Description of a practice-focused research skills curriculum for a master’s in pharmacy programme

Abstract

Background: To describe a research skills curriculum across the five years of a Master’s in Pharmacy (MPharm) programme whereby students designed, undertook, and disseminated Practice of Pharmacy (PoP) research projects. Methods: In years 1 to 3, students developed basic research skills through workshops in academic writing, critical appraisal, presentation, database searching, and information gathering. The research training received by students was a comprehensive journey from learning the theoretical principles of research through idea generation, planning, application, execution, and dissemination. PoP research skills were developed in years 4 and 5, via taught components, by undertaking an individual capstone research project in year 4 and a team-based Practice of Pharmacy research project in year 5. Team-based projects were included to emulate the working of a research group. The year 5 project was performed while students completed experiential learning placements in patient-facing settings. Results: As of 2023, 100% (n = 236) of students commencing year 5 completed the MPharm programme. Despite the challenge of COVID-19, 33 groups successfully produced high-quality research project reports at the end of year 5, three (9%) of which have been published in international peer-reviewed journals. Conclusion: The MPharm research curriculum expanded learning across all programme years. The personal, interpersonal, and research skills developed could place graduates at a distinct advantage for continuing their professional development across their careers and becoming involved in research projects as qualified pharmacists.