Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Pharmacy held its inaugural Pharmacy Education Conference, QPEC, bringing together colleagues from pharmacy education and practice to discuss how the profession can prepare its next generation.
The programme explored some of the questions currently shaping pharmacy education: how students gain meaningful practical experience, learn alongside other healthcare professionals and prepare for increasingly digital and clinically complex roles.
Explaining the thinking behind QPEC, Fiona Hughes, Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, said:
“We established QPEC to provide a forum where colleagues from across pharmacy education and practice can come together to share ideas, learn from one another and explore how we can collectively prepare the next generation of pharmacists. For our inaugural conference, the ambition was that attendees leave feeling inspired, connected and equipped with new perspectives that will positively influence their own teaching, learning or practice.”
From education to professional practice
Preparing pharmacists for their careers does not end when their academic training is complete. As Fiona explained:
“As students move into professional practice, support extends beyond academic preparation. New pharmacists need opportunities to develop confidence, access mentorship, reflect on their experiences and continue learning within supportive professional environments. By working together across education and practice sectors, we can help ensure graduates are ready not only to meet today's challenges, but also to lead innovation within the profession in the future.”
This responsibility is shared across education, employers and the wider pharmacy sector. The environments pharmacists enter, and the flexibility, development and support available to them, will influence not only how they work, but how they progress and contribute to the future of the profession.
At Locate a Locum, we believe workforce planning must consider both sides of that relationship: helping pharmacy organisations respond to changing service demands while supporting pharmacy professionals to find suitable opportunities and build careers that reflect their skills, ambitions and circumstances.
Technology has a role to play, but its value should extend beyond filling an immediate staffing gap. Used well, it can give pharmacy professionals greater visibility and choice over how they work, while helping employers build a more responsive and sustainable workforce. QPEC created a valuable space for education and practice to come together, share what is working and consider what the next generation will need from the profession they are entering. Locate a Locum was a sponsor of QPEC 2026.