The Future of Pharmacy Training with Simulated Medication

Traditionally, pharmacy students learned about preparing and dispensing medicinal drugs by studying from books and listening to class lectures. Nowadays, simulated medication has amplified pharmacy training with a more realistic and hands-on approach.

Pharmacy students undergoing pharmacy training are about to see some innovations and improvements in their teaching over the next several years. Most of these innovations and improvements revolve around simulation medications and other medical simulation technologies. 

Simulated medications allow pharmacy students to develop the following knowledge and skills in a controlled, risk-free environment:

• Learn to prepare medication by utilizing the information on the simulated medication packaging and labels.
• Learn to calculate dosage amounts according to the prescription instructions from the patient’s doctor.
• Learn to administer medications to patients.
• Learn how to find the expiration date on the medication packaging and verify that the medication has not expired before administering it to patients.

Technological innovations and advancements in pharmacy training help students to understand their medical practice better so that they are less likely to make mistakes. The newest simulated medication technology eliminates all risks to patients by allowing pharmacy students to work with placebo medications and other harmless simulation tools for learning purposes.

Below are the top five innovations and improvements in how pharmacy students are trained with simulated medication technologies. 

1) Realistic Packaging

Medication preparation is one of the critical aspects of pharmacy training. Students must utilize their problem-solving skills, medical knowledge, and patient medical history to prepare and dispense the proper medications for patients. 

The latest simulated medications come in packaging with realistic labeling on them. The labeling contains vital information about the medication, such as the quantity, ingredients, and administration recommendations from the pharmaceutical companies. Pharmacy students will learn to effectively use this information as if they needed to prepare actual medication for a patient. 

Of course, simulated medication does not contain any authentic medicine inside the packaging. The purpose of simulated medication is to appear as realistic as possible so pharmacy students can learn from it without risking anyone else’s health and wellness. The information on the packaging gives students everything they need to learn how to prepare and calculate medication dosage amounts correctly. 

2) Simulated Vials

Vials are large medication storage containers that are also reusable. They usually contain a non-latex stopper or screw cap to seal the top and prevent the medication from getting contaminated. Pharmacy students can use simulated vials to practice multi-dosage medication management, vial handling, and injection techniques. 

Simulated vials typically contain distilled water, making them harmless to administer to patients. Pharmacy students will get hands-on experience in handling vials cautiously by carefully inserting and removing the needle from them. Some medical schools even have pharmacy students practice administering simulated vials on manikins, which is another medical simulation technology. 

3) Simulated Ampules

Ampules are much smaller storage containers than vials. For this reason, ampules are airtight glass containers commonly used to store single-dose medicines. The only time you open the ampules is when administering the medicine inside of them. Pharmacy students will learn about this aspect of ampules and so much more when they work with simulated ampules during the pharmacy training. 

New simulated ampules are sold in large quantities per box because each one is disposable after use. All simulated ampules contain distilled water but with realistic labeling and packaging to create the illusion of real medicine-filled ampules. Pharmacy students will work with many simulated ampules to practice filling, sealing, and opening them flawlessly.   

Many air-sensitive pharmaceutical drugs, including pain medications and sedatives, require airtight storage in ampules to keep them fresh. Once the temporary seal breaks on the ampules, the medicinal solution is susceptible to contamination. Pharmacy students will learn to act quickly to prevent contamination while administering the medicine for its intended purpose. 

4) Simulated Oral Medications

Simulated oral medication innovations and breakthroughs are occurring all the time. You can buy them in bulk boxes or unit doses, depending on how many you need for your medical students. Of all the simulated medications used for pharmacy training, simulated oral medications will be the most popular in the future. After all, more people consume oral medicines than any other form of medication.

Pharmacy students will learn to master calculating oral medication dosages and fulfilling prescription orders for them. Since many pharmacy technicians work in fast-paced hospital and clinical settings, pharmacy students need to learn how to calculate and dispense dosages quickly and accurately. Simulated oral medications provide all the realistic information and guidance that pharmacy students need to learn how to manage them correctly.

5) Other Medical Simulation Innovations in Pharmacy Training

Pharmacy training will eventually incorporate simulated medication with other forms of medical simulation technology for training purposes, such as manikins, virtual reality, and augmented reality. We have already touched upon pharmacy students administering simulated medication to lifeless manikins, which is a way to practice injecting medication without risking harm to human patients. 

However, the most futuristic and innovative medical simulation technologies are virtual reality and augmented reality. Pharmacy training will utilize these technologies to create various realistic scenarios where pharmacy students can practice preparing, calculating, fulfilling, dispensing, and distributing medications. 

Augmented reality combines some virtual elements with the real world to more accurately simulate a pharmacy-like setting. Virtual reality uses a 100% virtual world to achieve a similar objective. Medical schools may choose to use one or both technologies to advance pharmacy training for their students to the highest degree possible.

Conclusion

Simulated medications are the future of pharmacy training. We are already seeing its early stages right now, with a growing number of medical schools incorporating simulated medications into their pharmacy courses and lesson plans. Not only does the technology provide more realistic training to pharmacy students, but it also allows students to train on their own time to further their knowledge and skills.