The survey items have been drawn from a variety of sources. Together, the survey contains over 75 Likert-scaled items, as well as open-ended questions that allowed students to express concerns regarding their profession.

The results of this survey were presented in class, and formed the basis of discussion regarding professional issues and the future of pharmacy and pharmacists. The first series of questions in the survey asked this year’s graduating students (0T0) to recall their initial reasons and motivation for entering pharmacy; like their peers in previous years, job security ranked highest. Compared to practising pharmacists, 0T0 students also ranked a desire to help others as a primary reason for entering the profession.

Another series of questions focused on future career plans. When asked to speculate on where they would be in seven years, 20% of students said they would no longer be working as pharmacists in any capacity. This compared with 10% of students in the class that had graduated two years earlier. When asked in class to expand upon this, students commented on their frustration with the current state of community pharmacy practice, and the availability of more lucrative, non-pharmacy related fields. Of interest, 38% of students reported that they planned on receiving another degree within seven years; most popular graduate options included MBA, Pharm D, MD and Law. Less than 1% of students expected to undertake graduate research degrees (MSc or PhD). This particular finding has significant implications for the future of academic pharmacy and research. The current curriculum, it was argued, does not adequately prepare or motivate students to enter science-based graduate programs, and those interested in advanced studies report more expected satisfaction in professional graduate programs.

Regarding the future of the profession, students were somewhat pessimistic regarding job prospects in the next ten years. The current bonanza of pharmacy positions in Ontario, they believed, was more a reflection of short-term strategic planning by large chains (e.g. move to 24-hour pharmacies, and ‘big-box’ retailing), rather than an expression of a real need for more pharmacists. There was decided pessimism regarding the practicality of pharmaceutical care being practised in community settings, although most students agreed that PC was already being practised in many hospitals.

On social issues, the class as a whole was somewhat libertarian in their attitudes, more conservative on fiscal issues than pharmacists generally, but more liberal on social issues. For instance, the class felt quite strongly that the tax burden on the upper middle class was too high, although they disagreed strongly with the notion that university tuition should be deregulated. [Note: Tuitions for pharmacy and other professional programs at the University of Toronto were deregulated in 1997 – as a result, pharmacy students pay close to $7500/year for tuition.] On social issues, the class agreed quite strongly that a woman has the right to choose an abortion and that same-sex spousal benefits should be available. On a personal side, close to one-third of the class reported investing in stocks or mutual funds [no doubt as a way of paying off their student debt load, which averaged $22 500!]

The main issues for pharmacy identified by the class included the pharmacist’s role as a primary care provider, developing prescribing protocols for pharmacists and establishing alternative reimbursement mechanisms.

Students at the University of Toronto are very excited about hosting Professional Development Week 2000.  We have been hard at work over the past few years to prepare a program for pharmacy students from across the country.

The theme of our conference is ad unum omnes; Latin for "Everyone to one."  The theme is based on the concept of uniting pharmacy students from across Canada to launch the practice of pharmacy in the next century.   It also represents the unification of these future pharmacists with other health care professionals to better understand their different perspectives.  We wish to provide a forum in which different health care professions can share information, experiences and understandings to better patient outcomes.  We feel that the first conference of the new century should inspire students to optimize their unique skills in the health care continuum.

The Education Committee has been hard at work preparing an exciting and informative educational program.  Our theme of 'ad unum omnes' - 'Everyone to one' has been a fun one to work with.  We are thrilled to open our event with a presentation from Laurie Skreslet, the first Canadian to reach the peak of Mount Everest.  This first talk will be motivational and inspiring, beginning the conference with a bang.  Innovative practice is the cornerstone of our profession and we will be showcasing some of these individuals and their practices.  Some real life information on how to perform pharmaceutical care and have a successful and rewarding practice.  For something a little different this year, we will be presenting a series of interdisciplinary seminars.  A panel of health care professionals will be presented with a patient and as a team they will analyze, evaluate and make recommendations for this patient.  Viewing the health care team in action, learning how they function, together with a little practical information are the goals of these presentations.  We are very excited about these seminars and believe that they are something not to be missed.  David Windross, Jean Marc Chaput and Bruce Berger are some of our other speakers with excellent presentations.  From marketing, to ethics, to life, these seminars will be enlightening and educational. Together our educational program will help move us, as professionals, into the new millennium.

For more information please contact your CAPSI rep.

By: Kyle MacNair

CAPSI Initiatives

As we move into the next millennium, CAPSI is planning to make some changes that will insure its long-term viability as the voice of Canadian Pharmacy Students. In 1999 the CAPSI National Council decided to pursue two initiatives that we feel are important for the organization and its members, and now, pending membership approval at PDW 2000, these initiatives will be implemented.

First, we want to incorporate CAPSI. This does not mean that we are turning it into a business; we will be incorporating as a non-profit organization. Incorporating CAPSI will make the organization an official legal entity. Currently, as a non-incorporated organization, the individuals who run the organization are personally responsible for any losses or legal action brought against the organization. After the incorporation, CAPSI will exist independently of its council. Incorporation is positive for several reasons. It has led us to re-write are constitution to bring it in unison with the directives and goals of our organization. It will prove to other organizations (like CPHA, CSHP, and sponsorship companies) that we are a highly organized and professional group. And finally, it will remove the risk of personal liability from the officers’ positions.

Second, we have purchased general liability insurance. This will also help to protect the long-term viability of our organization. Considering the size of CAPSI and the many events we sponsor, it is prudent that the organization be insured against any unfortunate mishaps.

On September 7^th, one full day before lectures began, something new started at MUN. The first year pharmacy students were assembled to meet their classmates for the first time, to be briefed on our new undertaking - and to receive our first assignment! We were quickly whisked away to a large auditorium where we met up with first year students in Social Work, Medicine, and Nursing. The scene resembled something like a Junior High School Dance, except that instead of having boys on one side of the gym and girls on the other, the students from each of the four faculties huddled together in separate corners of the auditorium.

Eventually, we were all divided up into our interdisciplinary groups, each containing at least one representative of each profession. These groups, representing our future health care system, were each given a case study. These case studies appeared straightforward at first but each had deeper issues than those which initially jumped off the paper. This is where our faculty tutor came into play. This person helped start the group discussion. This provided a great deal of help since it was the first time for all of the group members to represent their chosen profession. Finally, the adventurous pre-first day of classes ended with an arranged meeting time further down the road.

At this second meeting it became a little clearer to each of the group members exactly what their role in the health care team was. Through research conducted, either using books or interviewing professionals, the students learnt about their case and their profession. With each consecutive meeting the students felt more and more comfortable with their role.

As the time line for this group work quickly approaches an end, my fellow students and I now realize how this group work has benefited us and how it will help us in the future. Sure, the group work was tough to fit in when we had midterms and other assignments due, but it allowed us to experience first hand the working of the health care system. This lesson did not apply only to pharmacy students. Everyone who participated in the exercise came to see how each profession is interdependent on the others and that none can survive independently. It also gives the group members a chance to promote their unique profession.

This Memorial initiative has proven to be an effective tool in correcting common misconceptions about the role of the Pharmacist in the health care team. I have personally changed (or at least, I hope to have changed) the perception of pharmacists in the minds of some of my group members.

Hello, my name is Debby Mavriyannakis and I am the President of the Undergraduate Pharmacy Society (UPS) at UofT for the upcoming year. Welcome back to another year of classes from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. For us this is going to be an exciting year, full of many changes and events. Starting this year the faculty has increased the number of students admitted to 140 and it will rise to 160 students in the 2000-2001 school year. This decision was made to deal with the increased demand for pharmacists across Canada and the United States, especially here in Ontario. We are very excited to welcome these students to our faculty this year. Even more exciting is that the University of Toronto will be building a new health care complex which will house many of the health professional faculties of the university. This will hopefully increase the contact that we have with the other students who we will be working along side with in our profession, including doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. This new project has yet to commence but it is great to know that one day this will be a reality.

Finally, we are all excited at the faculty to be hosting PDW 2000 here in Toronto in January 2000. I would like to send out a heartfelt invitation to all of you to attend PDW this year. We would love to see you all there. It is the best time for all of us to come together and meet the people who will mould our profession in the future.

Good luck to all of you in this upcoming school year.

Sincerely,

Debby Mavriyannakis

Since its implementation in the fall of 1997, the PBL curriculum has been a topic of conversation at more than just one gathering. Three of the four pharmacy classes are currently experiencing the new style of learning, that being self-directed and problem orientated. Each week, we are faced with a new case which contains new problems and scenarios. By the end of the case, each group of students will have researched a plethora of avenues to gather the information needed to understand not only the problems presented in the case, but also those we created along the way! In order to complete the self-directed research, our weekly schedule consists of 5 hours of class time and 6 hours of tutorials (group sessions of 8 students). This schedule is deceiving, as it looks rather empty. However, our week is quickly crammed full. Much time is spent seeking out information related to the case. After gathering this information, we are then required to synthesize it and teach it to fellow students. Oh, look at that, it’s time for a new case… Goody, who needs to sleep anyway?

With the addition of a ‘Skills Laboratory’ and an expanded Clerkship rotation, Dal students are facing the ever-changing health care system with more firepower than ever before. This will ensure that graduates meet the needs of patients as well as contribute to the advancement of the pharmacy profession.

So those are our ‘problems’, other than that, things are great!

Submitted by Rob Goddard

3^rd year pharmacy student

Over the last few weeks, AFPC and CAPSI have come to the following agreement with respect to PDW:

AFPC continues to support the concept of PDW as a valuable educational initiative

AFPC has requested that CAPSI try to schedule PDW at the same time each year, so faculty can prepare well in advance

AFPC supports a maximum of three days in which the Conference program will overlap with classes (i.e. Wednesday to Friday). All students are expected to be back in classes the following Monday

No special considerations will be given to students who attend PDW, with respect to rescheduling exams for extra study time, or extending project deadlines.

Although AFPC reiterates its support for PDW, it cannot speak for all faculty. AFPC is prepared to work with faculty at each school at the beginning of the academic year, in order to help facilitate student attendance at PDW, for those who wise to participate. This will included, for example, making a reasonable effort to avoid scheduling exams, or other significant course activities during the course of the Conference.

AFPC acknowledges that the "pre conference" tours are not sanctioned PDW activities, and that CAPSI has no role in planning them. Therefore, it will be the responsibility of the students, faculty, and Dean’s office of the host site, to assess the implications of offering or encouraging any other formal, student or school-organized supplementary events in conjunction with the official PDW program.

CAPSI does not support upper year students missing time on scheduled rotations for PDW. Those students interested in attending PDW should attempt to make arrangements with faculty well in advance.

CAPSI will leave the decision as to whether or not to hold a "pre-conference" in the hands of the students, faculty, and Dean’s office of the host school, as stated by AFPC.

CAPSI does not support the idea that examinations should not be scheduled during the week following PDW. The student is responsible for any classes missed.

CAPSI would like to express our gratitude to AFPC for their continued support of our educational initiatives. I would like to invite each of you to this year’s PDW 2000 in Toronto from January 26- January 30, 2000. We are expecting 1000 students at this year’s Conference, so book your flights now for Toronto! The PDW 2000 Host Committee has been working very hard to organize the event, and it looks great. Keep your eyes open for more information in the coming weeks.

See you there.

Mike Sullivan

CAPSI President

Professional Development Week 2000
"ad unum omnes"