Pharmacology Education
Pharmacology is a fundamental discipline in various sciences, industries, and health professions. Given the breadth of specialised topics in pharmacology, the diversity of its application spans numerous undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. However, a consistent theme in pharmacology education is that its considered to have a high intrinsic cognitive load. Students generally experience it as a factually heavy discipline, where the value of it can be easily overlooked depending on how it is taught or integrated with other disciplines. The impact of improper pharmacology education is severe though, ranging from hindering the professional development of graduates, weakening student success, decreasing the productivity or impact of scientific research, or contributing to inappropriate healthcare outcomes, irrational prescribing or medication errors.
Considering that most academics that teach pharmacology are subject-matter experts, and not necessarily educationalists, the quality of pharmacology education may differ greatly between institutions. The SASBCP acknowledges the importance of underpinning pharmacology education with best educational practice, and thus supports educationalists with tools that promote higher-order learning rather than factual recall. In doing so, learners may think more critically, use medicines safely, interpret evidence, communicate well, and respond to real health system challenges.