Pharmacy’s continuing education program offers valuable learning opportunities
It is often said that learning is a never-ending process. For those in the field of pharmacy, that adage could not be more true.
With the continual development of new drugs, and especially with the onset of COVID-19, pharmacists must remain vigilant to stay on top of the latest trends, evidence-based medicine and updates to disease-state guidelines.
In South Carolina, pharmacists are required to earn a minimum of 15 hours of continuing education annually in order to maintain their license. Caitlin Mardis, director of the Continuing Education and Professional Development program for the College of Pharmacy, explains there should be more to continuing education than simply meeting these mandated requirements.
“There are the (continuing-education) hours that you must obtain in order to retain your license,” she says. “But we want pharmacists to participate in CE activities that truly further their knowledge base and benefit them in their own practice of pharmacy, rather than simply checking a box.
“Continuing-education hours can then become a valuable component of an individual’s overall continuing professional development.”
Almost every week of the year, we are offering live activities in conjunction with health systems and organizations throughout the state — many of them virtual.
The College of Pharmacy’s Continuing Education program can be a valuable resource not only to alumni but all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Not only can they meet their annual CE requirements, but they can also participate in learning opportunities that can help them provide better care to patients and even implement new services.
“Almost every week of the year, we are offering live activities in conjunction with health systems and organizations throughout the state — many of them virtual,” Mardis says. “All of the activities from our live annual conference are also made available as home studies that can be accessed whenever pharmacists have the opportunity to engage.”
“I often hear from those who participate in our live activities that they are surprised how much they get out of them in comparison to other options,” Mardis adds. “Our faculty do an excellent job of making the material engaging, as our alumni already know!”
Mardis wants pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to know the continuing education program is available to them as a resource.
“If there is something specific that a pharmacist or pharmacy technician is looking for, we can help them identify where to find that training if we don’t already offer it,” she says. “We can also use those ideas to plan our own future activities. Our goal is to ensure we are meeting the needs of our alumni, preceptors and friends.”
To learn more about existing continuing education opportunities through the College of Pharmacy, contact Mardis at CE@cop.sc.edu.