FAQs

1. What is SPEP and why are students required to complete these?

The College of Pharmacy (CPh) has been accredited by the Canadian Council for the Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP). The Structured Practical Experiences in Pharmacy (SPEP) course series at the Qatar University CPh is designed in response to Standard No. 28 of the CCAPP Standards and Guidelines for the First Professional Degree in Pharmacy Programs (2013).

According to Standard 28, the pharmacy curriculum must include practice experiences of adequate intensity, breadth, structure and duration so as to achieve the defined educational outcomes, and must integrate, reinforce and advance the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values developed through the other components of the professional program, including collaboration and teamwork. Several important criteria are further outlined under Standard 28, including:

Criterion 28.1: The curriculum must include practice experiences where students can develop the appropriate clinical skills to assist a variety of patients, including the management of patients with acute illnesses and/or chronic conditions in primary care, long-term care, critical or emergency care, and those in the transitions between levels of care.

Criterion 28.2: Student tasks during all stages of experiential learning must contribute meaningfully and productively to direct patient care and the professional activities of the practice site at a level appropriate for the student’s year of study.

Criterion 28.3: All practice experiences must be under the supervision of appropriate qualified preceptors.

According to CCAPP, early and mid-program practice experiences must involve four weeks (160 hours) of student placement in practice sites and may be supplemented with additional volunteer activities, service learning or other forms of community-engaged learning. Early pharmacy experiences should begin early in the curriculum, be interfaced with didactic course work that provides an introduction to the profession, and continue in a progressive manner leading to entry into the advanced pharmacy practice experiences. The sustained period of required concluding practice experiences near the end of the program must involve at least twelve weeks (480 hours) of fulltime, student placement in practice sites.

2. What SPEP rotations will the pharmacy students complete before graduating?

Pharmacy students will complete six 4-week rotations (24 weeks or 960 hrs total) during their 5-year BSc (Pharm) program and before graduation. Each student must complete 2 hospital rotations, 2 community (retail) rotations, 1 clinic rotation and 1 elective rotation in different sites. The first rotation (SPEP 1) will occur immediately after completion of the second professional year. The second rotation (SPEP 2) occurs after the completion of the third professional year. The remaining four rotations (SPEP 3 through 6) occur during the fall semester of their fourth professional year.

3. When will the first SPEP rotation take place?

Second professional year pharmacy students undertake first 4-week rotation (160 hrs) during the summer break. Starting time varies from year to year, but often it is scheduled to start shortly after the final exams of the spring semester or early during the summer session.

4. What training sites will the students be placed in during their first SPEP rotation?

The majority of SPEP 1 rotations will be in a community (e.g. retail) pharmacy, a primary health care clinic or a general hospital pharmacy site.

5. How are the SPEP rotation sites chosen?

SPEP rotation sites are chosen to ensure that the practice experiences integrate, reinforce and advance the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values developed through the other components of the professional program. Community sites are expected to provide a wide range of pharmaceutical services to ensure a broad scope of experience for the student, including: a) dispensing various prescription medications; b) availability of representative line of nonprescription (over-the-counter) products; c) availability of health-related supplies and equipment; d) provision of appropriate medication counseling; e) activities, resources and conditions to allow the student to accomplish the behavioral and knowledge objectives of the rotation.

Community sites are expected to have an affiliation agreement with the CPH. Institutional Pharmacy Sites are also expected to provide a wide range of pharmaceutical services, including: a) be at an accredited hospital; b) activities, resources and conditions to allow the student to accomplish the behavioral and knowledge objectives of the rotation; c) allow access to appropriate medical, nursing, and pharmacy records; d) have appropriate affiliation agreement.

Qatar University CPH will certify the SPEP rotation sites on an annual basis, in accordance with minimum requirements deemed necessary to ensure a successful rotation.

6. What are the benefits to participate as a certified SPEP rotation sites?

There are several benefits to being a certified SPEP rotation site. Preceptors and rotation sites will have access to CPH online learning resources and continuing education support from the SPEP and QU CPD Health Cluster programs.

Certified sites, site coordinators and preceptors will also be formally recognized by the Qatar University as partners in the training of pharmacy students in this accredited program. This recognition will be in the form of acknowledge on our website, a framed certificate to be prominently displayed in the pharmacy area, a formal letter of appreciation from the college, participation in an annual recognition dinner and continuing education event and related activities. Site coordinators and preceptors will be eligible for annual adjunct appointments in accordance with QU policies and procedures. A modest stipend will be provided to the training site as a token of appreciation for their contribution to the training of our students.

7. How many students can be located in each SPEP rotation site at any one time?

This will depend upon the rotation site. For example, large hospital pharmacy departments can take as many as six concurrent students, with the students assigned to different areas and different preceptors within the department and rotating through the various services over the 4-week rotation period. Conversely, smaller practice locations (e.g. a community pharmacy or clinic) may only be assigned one student at a time.

8. How will preceptors identified for each SPEP rotation site?

A Site Coordinator will be designated for each rotation site(s). In addition to being a preceptor, the Site Coordinator will be the primary contact with the CPH for that site. The Site Coordinator and SPEP Coordinator will identify potential preceptors for each rotation site. The potential preceptor will be asked to provide a Curriculum Vitae and a completed application form for review and approval by Qatar University CPH.

9. What are the necessary qualifications for preceptors?

To be approved as a preceptor, the candidate must :

Be a licensed pharmacist with hospital/community experience.
Have a desire to participate as a rotation preceptor and to assume an adjunct faculty status.
Be willing to participate in the preceptor training process and continuing pharmacy professional development programs.
Be willing to be responsible as a mentor for the student and adhere to rotation requirements (e.g. student activities and learning requirements).
Be willing to complete (in conjunction with the site coordinator as needed) the student evaluation tools.
Have good communication skills.
Available for most (if not all) of the rotation dates.
Be willing to undergo assessment by the SPEP Coordinator, Site Coordinator and student for the purpose of continuous quality improvement.

10. How will preceptors be prepared to precept students?

The CPH offers a series of preceptor development and training programs to prepare preceptors and Site Coordinators with the necessary tools to coach, teach, and evaluate the performance of students. An annual New Preceptor Orientation session and a Preceptor Development program is provided by the CPH based on the needs and feedback obtained from preceptors and Site Coordinators. In addition, all preceptors are provided with membership to the Collaborative Education Institute, an online application which offers a variety of preceptor development and continuing education courses.