• The College of Clinical Pharmacy is SingHealth's seventh and newest college under its education arm, SingHealth Academy
• Launched at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference 2024, the College of Clinical Pharmacy will enable SingHealth to almost double its current pharmacy training capacity to 400 trainees annually

 
Singapore, 27 September 2024 — To boost the pharmacy workforce's capabilities, SingHealth has launched the College of Clinical Pharmacy to provide pharmacy staff with dedicated educational and training resources to help them stay abreast of the needs of a fast-evolving pharmacy landscape and an ageing population. Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health, launched the College of Clinical Pharmacy at the opening ceremony of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference 2024, held today at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium, Academia, at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Campus.

Enhancing the Capacity of the Pharmacy Workforce

The College of Clinical Pharmacy is SingHealth's seventh and newest college established under its education arm, SingHealth Academy. The College will enhance the training and education needs of SingHealth's pharmacy workforce, comprising more than 1,400 Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Assistants, and students. In addition, the College will support the training and development of pharmacy professionals beyond SingHealth, locally and overseas. The College will enable SingHealth to almost double its current annual training capacity – from more than 200 pharmacy trainees, comprising pharmacy students, professionals and residents, to 400 annually. With a cadre of established SingHealth pharmacy leaders in education, the College is well-positioned to develop new education programmes that cater to the professional development of pharmacy practitioners against an increasingly evolving and complex healthcare backdrop, enabling the pharmacy workforce to stay nimble and adaptable to future challenges.

Meeting the Demands of an Evolving Healthcare Landscape

As Singapore's population ages rapidly, the College of Clinical Pharmacy will equip pharmacists with skills and knowledge in population health, empowering them to support ongoing population health initiatives to help residents keep well and live well in their communities. By sharpening their skills and deepening their understanding of their role in new community-based care models, pharmacists will be better poised to supplement care and extend their roles in areas such as illness prevention, encouraging wellness and active ageing in the community beyond hospital walls.

To enable the pharmacy workforce to advance care, the College of Clinical Pharmacy will also develop expertise in other areas including precision medicine, technology and innovation, leadership and faculty development, digital health, and medical humanities.

Holistic Avenues to Enhance Training and Capabilities

The College of Clinical Pharmacy will focus on three main pillars: Clinical Programmes, Professional & Faculty Development, and Collaborations and Innovation. These pillars will provide opportunities and resources for pharmacy trainees to grow professionally, enhance their clinical and technical competencies, and dive deeper in areas such as leadership, innovation and research. Pharmacy trainees can choose programmes that suit their developmental needs and interests, as well as to hone their skills.

Ms Petrina Fan, Chair, SingHealth College of Clinical Pharmacy, said, "The College of Clinical Pharmacy will empower us to build a community of highly competent, dedicated and passionate pharmacy staff to serve our patients. Education is a critical pillar that will strengthen our ability to deliver the best care we can and foster a culture of lifelong-learning and continuous improvement."

Professor Lita Chew, Group Chief Pharmacist, SingHealth, said, "The College aims to advance the capabilities of pharmacists and the pharmacy support workforce, both within SingHealth and beyond, contributing to the needs of the broader national healthcare landscape. It is imperative that as a pharmacy community, we bring our expertise to augment the impact of key national initiatives such as population health. The College of Clinical Pharmacy is also well-positioned to address regional and global healthcare needs, and plans are afoot to support global health efforts and elevate the competencies and standards of care delivery for pharmacy professionals beyond our shores. We aim to keep pushing the frontiers of clinical pharmacy and strengthen our capabilities to address current gaps and emerging health challenges both locally and internationally."

Recognising Outstanding Healthcare Educators

At the opening ceremony of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference 2024, 55 outstanding healthcare educators also received the Academic Medicine Education Institute (AMEI) Golden Apple Awards 2024. These awards recognise and honour educators and staff from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre for excellence in teaching, and their passion and commitment towards inspiring their learners.

A notable recipient is Dr Jai Rao, Head and Senior Consultant, Neurosurgery, National Neuroscience Institute at SGH, and Programme Director for the SingHealth Neurosurgery Residency Programme. Dr Rao redesigned the Neurosurgery residency programme's National Tutorial Training schedule to encourage self-directed learning among residents, so that they can continue to thrive in an evolving healthcare landscape. This initiative has been well-received and proven to reinforce the understanding of key concepts and clinical scenarios. An advocate of technology-enhanced learning, Dr Rao, who is also Clinical Assistant Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School, spearheaded the use of Primal Virtual Reality headsets for Duke‐NUS students, enabling them to explore the anatomy of the brain using virtual reality technology. His development of 3D‐printed models for anatomy learning also demonstrates his passion to use technology to meet the diverse needs of learners. Dr Rao's contributions to education extend beyond clinical teaching. He was instrumental in developing the education roadmap for enterprise risk management (ERM) in SingHealth, to ensure all staff understand the basics of ERM, which is essential to enhance organisational resilience.

Another group of deserving recipients is the team of nurses from KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) who developed the scenario-based virtual game titled, 'A Continuing Training Programme in Enhancing the Skills and Learning Experience of Clinical Nurses in Managing Resuscitation by Incorporating Computerised Adaptive Testing (CAT) Assessment'. Led by Ms Linda Ang, Senior Nurse Clinician, KKH, the team created an interactive and experiential learning environment through virtual simulation that prepares nurses to handle medical emergencies in the clinical setting to improve patient outcomes and reduce morbidity. During its pilot, the programme successfully addressed the challenges of labour-intensive setups and facilitation in traditional in-situ simulation training by transitioning to a virtual training programme, enabling busy nurses to attend the training at their convenience and freeing up additional time for clinical work and direct patient care. The virtual yet realistic nature of this training programme also allows nurses to hone their skills in responding to real-life emergencies within a safe simulated environment. Plans are underway to expand this programme to benefit nurses across the entire SingHealth cluster.

Organised by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, the SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference is a biennial signature healthcare education event that brings together thought leaders and healthcare educators here and from the region to advance education and training for tomorrow's healthcare needs.

About the SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference 2024

The theme of this year's SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference is 'Elevating Healthcare Education, Empowering Healthcare Educators'. It aims to equip healthcare educators with the knowledge and skills to advance pedagogy with the goal of delivering better patient care. Delegates will have opportunities to discover the latest trends in teaching, exchange best practices and share their experiences with like-minded healthcare educators who are passionate about raising the bar in healthcare education to achieve better patient outcomes.