In 1991, Oman Assistant Pharmacy Institute (OAPI) was established under the umbrella of Ministry of Health. OAPI was the first pharmacy educational institution in Oman to grant diploma in pharmacy and its main aim was to supply the healthcare sector with Omani assistant pharmacists to meet the human resources need of the expanding healthcare institutions across the country. The pharmacy diploma program was promoted to Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 2013 under Oman Pharmacy Institute.

On June, 6th 2018, his late Majesty Sultan Qaboos issued a Royal Decree, No 18/2018, establishing Oman College of Health Sciences and Higher Institute of Health Specialties. Oman Pharmacy Institute was moved under the umbrella of Oman College of Health Sciences as a program.

The program, through its diverse courses, lab activities, supervised pharmacy practice and clinical training, aims to graduate pharmacists as required by the Omani Health services, with the ability to carry out the following activities:

1. Read, understand and then analyse the prescription, identify the medicines, the dosage prescribed and directions for use.

2. Compound pharmaceutical preparations according to official pharmacopoeia standards and / or hospital pharmacy procedures.

3. Select skillfully the proper tools and instruments used in preparing pharmaceutical preparations and know their specific requirements as to filling, packing and labeling.

4. Provide advice and counseling to patients regarding the proper use of medications, herbal products, complementary and alternative medications as well as their specific precautions.

5. Advise healthcare providers on the selection of appropriate drug therapy and new medications in the area of specialty.

6. Monitor and evaluate patient drug therapies.

7. Recognize over dosage in submitted prescriptions, predict the possible existence of either incompatibilities or drug-drug interactions, and alert the physician for necessary consultation with the prescribing.

8. Prepare and issue demands / requests for drugs and other medical items from wards and other departments in hospitals.

9. Maintain correct ways of storage of drugs, surgical, laboratory and miscellaneous items in dispensaries, pharmacies, medical stores or in hospital wards.

10. Apply pharmacy laws and regulations in dispensing and stocking of toxic, psychotropic and narcotic drugs.

11. Write reports on assigned work and present statistical data / reports as required.

12. Communicate with other staff of the medical team and coordinate the approved pharmaceutical practices.

13. Obtain necessary skills required to apply in quality control labs and drug factories.

14. Play an active role in health education to the public, and in prevention and management of disease in accordance with evidence-based medicine, committed to professional ethics, continuous education and self-learning.

15. Apply pharmaceutical expertise to help maximize drug efficacy and minimize drug side effects.

A- Knowledge & Understanding

After completing the program, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge & understanding of:

1. Issues relevant to modern pharmacy profession based on key aspects of basic, pharmaceutical, medical, social, behavioral, management, health and environmental sciences as well as pharmacy practice.

2. Physical and chemical properties of active and inactive pharmaceutical ingredients influencing the performance of traditional and novel therapeutic and diagnostic biopharmaceutical products.

3. Principles of validated analytical methods for drugs in dosage forms, biological fluids and crude drugs using good laboratory practice guidelines.

4. Principles and applications of pharmaceutical chemistry and phytochemistry in synthesis, isolation, purification, identification & standardization of pharmaceutical compounds.

5. Principles and concept of structure–based drug design and molecular modeling.

6. Characteristic features, potentials and limitations of different dosage forms including novel drug delivery systems, veterinary pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and nutraceuticals in terms of formulation, characterization, stability and performance.

7. Principles of pharmaceutical industrial operations covering manufacture, packaging, labeling, storing and distribution.

8. Principles and input of biopharmaceutics & basic pharmacokinetics in optimizing formulations, in individualizing dosage regimen and in conducting bioequivalence studies.

9. Hospital pharmacy department services, including administrative, technical, and clinical services.

10. Public health issues that impact health promotion, disease prevention and safe disposal of waste related to the manufacture and use of medicines.

11. Principles of physiology and anatomy related to drug handling by the body in different disease conditions.

12. Key aspects of immunology, biochemistry, molecular biology and pathophysiology of different diseases, including etiology, symptoms & lab diagnosis.

13. Pharmacological properties of drugs including mechanism of action, therapeutic uses, dosage regimen, adverse reactions, contraindications and drug interactions.

14. Pharmacotherapeutic principles applied to the treatment of different diseases, as well as principles of pharmacovigilance, and rational use of drugs.

15. Identification and detection of adulteration of medicinal plants, as basis for herbal remedies, among other types of complementary and alternative medicines.

16. Toxicity of drugs and other xenobiotics including identification, symptoms, management and treatment.

17. Pharmaceutical calculations and appropriate methods of statistical and biostatistical analysis.

18. Principles of business management including management of financial and human resources.

19. Principles of drug marketing, promotion, sales, computation, documentation and pharmacoeconomics.

20. Pharmacy laws, regulatory affairs, and ethics in pharmacy practice.

21. Quality assurance of pharmaceutical processes and products including physical, chemical, microbiological and biological quality control.

22. Pharmaceutical care concepts applied in different pharmacy practice settings.

23. Principles and applications of pharmaceutical microbiology in the control of infectious diseases and microbial contamination and in sterilization procedures.

24. Stability issues of medicines, including assessment and control of biological, physical and chemical degradation.

25. Principles of novel drug therapy development through pharmaceutical biotechnology, antisense drugs and gene therapy modalities.

26. Aspects of the integration of IT into pharmacy.

27. Effects of Health Information Technology (HIT) on the quality of the delivery of pharmaceutical care.

28. Principles of complementary and alternative medicines and their application.

29. Scientific, health related and general conversational vocabulary in English.

30. Principles of delivering an effective oral presentation.

31. Principles of writing an academic research project.

B- Intellectual skills:

After completing the program students will be able to:

1. Propose a suitable drug formulation, and suggest ideas for novel drug delivery systems to improve drug efficacy, safety and economy.

2. Distinguish good laboratory, good manufacturing, and good storage practices.

3. Plan quality control tests for different natural and synthetic pharmaceutical compounds as well as for different dosage forms.

4. Assess prescriptions before compounding or dispensing them to detect prescription-related problems such as incompatibilities.

5. Propose appropriate methods to identify, isolate, synthesize, purify and standardize active principles from different origin using relevant pharmaceutical knowledge.

6. Design potential drugs through computer-aided drug design and predict their potential biological activity.

7. Distinguish specific pharmacy practice requirements in handling biopharmaceutical products based on characteristics of biotechnology-produced protein drugs.

8. Propose suitable infection control methods, and assess means for promoting community health.

9. Select medicinal products to suit different diseases based on principles of pharmacology, biochemistry and medicinal chemistry.

10. Judge drug doses in diseased patients based on pharmacokinetic principles.

11. Evaluate consequences of drug-related problems, such as drug interactions and adverse drug reactions, as essential issues in implementing pharmaceutical care.

12. Assess cost-effective drug therapy issues based on sound pharmacoeconomic principles.

13. Analyze experimental data based on relevant chemical, pharmaceutical, mathematical and analytical principles using different instrumental techniques.

14. Criticize published evidence-based information relevant to pharmacy practice.

15. Assess medicinal plants microscopically and macroscopically, and judge quality and possible adulteration of herbal drugs.

16. Judge social health hazards of natural and synthetic drug abuse, misuse and of exposure to toxic agents.

17. Manage minor illness, and respond appropriately to presented symptoms.

18. Judge social health hazards of complementary and alternative medicines.

19. Critically and selectively read extended academic texts.

20. Analyze and evaluate multiple sources for research.

21. Participate actively in debate and discussion on a variety of topics.

C- Professional & Practical Skills:

After completing the program students will be able to:

1. Use pharmaceutical and medical terms & abbreviations correctly in different professional settings.

2. Apply good laboratory practice in handling, and disposing of, chemicals in a manner ensuring safety of individuals and environment.

3. Apply good pharmacy practice in compounding, dispensing, storing and distributing medicines, including medicinal plant products, in a manner sustaining their quality.

4. Apply good manufacturing practices in synthesis, extraction, isolation, purification, quantitative analytical techniques and standardization of active substances.

5. Select and dispense appropriate medicines, including herbal products, according to good clinical practice guidelines.

6. Apply suitable strategies to control microbial contamination and growth in patient settings, and interpret results of lab tests for different diseases.

7. Identify symptoms of drug poisoning.

8. Operate equipment required in various sophisticated pharmaceutical operations and handle experimental animals.

9. Demonstrate to the public health hazards of natural & synthetic drug abuse and misuse.

10. Counsel patients when dispensing over the counter (OTC) medications, herbal medicine or prescription products to ensure safe and proper use of medicines.

11. Demonstrate professionalism in generating, presenting, analyzing and interpreting experimental data.

12. Solve problems encountered in pharmaceutical manufacturing sites and employ suitable quality control tests for manufactured products.

13. Exhibit the skills needed to use the pharmacy module in Al Shifa Health Information System including dispensing and medical stores functions.

D- Transferable or general skills:

After completing the program, students will be able to:

1. Effectively communicate drug-related information to health care professionals and express medical issues in lay language to the public.

2. Retrieve up-to-date drug information from a variety of sources.

3. Work effectively as individuals and within a team.

4. Use information technology tools and apply mathematical & statistical methods when needed.

5. Continue professional development through self-learning.

6. Follow ethical, legal & safety guidelines in all practice settings.

7. Further develop skills of market management.

8. Manage time effectively.

9. Demonstrate writing, summarization and presentation skills when needed.

10. Further develop problem solving skills including decision making & critical thinking. ​

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PO.BOX : 3720, PC 112

email : ochs.pharmacyprogram@gmail.com

Phone Number : +968 24 560990