Alfonso X el Sabio University (UAX) has refurbished its Pharmacy Simulation Classroom to adapt it to the new services and roles that pharmacists are taking on within the current healthcare system. In collaboration with Bidafarma, a wholesale pharmaceutical distribution co-operative offering a wide range of medicines, the university has introduced new practical learning environments that replicate the professional services provided in a pharmacy, adapting this space to the new demands of the workplace.
With this refurbishment, UAX is furthering its commitment to providing the best practical training for students on the Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy and the MBA in Pharmacy Management, Strategic Management and Innovation. This space faithfully replicates a real-life pharmacy environment where role-play activities take place between students and simulated patients to develop skills in pharmaceutical care and computerised business management. “Today’s pharmacist does not merely dispense medicines and healthcare products; they offer solutions to specific health needs, based on clinical knowledge, a close relationship with the patient and pharmacotherapeutic monitoring. Our aim is for students to graduate fully prepared to manage a pharmacy, bearing in mind the increasingly important role that pharmacists play in prevention and people’s healthcare, as well as in the strategic management of the business,” says Gemma Muñoz, Head of Studies for the Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy at UAX .
This academic model has helped Alfonso X el Sabio University rank amongst the top three universities in Spain for the Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy, according to the CYD Foundation Ranking, which highlights UAX for its excellent results in employability, the number of practical credits and the qualifications of its teaching staff, as well as for being the private university in Madrid with the highest academic success rate on this degree programme.
New services for the evolving roles of pharmacists
The Pharmacy Practice Simulation Classroom is equipped with professional furniture, as well as pharmaceutical management software and hardware systems, notably Farmatic and Unycop Win, two of the most widely used programmes in pharmacies.
In addition to this equipment, the Pharmacy Practice Simulation Classroom simulates various professional pharmaceutical care services, which are taught and practised there using a practical, hands-on approach. In this training environment, students on the Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy learn and practise, through role-play and simulations, how to handle real-life situations in the pharmacy linked to the correct use of devices – an area where errors are common in professional practice.
The services covered in the classroom include:
- Inhacheck, designed to train students in the correct use of inhalers for patients with asthma, COPD and other respiratory conditions.
- Personalised Dosing Systems (PDS), which enable students to learn how to organise medication into weekly or monthly blister packs, with the aim of improving treatment adherence and reducing errors in older patients, those with cognitive impairment or those who struggle to adhere to their treatment.
- Correct use of injectable and applicator devices, such as insulin pens, blood glucose monitors, auto-injectors for biologic treatments, eye drops and nasal sprays.
- Assessment of body composition, approached from an educational perspective focused on prevention, nutritional monitoring and health education.
Furthermore, in the Pharmacy Practice Simulation Classroom, students learn to deliver—always from an educational perspective—other professional services such as blood pressure monitoring, patient-centred dermatopharmacy, and health education on sun protection and sexual and reproductive health, thereby strengthening their preparation for future professional practice.
Training endorsed by leading companies
Collaboration with leading companies is a hallmark of the training model at Alfonso X el Sabio University, which has 10,000 partnership agreements enabling it to guarantee its students practical training aligned with the realities of the workplace. Furthermore, this collaboration provides a means of listening to the market’s demands for talent and developing degree programmes with up-to-date content that integrates technology and emerging market trends.
This is the case with the UAX Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy which, thanks to its partnership with Bidafarma, includes a Certificate in Strategic Management of Pharmacy Practices and Digital Pharmacy, offering training in digital management and preparing students for the sector’s new challenges in the online environment.
In addition to the degree programme, UAX offers an MBA in Pharmacy Management, Strategic Management and Innovation, designed to help students develop advanced management skills, process optimisation and leadership to improve and ensure the profitability and sustainability of a pharmacy. To this end, the MBA includes modules such as financial and tax management, trade marketing and digital transformation, amongst others.
