Article 2.2.a) of Law 44/2003 on the Regulation of Health Professions recognises pharmacy as a graduate-level health profession, with activities aimed at the production, storage and dispensing of medicines, as well as collaboration in analytical, pharmacotherapeutic and public health surveillance processes (Article 6.2b).
The current Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications, in its Section 7, establishes the existence of a pharmacist's diploma and the minimum conditions it must meet, as well as the pharmacist's professional activities.
The pharmacist is the expert in medicines, both in their chemical and biological aspects and in their health applications. Moreover, their multidisciplinary training has meant that many pharmacists have contributed to scientific development in fields as diverse as botany, chemistry, biochemistry, bromatology, edaphology, parasitology, microbiology, etc. It is also worth mentioning their extensive participation in the development of the University and the Spanish National Research Council.
The current Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy qualifies graduates to work in pharmacy offices, in the pharmaceutical industry, in hospital and non-hospital specialisations, in health analysis laboratories, in health management and in education and research activities.
As far as pharmacy studies are concerned, Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 lays down the bases for training in the field of pharmacy in the European Union, specifying:
- the conditions for obtaining a diploma, university degree or certificate in pharmacy in terms of knowledge and the duration of the training course.
- It sets out the activities that may be pursued by holders of a diploma, university degree or certificate in pharmacy and provides for the mutual recognition of diplomas, certificates and other qualifications in pharmacy, and contains provisions to facilitate the effective exercise of the right of establishment.
Pharmacy studies are set at a minimum of five years. At least four years of theoretical and practical training and at least six months of practical training are required. Current legislation establishes the profession of Pharmacist as a regulated profession whose practice, in accordance with the provisions of Article 12.9 of Royal Decree 1393/2007 establishing the organisation of official university education, requires the possession of the corresponding official Bachelor's degree.
Order CIN/2137/2008 of 3 July 2008 establishes the requirements for the verification of official university degrees that enable students to practise the profession of Pharmacist.
The Degree in Pharmacy is one of the set of Degrees approved by the Governing Council of the UCLM on 7 April 2008 for its implementation in the different campuses that make up the Regional University. As for the rest of the degrees, it is based on an initiative of the Government of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (requested to the UCLM on 1 April 2008), which considers the implementation of these degrees in the short term to be strategic.
In the case of the implementation of the Pharmacy degree, both institutions have taken into account relevant facts such as the fact that every year more than a third of the region's young people leave for neighbouring Autonomous Communities to begin their studies in degrees which, as in the case of Pharmacy, are not offered by the Regional University.
On the other hand, the existence of already established degrees in the bio-health area such as Medicine (Albacete) and Nursing (Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo), as well as the existence of the Centre for Biomedical Research (CRIB) and the Botanical Institute with headquarters in Albacete, both of which have a regional dimension, make it possible to create a bio-health research and teaching centre on this Campus, a fact which is also considered strategic for both institutions.
Therefore, although the need to justify the social demand for the implementation of Pharmacy in the UCLM (Albacete Campus) is stressed, it should be noted that the existence of other Faculties of Pharmacy in neighbouring regions facilitates the implementation of the Degree in the UCLM, since the experience of these centres will be applied in the development of the Syllabus and, in those cases where necessary, teaching and research positions will be offered which could be covered by staff from some of these faculties.
Finally, the excellent relationship with the COF of Albacete, as well as with the Council of Colleges of the Region, makes it possible to sign the corresponding agreements to respond to the mandatory Tutored Practice programmes, for which the UCLM drew up a protocol for the accreditation of the Pharmacy Offices interested in participating in them, in the same way that there are already protocols signed by the COFs of the Region with other Universities (Alcalá de Henares, Granada, Valencia, etc.). Likewise, the Regional Government, through the Castilla-La Mancha Health Service, shows its interest in promoting the annual offer of more than 80 places in Hospital Pharmacy in its teaching hospitals, although it is true that with the participation of the Albacete University Hospital Complex, this number of places is easily covered.
The social demand for the Degree in Pharmacy has been previously studied by the UCLM prior to its implementation. In the studies carried out by the Office of the Rector of the UCLM presented to the Governing Council on 17 April 2008, it is reflected that in the academic years 2006/07, 2005/06 and 2004/05 a total of 292 students from the Community of Castilla-La Mancha where the UCLM has University Campuses (provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo) have had to carry out their studies for the Degree in Pharmacy in the surrounding area due to the lack of a Faculty of Pharmacy in the region.
This number of students is sufficient to justify the number of new places offered in the Degree in Pharmacy. In addition, the catalytic effect of the implementation of a university degree in the region that did not previously exist is noteworthy, increasing student demand, as has occurred in other degrees in the biosanitary branch such as Medicine or Techniques, as well as in various Engineering Degrees.
The White Book for the Degree in Pharmacy (ANECA, 2004) shows the very high degree of social demand for this degree in the current national framework and more specifically in the University of Castilla-La Mancha due to its high prospects for employment due to its multidisciplinary nature that combines training in a wide range of scientific subjects.
For the elaboration of the present Study Plan, special consideration has been given to the opinion of Pharmacy graduates who are currently working in Castilla-La Mancha and, especially, in the province of Albacete. The work of prospecting this group has been possible thanks to the collaboration of the Official College of Pharmacy and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, having contrasted the opinion of former students from the Faculties of Pharmacy of the following Universities:
- University of Valencia
- Complutense University of Madrid
- Miguel Hernández University
- University of Salamanca
- University of Alcalá de HenaresUniversity of Barcelona