Abstract

PHARMACY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: THE PROGRESSION

Ikhile I.J. and Chijioke-Nwauche I.N.*

Abstract

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) defines Pharmacy Education as the educational design and capacity to develop the workforce for a diversity of settings (e.g. community, hospital, research and development, academia) across varying levels of service provision and competence. Pharmacy Education in Nigeria is peculiar, and dynamic and has undergone a lot of phases over time. Increased societal changes and evolving patient needs necessitated the incorporation of the American curriculum into the already existing curriculum acquired from the British; their early colonial masters. Hence, the Nigerian Pharmacy education system comprises a pseudo British-American curriculum that does not fully address said peculiarities. This has motivated stake holders to continually review the curriculum over many years in a bid to fully meet societal healthcare needs. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the history and status of Pharmacy Education in Nigeria: the progress and milestones achieved, the present state, and also make future projections. Information on Pharmacy Education for this paper was obtained from various sources such as academic papers as well as government agencies.

Keywords: Pharmacy, Education, Curriculum, Changes, Nigeria.