Undergraduates Studies

The Bachelor of Pharmacy^*programme is developed by taking reference from well-established pharmacy curricula offered by other international universities, international trends in pharmacist training and the specific requirements and demands for the development of pharmacy in Hong Kong. The programme is designed on the basis of an outcome-based approach to student learning which aims to produce graduates with solid knowledge of pharmacy as well as abilities to apply the core knowledge and skills for effective, humane and ethical delivery of pharmaceutical care.

^* The programme has been granted accreditation by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong. Students who have completed a full-time pharmacy degree and one additional year of internship are qualified as registered pharmacists in Hong Kong.

The curriculum aims to be a world class professional degree programme which integrates both the local requirements of the pharmacy profession in Hong Kong and its future demands. The distinctive elements of the programme include the following:

Clinical pharmacy
Clinical Pharmacy is the principal practice of pharmacists in developed countries. With the support of Queen Mary Hospital, a major teaching hospital with the largest team of clinical pharmacists in Hong Kong, students studying at HKU enjoy early clinical exposure and also benefit from the inter-professional collaboration of pharmacists and clinicians through teaching in wards and outpatient clinics. Trained in a clinical setting, graduates of this programme are allowed to actively participate in drug treatment and learn to provide expert service in safe, effective and rational use of drugs.

Community-based training
Students are adequately prepared to provide expert service at the community level. The biggest community pharmacy chain stores in Hong Kong are committed to train more quality pharmacists for the community and they provide placement openings for students of the programme.

Exposure to Chinese as well as complementary and alternative medicine
It is important to equip future pharmacists who practice in Hong Kong with the knowledge of Chinese Medicine as well as Complementary and Alternative Medicines [CAM]. These include herbal medicines, nutraceuticals, health care products, cosmetics, etc, which are commonly used by many patients in conjunction with Western medicines. The School of Chinese Medicine of the Medical Faculty provides strong support to the teaching of Chinese Medicine of the programme.

Patient counseling and communication skills
A key characteristic of the programme is to enhance students’ proficiency in providing primary health care services, including patient education. Students have various opportunities to acquire patient counseling and communication skills step-by-step with a gradual increase in the degree of mastery and in the complexity of the situations encountered.

Training in Industrial Pharmacy
Students of the programme have the opportunity to experience this subspecialty to realize the increasing demand of the local industry for professional pharmacy service. A wide spectrum of topics on the practical aspects related to industrial pharmacy is taught by experts with extensive work experience in the industry.

New Learning Approaches
Diversified “fit-for-purpose” teaching pedagogies have been adopted to manifest the specific features of the curriculum. As an area of strength of the Medical Faculty, the problem-based learning (“PBL”) approach is adopted to encourage interdisciplinary inquiry and foster life-long learning skills, and provide students with opportunities for capstone experience and experiential learning (e.g. final year project and clinical attachment).