SPEP Program: 2023 Cycle - Year in Review
A total of 164 rotations, each consisting of a total of 160 hours of structured, practical experiential training, were completed by pharmacy students during the 2023 SPEP cycle. Of these, 60 took place in hospitals, 74 in community pharmacies, and 31 in primary health care clinics. In addition, 8 elective rotations were offered in industrial pharmacy practice at Qatar Pharma. 7 students traveled abroad and completed 7 elective international community pharmacy rotations. These rotations involved the participation of a total of 168 preceptors in teaching and mentoring our students.
Our SPEP program continued to offer in its 2023 cycle:
1. New partnerships: In 2023, the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University expanded its collaborations with stakeholders in the community pharmacy and private hospital sectors. New agreements were signed with Al-Ahli Hospital and Boots Pharmacy for student internships. Additionally, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and Clinical Training Agreements (CTAs) were signed with international sites, including Mint Pharmacy in Glasgow, Scotland; Knox Pharmacy in Dunedin, New Zealand; and BMP Healthcare Group in Leicester, United Kingdom. For more information on students’ international travel, click on the following link:
https://www.qu.edu.qa/sites/en_US/pharmacy/departments/spep-program/international-rotations
2. 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). This online program received the Visualization Award at the Qatar University Annual Research Forum and Exhibition in 2021. A total of 20 preceptors completed this online course and were awarded completion certificates in 2023.
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 or visit the Experiential Newsletter tab on the navigation pane:
Experiential Newsletter | Qatar University (qu.edu.qa)
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 2022-2023 Preceptor Development Session was held on March 7, 2023 from 4-6 PM. The session, under the theme of “Providing students with effective feedback”, featured a presentation and an interactive discussion delivered by two invited speakers (Dr Sara Al-Dahir, visiting Clinical Professor from Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy, United States; and Ms. Taysier Elgaily, wellness officer, department of clinical operations and engagement, the office of the Vice President for Health and Medical Sciences). The program was QCHP accredited, a total of 83 preceptors attended the session both virtually and in person, and those who attended the interactive workshop in person received 2 CPD points.
We also continue to provide our preceptors with membership to the online continuing education platform known as Collaborative Education Institution (CEI) which offers webinars and online courses, many of which are accredited, and for which completion certificates can be submitted to QCHP for CPD points. Additionally, this subscription is linked to e-Value, the experiential program electronic management system, with improved tracking capacity for their CE requirements. During the 2023 cycle, a total of 30 preceptors completed 125 CEI courses.
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 108 site visits took place during the 2023 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 Program: 2022 Cycle
SPEP Program: 2021 Cycle
SPEP Program: 2020 Cycle