The Ministry of Science has prepared changes in the education of pharmacists

Reducing the number of mandatory teaching hours, prior internships, and a greater emphasis on patient communication skills are some of the changes proposed by the Ministry of Science to the standard for pharmacist education. Consultations on the draft regulation will last until September 16.

On Tuesday, a draft amendment to the regulation on the standards of education preparing for the profession of physician, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, laboratory diagnostician, physiotherapist and paramedic, prepared by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW), was published on the RCL website.

One of the goals of the proposed regulation is to change the requirements for university education preparing students to practice as pharmacists. The regulation amendment aims to align the pharmacy curriculum with the needs of the labor market. Courses are to be more focused on developing practical skills and enabling students to begin working as pharmacists more quickly.

The planned regulation is intended to reduce the mandatory number of teaching hours to at least 4,700 (currently 5,300). A change is also planned for mandatory internships – it is proposed that students complete a total of six months of internships while still studying (one month of internship in the third year of studies, one month of internship in the fourth year of studies, and four months of internship in the fifth year of studies). Currently, (in addition to two month-long internships during studies), six-month internships were required after preparing a thesis and passing the final exam. Therefore, graduates could not immediately begin working after completing their studies.

The draft regulation emphasises the importance of communication skills with patients and their caregivers in the study programme.

According to the project, the new standard for pharmacist education will apply to those beginning their studies in the 2026/2027 academic year. For those who began their studies earlier, the changes will only apply to internships – these will need to be completed before taking the diploma exam.

As noted in the Regulatory Impact Assessment, the draft regulation was the subject of pre-consultation with the academic community represented by the Convention of Deans of Pharmaceutical Faculties of KRAUM Medical Universities, national consultants in the fields of pharmacy, industrial pharmacy and pharmaceutical analytics, members of the Management Board of ISPE Polska – the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, the pharmacognosy community and members of the National Bromatology Section of the Polish Pharmaceutical Society, as well as students and graduates of pharmacy.

According to data from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, approximately 6,300 future pharmacists are currently being educated at 15 universities in Poland that are authorized to conduct this type of studies.

The regulation will enter into force 14 days after its publication. (PAP)

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