Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) has launched Ireland’s first Level 8 Honours Degree for pharmacy technicians.
The Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Advanced Pharmacy Technician Practice was launched at TUS’s Athlone Campus, with the first cohort of students already undertaking the new programme. The degree provides a new pathway to Honours Degree level for pharmacy technicians and builds on TUS’s longstanding role in pharmacy technician education in Ireland.
The launch formed part of an event celebrating 20 years of pharmacy technician education and coincided with International Pharmacy Technician Day. TUS graduate Nicola Ryan, known as The Menopause Pharmacist, returned to Athlone as keynote speaker. Accredited by the British Menopause Society, Nicola delivered a presentation entitled Survival Tips for Peri and Menopause Women, which she said would help women “feel empowered”.
Pharmacy technician education at Athlone dates back to 2005, when the then Athlone Institute of Technology developed a Level 6 pharmacy technician course. This was followed in 2013 by Ireland’s first Level 7 Ordinary Degree for pharmacy technicians, with the new Level 8 Honours Degree representing the latest expansion of pharmacy technician education at TUS.
President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane, said the launch reflected the university’s commitment to responding to the changing needs of students and the pharmacy profession.
“At TUS, we want to remain at the forefront of that change and ensure our graduates have the knowledge and skills to meet the evolving needs of the profession. The role of pharmacy technicians is evolving, and education must continue to evolve with it. This is a significant development as we look to the future delivery of healthcare in Ireland, and I want to congratulate our Pharmacy Team on once again leading the way nationally.
The new Level 8 degree will further develop students’ professional and clinical knowledge, practical skills and critical thinking.
It also continues a long tradition of collaboration between TUS and the pharmacy profession, with pharmacists and pharmacies playing an important role in shaping pharmacy technician education and providing placement opportunities.
Diane Patterson, Lecturer and Pharmacy Technician Programme Coordinator at TUS, said:
“We are extremely proud of the graduates who have studied with us here in Athlone over the past 20 years and gone on to build successful careers across the profession.
“The new Level 8 Honours Degree builds on that strong foundation, giving pharmacy technicians another opportunity to progress their education and further develop their professional and clinical knowledge, practical skills and critical thinking.
“Our courses have always been closely connected to the realities of pharmacy practice and the needs of the profession. That same approach is at the heart of the new Honours Degree.”
The event also marked the reformation of the Irish Association of Community Pharmacy Technicians (IACPT), bringing members of the association, including former TUS students, together with current pharmacy technician students, staff and representatives of the wider pharmacy profession.
