The role of the pharmacist within the Irish health system has expanded significantly in recent years, with increasing emphasis on patient safety, clinical services, interdisciplinary collaboration, and leadership in service delivery. Pharmacists, in addition to providing safe and effective pharmaceutical care, also actively contribute to service design, quality improvement initiatives and healthcare system sustainability. Preparing graduates for these evolving responsibilities requires educational approaches that provide opportunities for applied, practice-focused learning.
Year-five RCSI MPharm students undertook the development of a new patient-focused pharmacy service as part of a ‘Leadership in Pharmacy’ module. The assignment required students to develop a new patient-focused service in either primary or secondary care aimed at making a difference for patients and patient care. The service was required to be evidence-based, implementable, sustainable and financially viable.
The assignment was designed to incorporate practical feasibility and innovation in service delivery. Students, working in small groups of five to six, over a period of three months, were required to identify a patient service gap and opportunity within healthcare delivery, proposing a structured service model that could realistically operate within legal and regulatory constraints.
Each group produced a service proposal, delivered by way of a short ten-minute presentation to an expert external panel of pharmacists, alongside their peers. The panel consisted of experienced pharmacists and healthcare leaders with expertise in areas including policy and service development, operations and practice across many and varied areas of the pharmacy sector. Resource planning, addressing barriers and enablers to service implementation, identifying risk and ensuring quality of service delivery were all core components of the service design process. The external engagement brought professional authenticity, mirroring real-world practice in which pharmacists must present and justify service proposals to decision-makers.
Students were required to critically evaluate information and the evidence base from both Ireland and other countries, apply principles of change management and reflect on their own leadership strengths and those of their team. Working in small groups required students to engage in collaborative brainstorming and decision-making, appreciate differing perspectives and adapt leadership approaches according to team needs.
Groups demonstrated strong motivation, leadership and professionalism, investing significant effort in understanding the practical realities of service delivery through evidence-based research, structured lectures, workshops and engagement with pharmacy colleagues in practice over the course of the module. The quality of the service proposals and presentations reflected a mature appreciation of patient needs, patient safety and quality, system challenges and enablers, and the pharmacist’s evolving role. The services developed were wide ranging and included those related to screening and point-of-care testing (POCT), pharmacist-led clinical services and consultation support services.
Prizes were awarded in four categories:
Feedback from the external panel was extremely positive. Panel members commended the level of innovation, evidence-based research, attention to practical feasibility and the standard of presentations. This enabled students to reflect on how improvement initiatives are commonly undertaken in practice and reinforced the importance of adaptability and continuous improvement when incorporating feedback.
Developing and presenting a new pharmacy service provided an effective method for leadership development. Students were challenged to move beyond problem identification towards solution-focused thinking and critical decision-making. This process reflected leadership challenges faced by pharmacists seeking to introduce or expand services within busy healthcare environments, including workforce and financial considerations.
Presenting to an external expert panel further enhanced leadership capability. Students were required to communicate succinctly, justify decisions and respond constructively during the Q&A component of the presentations. For many students, this was their first experience of formally presenting a service proposal to experienced practitioners and leaders, offering valuable preparation for future professional roles.
The group presentation sessions showcased strong professional engagement between pharmacy education and practice leaders at an exciting time for the profession, as pharmacy continues to expand its scope of practice and leadership responsibilities across Irish healthcare. The high standard of student work and positive external feedback highlighted the leadership potential of the future pharmacy workforce.
Requiring MPharm students to collaboratively develop and present an implementable pharmacy service within a Leadership in Pharmacy module offers a highly effective, practice-focused learning experience. High levels of student engagement and the positive response from external practitioners highlight the value of this approach.
By further embedding leadership, service development, quality improvement and patient safety within undergraduate education, this model supports the development of pharmacists prepared to contribute meaningfully to service improvement. Continued collaboration between educators and practitioners will be essential to nurturing future leadership capacity within the profession.
Sincere thanks to the expert panel members, Susan O’Donnell, Professional Services Pharmacist, IPU; Emily Kelly, Strategic Advisor and Community Pharmacist, McCauley Pharmacy; and Adam Lee, Category Director, Paediatric Specialist Nutrition, Danone, who generously contributed their expertise and time to the process.
Many thanks to the IPU and McCauley Pharmacy who generously sponsored a number of student prizes on the day.
RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences would like to further thank all external contributors who contributed their expertise and time in delivering content to the MPharm students as part of this MPharm Leadership in Pharmacy module.
Dawn Davin
Teacher Practitioner, RCSI
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