Department of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine-University of Zimbabwe
Course Structure Curriculum Student Publications Staff
Bachelor of Pharmacy Honours Deg. Course Structure
The Role of the Pharmacist in Zimbabwe
The pharmacist can fulfill some of the health care needs of Zimbabwe by being the: -
  • custodian of medicines (drugs)
  • formulator, manufacturer, distributor and overall controller of safe, effective and quality medicines.
  • adviser on the safe, rational and appropriate use of medicine.
  • provider of essential clinical services including screening, referral services and the identification of clinical problems related to drug therapy of disease states and to suggest possible solutions.
  • provider of health care education and information.
  • provider of pharmaceutical care by taking responsibility for the outcome of therapy and by being actively involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of pharmaceutical plans,
  • provider of cost-effective and efficient pharmaceutical services
Basic Standards of Competencies of the Pharmacist in Zimbabwe
The pharmacist in Zimbabwe should be competent enough to:-
  • Organise and control the manufacturing, compounding and packaging of pharmaceutical products.
  • Organise the procurement, storage and distribution of pharmaceutical materials and products.
  • Interpret the legal and professional pharmacy matters in order to dispense and ensure the optimal use of medicines prescribed to the patient.
  • Provide pharmacist initiated care to the patient and ensure the optimal use of medicine.
  • Provide education and information on health care and medicine.
  • Promote community health and provide related information and advise.
  • (g)Participate in research and evaluate critically, current advances in the analysis, formulation and mode of action of drugs to ensure the optimal use of medicines.

These roles are in line with the recommendations of the WHO Consultative Group meetings held in New Delhi, India (13-16 December 1988) and in Tokyo, Japan (31 August 1993 - 3 September1993).
The Bachelor of Pharmacy Honours Degree is a four year degree programme . The units studied in each of the four years of the pharmacy programme are:-
  • Pharmaceutical Chemistry
  • Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology
  • Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology and
  • Pharmacy Practise.
The curriculum consists of lecturers, coursework (practical and non-practical) managed student-centred learning and non-managed student centred learning. The curricula is structured to give about 3000 hours student contact time out of a total 4800 hours available time on the timetable in line with international trends. Details of the type of coursework and managed student centered learning are given in the individual course descriptions.
  1. Pharmaceutical Chemistry
    2. In Pharmaceutical Chemistry lectures and practicals are offered. The laboratory classes present the principles and practical aspects of the syllabus. Manipulative skills and the ability to use modern sophisticated equipment are gained in the areas of synthetic and analytical chemistry. Pharmacognosy and phytochemistry lectures and practicals are designed to give an appreciation of the origins of drugs and the drug development process up to the marketing stages.
  2. Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology
    3. In Pharmaceutics lectures and practicals are offered. The laboratory classes are designed to present the principles and practical aspects of the syllabus at experimental level and to impart the necessary manipulative skills. The laboratory work is also designed to provide hands on experience in the use of modern equipment and techniques.Time is allowed at the end of the practicals for discussion by supervising staff, hence enabling individual assessment. In addition, the use of dry-laboratory exercises using simulated data, in classes, allows the extension of normal laboratory experiences and time scales.

    In Part IV, in the Drug Development workshops students participate in small groups to look at the stages of development of a drug from the bench to the market place. Students are given the opportunity to evaluate a typical drug registration dossier and to make the appropriate recommendation for registration of the drug or rejection of the application. Sterile products practicals introduce the students to special manipulative techniques. Practical experience with Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) is also provided.
  3. Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology
    4. A variety of coursework schemes have been developed to achieve the objectives of the syllabus.Notably the attachment of students to hospital wards enables bed-side teaching situations. Teaching techniques include: use of audio-visual aids,use of computer assisted learning, audio-visual and computer simulations of experimental and clinical situations, demonstrations, student directed assignments, including case studies, tutorials, practical exercises and clinical visits. The skills which are developed and assessed include effective use of the sources of information such as reference books, problem identification and solution and clinical awareness.Practical competence in a limited number of techniques of potential use by pharmacists such as, Therapeutic drug monitoring, blood pressure measurement, blood glucose determination are included.
  4. Pharmacy Practise
    5. Several coursework schemes are applicable in order to attain the objectives set: In some instances students are encouraged to work individually, especially in the dispensing practicals and in small groups. Sessions in dispensing are designed to develop communication skills.Use of video sessions and role-play encourage communication. Practical sessions in dispensing impart the relevant manipulative skills, allows students to become familiar with the use of reference texts and to apply their theoretical knowledge.

    Case studies,problem solving sessions, role plays etc. are incorporated to improve the students knowledge base and to develop their interpersonal skills.

    • Field attachments, which include supervised attachments in the Rural/Community set up, retail, hospital and industrial settings are incorporated in the curriculum to enable integration of theory with practical reality.
    • Ethics and professionalism (and effective communication) are also imparted through relevant coursework and attachments.
  5. Honours Project
    6. Each final year student undertakes a project. The purpose of the project is to provide the student with a training in research methods.The project can be a laboratory or a non-laboratory based one, but must include a critical evaluation of the relevant literature and must provide original data which will allow critical discussion.The project is an opportunity for a student to work independently in applying the knowledge gained during the course in a problem solving situation. The skills which are developed and assessed include: scientific report writing including appropriate presentation and statistical analysis of data, critical appraisal of experimental design, oral communication, effective use of sources of information and problem identification and solution.
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