Aspiration: Deliver an undergraduate pharmacy program that will produce practice-ready pharmacists who meet or exceed professional standards and are innovative change agents contributing to exemplary patient care
Pharmacy has changed dramatically over the last decade. Pharmacists can now provide a wide range of patient-centred professional services to improve the safety and effectiveness of medications. At Waterloo Pharmacy, we have a reputation for graduating pharmacists with the training and confidence to embrace these changes.
Over the next five years, we will continue to prepare our graduates to be Canada’s medication experts. It starts by identifying, recruiting and admitting a diverse cohort of students who will excel not just academically but also as practicing health professionals. We will map our curriculum to identify gaps and evaluate teaching strategies to ensure an optimal learning environment. We will continue to develop our expertise in delivering education both in the classroom and online.
Interprofessional collaboration is critical to delivering 21st century health care, and our graduates will be prepared to engage effectively as essential team members.
Pie chart showing alumni career paths: 31% hospital pharmacy, 7% long-term care, 5% family health team, 4% academic, 6% other, 47% community pharmacy
As Canada’s only co-op pharmacy program, our students develop their professional identity through experience in a variety of pharmacy-related settings. We will build on our strength in this area and continue to produce practice-ready graduates who are positioned to lead change in the profession.
Goals
- Ensure the PharmD curriculum meets or exceeds all accreditation standards and prepares graduates to provide optimal patient care in an evolving healthcare system
- Optimize student learning through the use of evidence-based teaching strategies
- Conduct continuous quality improvement to ensure that the undergraduate program meets or exceeds educational and professional standards
- Recruit and admit a diverse student cohort who demonstrate the scholarly achievements, professional skills, and personal attributes expected of future pharmacists.
- Explore new educational opportunities that distinguish our graduates for future careers as innovative change agents
- Enhance academic, professional, and personal development of students through co-curricular initiatives
- Create culturally safe educational spaces for students, faculty, and staff with an emphasis on Indigenous initiatives
- Ensure a variety of high-quality interprofessional learning activities are available throughout the program and designed, delivered and evaluated according to best practices
