The role of visiting faculty on the training of clinical pharmacists in Namibia: A qualitative study

Introduction: The creation of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Namibia in 2011 has led to the rapid growth of educational degrees and programs including the Diploma in Pharmacy, Bachelors of Pharmacy, Pharmacy Internship Support Program, and the Masters of Clinical Pharmacy. Partnerships with external pharmacists have created unique academic opportunities for the development, implementation, and evaluation of clinical pharmacy services. Objectives: To describe the core roles and responsibilities of visiting faculty in a rapidly expanding Sub-Saharan School of Pharmacy and the student perspectives of those faculty. Methods: A qualitative approach was used to assess the roles of visiting faculty and the impact on the education and practice of current students in the Masters of Pharmacy program. Independent focus groups were held for second- and third-year students. Data were collected by a University of Namibia faculty member and transcripts were transcribed and analyzed for themes. Results: The roles of visiting faculty fell into three main categories: teaching, service, and scholarship. All second- and third-year students participated in the focus groups. The five identified themes included: (1) Students were inspired by new perspectives that visiting faculty offered to their training; (2) Students valued the increased level of feedback from visiting faculty; (3) Students described how their clinical skills grew from the input of the visiting faculty; (4) Students valued the support and opinions of clinician-educators who practiced regularly in a clinical setting; and (5) Students felt that some additional opportunities existed for visiting faculty to improve student engagement. Conclusion: Visiting faculty delivered didactic instruction, clinical teaching, and mentorship to develop and enhance clinical pharmacy services in Namibia. Visiting faculty was perceived as open-minded, inspirational, and approachable. They also provided a different framework and vision of clinical pharmacy services and a systematic clinical approach to patient care.