Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico (Single cycle degree/Combined Bachelor and Master - 300/360 ECTS) in Pharmacy

Pharmacist

FUNCTION IN A PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT:
Pursuant to current legislation, the final examination for a single-cycle degree in Pharmacy (class LM-13 - pharmacy and industrial pharmacy) qualifies to practise as a pharmacist.

The Pharmacists profile is that of a professional in the healthcare area who, within the scope of their multidisciplinary scientific and technological skills (chemical, biological, biochemical and biomedical, pharmaceutical, pharmacological, toxicological, technological legislative and ethical) contributes to achieving the objectives defined by the National Health Service in order to adequately respond to the changing needs of society in the health field, and is able to work for public health purposes, also through the personalised accompaniment of patients, including chronic patients, in compliance with pharmacological therapies, and counselling healthy for disease prevention.

Pharmacists perform the following professional activities: procurement, storage and dispensing of medicines, pharmaceutical preparations, quality control, pharmacovigilance, health education and promotion, and providing information on medicines and medical equipment.

Community pharmacists also manage supplementary home care and initial analyses. They ensure that medicines are appropriately used and that repeat prescriptions are dispensed in the case of ongoing treatments. They are also responsible for informing and educating their clients on the correct use of medicines, offering advice to healthy people in order to prevent disease.

Hospital pharmacists are responsible for monitoring and analysing the consumption/costs of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, overseeing the management of narcotics and pharmacoepidemiology, and for monitoring and managing experimental drugs.

Pharmacists who work in national pharmaceutical services are involved in monitoring pharmaceutical expenses, overseeing distribution, planning direct distribution activities and monitoring the proper administration of pharmacies. They also provide information on pharmaceuticals to health personnel and the public.

Pharmacy graduates can also play a professional role in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries, where they ensure the chemical and biological control of the raw materials used in the formulation of drugs and health products (dietary and cosmetic) and carry out studies and research in the specific field of pharmaceuticals in the preclinical and clinical area (clinical monitoring) and work as drug experts in positions of responsibility in the research, development, production, control, dispensing and post-marketing supervision of medicines, diagnostics and health products (e.g.: cosmetics, food supplements, herbal products, foods for special groups, medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, medical-surgical aids and health care articles).

COMPETENCIES ASSOCIATED TO THE FUNCTION:
Pharmacists:
• possess knowledge and skills on the composition, chemical structure, pharmacological, toxicological and technological activities of the active ingredients contained in medicines of chemical, biological and natural origin and of the substances used in their manufacture;
• possess knowledge and skills to carry out and dispense pharmaceutical preparations of medicines and know the principles and methods of pharmaceutical technology and the physical, chemical, biological and microbiological control of medicines and raw materials used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics;
• have adequate knowledge of the metabolism and effects of medicinal products, as well as of the action of toxic substances and the use of medicinal products;
• possess knowledge and skills to evaluate scientific data concerning medicinal products in order to be able to provide appropriate information;
• possess knowledge of the laws in force concerning health and the exercise of pharmaceutical activities;
• possess knowledge of elements of mathematics and physics, aimed at learning the other disciplines of the programme;
• possess knowledge of the basic principles of general, inorganic and organic chemistry, as well as the fundamentals of analytical chemistry, useful for carrying out and evaluating the control of medicines and other substances or medical devices;
• possess knowledge of animal cell biology and plant structures, anatomy and physiology useful for learning and applying the aspects that characterise the profession;
• possess knowledge of pathology, principles of etiopathogenesis and naming of human diseases, with knowledge of medical terminology useful in the performance of the profession;
• possess knowledge of elements of microbiology useful for understanding infectious diseases and their treatment, microbiological control assays, and aspects of public and environmental hygiene;
• possess knowledge and skills in general, applied and clinical biochemistry, and molecular biology, in order to understand molecules of biological interest, the mechanisms of metabolic activities and the molecular mechanisms of biological phenomena, also in relation to the action of drugs, as well as the production, analysis and storage of biological drugs and diagnostics for biological analysis, including first-instance diagnostics, and their use;
• possess knowledge and skills regarding the activity and safety profile of drugs, dietary and nutritional health products and possess fundamental multidisciplinary knowledge for the understanding of the drug, its structure and activity in relation to the interaction with biomolecules at the cellular and systemic level, as well as for the necessary design, preparation and control of drugs also for personalised therapies;
• possess knowledge and skills in medicinal chemistry, the design and synthesis of the main classes of drugs, their chemical-physical properties, their mechanism of action and structure-activity relationships;
• possess knowledge and skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis and quality control of substances with biological and toxicological activity, as well as medicines, including biological medicines, and their metabolites;
• possess skills in the preparation and formulation of various pharmaceutical forms, and other aspects of pharmaceutical technology including innovative drug delivery technologies, medical devices, as well as chemical and technological aspects related to their industrial production;
• possess knowledge and skills in methodological and regulatory principles relating to quality control of medicines and other health and wellness products;
• possess knowledge of the legislative and ethical rules necessary for the exercise of the professional activity, as well as of the national and community laws that regulate the various activities in the sector, in order to train a professional figure who, in the field of medicines and health products in general, can guarantee the safety, quality and efficacy requirements demanded by WHO regulations and national and European directives;
• possess knowledge and skills in pharmacology and pharmacotherapy, as well as in toxicology to understand the rational use and therapeutic adherence of prescription medicines, as well as to advise and dispense non-prescription medicines, participate in clinical trials, manage pharmacovigilance;
• possess knowledge and skills in the pharmacognosy of medicinal plants and their pharmacologically active ingredients, pharmacological effects and interactions between plant active ingredients and their use in herbal preparations and/or as nutraceuticals;
• possess skills and knowledge on the composition and nutritional properties of natural and processed foods, dietetic products, supplements and health foods and foods for special medical purposes and intended for special groups, including aspects related to their production and quality control, also in order to be able to ensure correct information and useful recommendations on foods intended for special diets and effective guidance on specific diets diagnostic products and other products for the maintenance of health and well-being, including herbal preparations, cosmetic products, medical and surgical devices and in vitro diagnostics and biocides;
• possess knowledge of the principles of pharmaco-economics and health economics, management in health care, health communication and business management;
• possess IT knowledge, also with reference to skills related to digital health, health informatics and management computing;
• possess multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills useful for the implementation of health education programmes, the provision of first-aid and analytical services, and the use of instrumental devices for second-level services that can be provided in pharmacies;
• possess the professional skills necessary to increase scientific knowledge in the pharmaceutical field and to use and transfer said knowledge in industry, medicine, pharmacology and other production sectors;
• possess the professional skills necessary to conduct theoretical and experimental research in the academic, industrial and scientific fields, aimed at the expansion and innovation of scientific knowledge and its application in production contexts;
• possess the professional skills necessary to act as an intermediary between doctors, patients and the structures of the national health service;
• possess the professional skills necessary to manage medicines and medical devices in hospital environments;
• possess the professional skills necessary to manage tailored drug treatments;
• possess the skills necessary to prepare and manage preparations for enteral/parenteral nutrition in hospital environments;
• possess the transferable skills necessary to provide health personnel and the public with information and documentation on medicines;
• possess the skills necessary to be involved in supplementary home care in support of the general practitioner's activities and to collaborate on initiatives aimed at ensuring the proper use of prescribed medicines, monitoring of the same and adherence to treatment regimes;
• are sufficiently competent in medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical laws and technology, pharmacology, drug therapy and toxicology that they are able to perform pharmacy inspections;
• possess the transferable skills necessary to obtain a specialist post-graduate qualification in Hospital Pharmacy;
• possess transferable skills such as communication, interpersonal, organisational, management and planning skills, according to the level of autonomy and responsibility assigned, the organisation and working methods adopted and the main interlocutors (colleagues, other professionals and public and/or private clients);
• are able to self-study and continuously update their skills.


EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
Graduates in the single-cycle /combined Bachelor and Master degree programme of this class, in accordance with European legislation, will be able to find employment as freelancers or as employees, with technical and managerial roles of high responsibility within community and hospital pharmacies, in the territorial pharmaceutical service, in public bodies and private companies in the following fields:
- preparation of pharmaceutical forms of medicinal products;
- production and quality control of medicines, medical devices and medical-surgical devices;
- analysis and control of medicines;
- storage, conservation and distribution of wholesale medicinal products;
- procurement, preparation, control, storage, distribution and dispensing of safe, high-quality medicines;
- dissemination of information and advice on medicines as such, including their correct use, and personalised support for patients practising self-medication;
- reporting adverse effects of pharmaceutical products to the competent authorities;
- participation in institutional public health campaigns;
- dissemination of information and advice in the field of cosmetic, dietary and nutritional products as well as herbal products for the maintenance and protection of health;
- formulation, production, packaging, quality and stability control and toxicological evaluation of cosmetic products;
- production of plant protection products, pesticides and medical devices;
- analysis and control of the physical-chemical and hygienic characteristics of mineral waters;
- analysis and quality control of food products, including products intended for particular nutritional uses and dietary products;
- processing, mixing, concentration and fractionation of plant parts and their derivatives, both for therapeutic and herbal use;
- research and development in areas of interest to the class.