Catalyst Week welcomes first cohort of Three-Year PharmD program

Four PharmD students from the Class of 2T8-3Y sit together in front of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy during the Catalyst Orientation BBQ.

As the first cohort of the Three-Year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy attended Catalyst Week in August, Director of the PharmD program Natalie Crown says that she is looking forward to seeing students take on new challenges and develop into adaptive and confident pharmacy professionals.

“It’s been energizing and fun to welcome this cohort of students as they begin their journey in pharmacy,” says Crown. “We know our Four-Year PharmD is an excellent program, based on the success of our graduates in the pharmacy profession, and we’re looking forward to providing this same high-quality education in an integrated experience that is responding to current health care system needs.”

“We know our Four-Year PharmD is an excellent program, based on the success of our graduates in the pharmacy profession, and we’re looking forward to providing this same high-quality education in an integrated experience that is responding to current health care system needs.”

Catalyst Week welcomed the new cohort and introduced the students to the University of Toronto and Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. It also introduced students to the history and current state of the pharmacy profession and provided evidence-based learning strategies to help students succeed in the new accelerated program.

The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has been working on curriculum renewal over the past few years, in consultation with a student engagement committee, alumni, faculty, and stakeholders in the pharmacy profession. The resulting Three-Year PharmD recognizes that the pharmacy profession is changing rapidly and facing a shortage of pharmacists.

“We have a history of innovation in pharmacy education at U of T, for example being among the first to offer the entry-to-practice PharmD in Canada. It was a natural time for us to renew the PharmD curriculum by considering the structural changes we could make to respond to the needs of an evolving pharmacy profession,” says Crown.

“Health professions’ curriculum requires regular revision: Knowledge and technology are always evolving, and there have been societal and health system changes, especially after COVID. The curriculum needed to be renewed to reflect all these changes.”

The accelerated program will provide nine terms of education over three years and is designed to enhance the integration of pharmaceutical and clinical teaching.

One of the key changes is that students will have longitudinal experiential courses integrated throughout the first and second years of the program, instead of in concentrated blocks at the end of each year. The goal is for students to apply their skills and knowledge in real-world settings early in their education to reinforce their learning.

“We know from education science that being able to use and apply information in different contexts and getting immediate feedback is important for knowledge retention,” says Crown. “The longitudinal experiential courses create a link between the classroom and real-life practice so that students can immediately apply their knowledge and get feedback.”

Olavo Fernandes, Director of Pharmacy at University Health Network, is a preceptor for the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and agrees that the longitudinal experiential courses will provide opportunities to reinforce classroom learning.

“From my experience as a preceptor, the integration of applied therapeutics and foundational sciences—combined with concurrent practice labs and weekly experiential placements during the first two years—is a uniquely effective approach,” says Fernandes. “Having second-year students participate in longitudinal hospital site rotations will foster continuity, strengthen professional relationships, and better position students to deliver collaborative care with confidence and independence.”

While the structure of the Four-Year PharmD program remains the same, the program is integrating some of the same innovations from the three-year program into its curriculum. For example, the injection course has been moved into the second year of the program so that students can provide that service earlier, content for certain courses has been revisited and updated, and more content will be delivered online, similar to the three-year program.

Pharmacy education intended to develop adaptive experts

The pharmacy profession has evolved significantly in recent years, with an expanded scope of practice in Ontario and many other provinces, integration into Family Health Teams, and the availability of increasingly complex and sophisticated therapeutics. Future pharmacy professionals need to be ready to work in an environment that is always changing.

“When we spoke to faculty and members of our pharmacy community, they emphasized the need for adaptable, flexible professionals who can respond to change and solve problems,” says Crown. “We aim to develop pharmacists who are adaptable, resilient, and able to reflect on the ideas and feedback they're getting and implement that in real time to respond to different situations.”

Naomi Steenhof, assistant professor – teaching stream at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, is a recognized leader in pharmacy education research. Her research into ‘adaptive expertise’ – the ability to adapt and solve new and challenging situations – was central to the curriculum renewal.

For example, in classroom learning, students will connect and apply knowledge from different areas to promote understanding and application of the knowledge, giving them a framework that they can use even as therapies change. And early longitudinal practical experience allows student to practice what they have learned, recognize gaps in their knowledge and understand when they need to adapt their approach.

“Pharmacy practice is increasingly complex, with new drugs, technologies, and patient needs constantly emerging. By helping students learn not just facts but how concepts are connected and applied, we prepare them to think critically, solve problems flexibly and adapt their knowledge to situations they haven’t seen before,” says Steenhof. “This means they are better equipped to provide safe, effective, and patient-centered care throughout their careers, even as the profession continues to evolve.”

“Pharmacy practice is increasingly complex, with new drugs, technologies, and patient needs constantly emerging. By helping students learn not just facts but how concepts are connected and applied, we prepare them to think critically, solve problems flexibly and adapt their knowledge to situations they haven’t seen before.”

In the same way that the PharmD program trains adaptable professionals, Crown says that the Three-Year PharmD will also adapt based on feedback from the students, faculty and preceptors as they go through the first year of the new program.

“This is a big change in how we deliver pharmacy education, so we are being very purposeful in how we collect feedback from students, faculty, and preceptors,” says Crown. “We are going to monitor the program as we go through this first year and be responsive to feedback so we can continue to provide high-quality pharmacy education.”