Creating International Opportunities in the Classroom
Keywords:
Global Classroom, International Practice, Leadership, Vision, Pharmacy StudentsAbstract
Introduction: To address the need for students to develop a professional/practice vision with a global perspective, faculty at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy designed a course to introduce students to pharmacy practice in a variety of countries. The aim of this paper is to share with other pharmacy educators how to structure a course that teaches students how to develop a global perspective on healthcare, how to articulate that perspective, and how to begin to practice with a global conscience.
Course Description: The International Pharmacy Practice and Leadership Directed Studies course engaged students in self- discovery and reflection through a combination of structured and unstructured experiences taking place in various learning environments, including interactions with pharmacists from a variety of countries through online Skype discussions.
Evaluation: Students reported a variety of realizations in weekly journal entries and in a final presentation about their professional/practice vision.
Future plans: The course will evolve to include presentations by more international healthcare practitioners in addition to pharmacists, including nurses, physicians, and administrators.
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