It seems to me useful to train the student to search for and appropriate non-teaching knowledge, to analyse a problematic situation with finesse and to identify the resources to be combined to deal with it.PhilippeNewsGeneviève PHILIPPE, Associate Professor in the field of Community Pharmacy Practices. Picture: ©Michel Houet.  

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older of a degree in pharmacy from the University of Liège, Geneviève Philippe completed a doctoral thesis in the field of pharmacognosy (chemistry of naturally occurring substances), under the supervision of Professor Luc Angenot, devoted to the study of the antimalarial potential of alkaloids derived from strychnine while helping to demonstrate the absence of tetanizing properties. "I conducted this doctorate in parallel with assistantship tasks that allowed me to take an interest in Problem-based learning (PBL) and to pursue a diploma of specialized studies (DES) in higher education pedagogy (Formasup). I then had a 4-year mandate with the FRFC-FNRS in the field of pedagogy, during which I set up, for the pharmaceutical sciences program of our institution, an objective and structured clinical evaluation (OSCE), an examination in the form of speed-dating to confront students with simulated patients played by community pharmacists. After a short stay at Laval University in Quebec City, I was able to transfer a learning file, inspired by the Quebec example, to the Liège pharmacy sector, which is still currently used as an end-of-study work." As pedagogical coordinator of the same field, Geneviève Philippe then contributed to the establishment of a didactic pharmacy - local in every way similar to a pharmacy open to the public, except for the absence of real patients - and to the use of this interactive tool in the pharmacy curriculum. "My current concerns are focused on enhancing the value of the profession of community pharmacist and anticipating changes in this profession, whether as part of improving student training, through contacts with the outside professional world or through collaborations in educational and research projects with other Belgian and foreign universities."

Vary the learning modes

"Transmitting knowledge remains an important mission, but keeping in mind that much of this knowledge is now at the click of a button, as long as the student is trained to select the appropriate sources. In the field of pharmacy, it is no longer possible to know every drug because the therapeutic arsenal has become so vast. It therefore seems to me useful to train the student to search for and appropriate non-teaching knowledge, to analyse a problematic situation with finesse and to identify the resources to be combined to deal with it. Our future pharmacists, and their patients, also benefit from having communication, decision-making and team interaction skills trained during training, whether through case analyses, collaborative activities in small groups or simulation activities within our didactic pharmacy. Ensuring the motivation of students through learning activities that are fun, varied and meaningful to them seems to me to be essential. In this perspective, the opportunities offered by e-learning should also be seized, by combining them with face-to-face activities (we speak of blended learning). It is also the responsibility of the university teacher to take care of his or her evaluations and to design them in the light of the skills targeted by the training. Finally, the university teacher occupies a privileged place to guide the young person on the path of his or her adult life. This is the approach followed by the pharmaceutical sciences sector by engaging in the "POLLEM" mentoring project! "

Contact Information

Geneviève PHILIPPE

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