomes of the specialist pharmacist (SP) system and the residency program.MethodsAfter the 6‐year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program at TMU was approved in 2013, a number of strategies were used to advance clinical pharmacy development, including experiential faculty and site preparation, didactic faculty development, and international conferences. For the purpose of this paper, documents from TMU‐affiliated hospitals (Taipei Medical University Hospital [TMUH], Wan Fang Hospital [WFH], and Shuang Ho Hospital [SHH]) and the TMU College of Pharmacy regarding the SP system and the residency program were reviewed and analyzed.ResultsIn 2017, TMU passed the SP career ladder system and WFH started the pharmacy residency program. As of 2020, there are a total of 7 SPs certified in three major TMU‐affiliated hospitals. Two pharmacy residents completed training in WFH. Global engagement with universities in Vietnam and Indonesia allowed TMU to give back to the global community by offering faculty development and clinical pharmacy preceptor training.ConclusionThrough global partnerships, innovations in clinical pharmacy development can be diffused more widely and have resulted in practice changes such as an SP system and residency program at TMU. The experiences may provide value for those seeking to expand clinical pharmacy development via international engagement.

Characteristics of Successful International Pharmacy Partnerships

“…In Taiwan, development of clinical pharmacist services and a residency program through collaborations has been recognized as an output of successful partnerships. This can help to improve the overall value of pharmacist globally and with patient care [ 19 , 20 ].…”

A qualitative study on the development of pharmacist‐managed clinics in Taiwan

“…With the recent development of the 6‐year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D.) programme and pharmacy residencies in Taiwan, 32 practicing pharmaceutical care and extended rotations have been included in advanced courses. Future visions of integrating communication skills training and developing interprofessional education into advanced courses and post‐licensure education have been emphasized, 33,34 and are expected to provide better workforce for PMC services.…”

“…Additionally, to introduce a care model of PMCs, setting up overseas training supported by pharmacy departments has also been mentioned. Pharmacists who receive such training could help adapt general guidelines and set up training courses for local settings, 32 which has also been adopted by many countries outside the United States 21 . Further work is required to persuade policy makers by referencing other developed countries’ experiences and providing convincing evidence for pharmacists’ interventions from different perspectives.…”