[The future of pharmacy: What knowledge and skills do pharmacists need? The students' perspective on the curriculum and licensing regulations for pharmacists].

Abstract

More than 20 years have passed since the last amendment to the regulations for the licence to practise pharmacy (AAppO). During this time, new achievements in research, such as the continuous development of new active principles and therapeutic concepts, have greatly expanded the field of activity of pharmacists. At the same time, new tasks such as pharmaceutical services and vaccination in pharmacies have expanded the profession's competences. The pharmacy profession will continue to change in the future in order to meet the requirements of demographic change in particular, such as an increase in patients with polymedication and palliative care. The current AAppO can no longer adequately provide the framework for the necessary change in teaching. For this reason, the National Association of Pharmacy Students in Germany (BPhD) is calling for a comprehensive revision of the AAppO. The main demands include the expansion of clinical pharmacy and pharmacology, greater interlinking of the course content and the expansion of interprofessional teaching programmes. In addition, the mandatory internship is to be shortened and a scientific thesis integrated into the degree programme. The BPhD considers these measures to be necessary to make the degree programme more future oriented, student friendly and better tailored to the increasing demands of the pharmacy profession.