THE LIVED EXPERIENCE: TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHARMACISTS
Simulation in pharmacy education has gained momentum in recent years. You may remember role plays from your time at university with perhaps fondness or dread!
By Professor Sharon Haughey and Siobhán Boyce.
A student wearing an aging suit collecting a prescription from the pharmacy
T
hrough research there is a better understanding of how simulation can be used effectively for learning.
Simulation helps bridge the gap between theory and practice, preparing learners for practice by providing an opportunity to practise skills, develop critical thinking and build confidence. Simulation can also be used as an immersive experience which allows the student to take on the role of the patient and to start to understand the lived experiences of others.
Queen’s University Belfast KN Cheung SK Chin Simulation Centre ('InterSim') was established in 2021. InterSim champions interprofessional simulation-based healthcare education, providing a dedicated space for medical, pharmacy, nursing, midwifery and dentistry students to learn together in interactive scenarios that replicate real practice. Since 2021, over 7,000 students have benefited from training in this state-of-the-art facility.
First InterSim Pharmacy Fellow Appointment The School of Pharmacy at Queen’s stands at the forefront of Pharmacy teaching and research, ranking among the top 20 universities globally (QS World University Rankings, 2025). This remarkable accomplishment serves as a foundation upon which we aimed to further excel, through the establishment of the InterSim Pharmacy Fellowship programme.
In 2024 the InterSim Centre announced the appointment of three new 12-month Fellowships from medicine, dentistry and pharmacy to expand the delivery of their simulation-based healthcare training at Queen’s. The InterSim Pharmacy Fellow is the first appointment of its kind across the UK and Ireland, and we welcomed Siobhán Boyce as the first Pharmacy Fellow in November 2024. Siobhán is an experienced Community Pharmacist with over 13 years’ experience, across the UK and Ireland.
New Challenges in Pharmacy Education In 2021, the General Pharmaceutical Council and the PSNI outlined significant changes to pharmacy training, stipulating that pharmacists across the UK will qualify as Pharmacist Independent Prescribers from 2026 onwards.
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