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IPSF

International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF)


IPSF was founded in 1949 by a group of pharmacy students in London. The Federation represents approximately 300,000 students from 43 different countries. The Federation is fostered by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), with whom links remain strong. The objective of IPSF is to study and promote the interests of pharmaceutical students and to encourage international co-operation among them. The IPSF has 4 official languages : English, French, German and Spanish.

There are many ways in which the Federation carries out its objectives:

IPSF holds an annual Congress each year (usually in August), where about 250 pharmacy students from all over the world meet for educational symposia, workshops, lecture slots, IPSF business and various social and cultural events. the next IPSF Congress will be held in August from the 16th to 26th August 1997, in Vancouver, Canada.

Perhaps the most exciting IPSF activity is the Student Exchange Program. The program allows a pharmacy student from one country to live and work in a pharmacy setting in another country for a period of up to three months during the whole year. There are more than 40 countries currently participating in this program.

Another activity that is offered by the Federation is the International Patient Counseling Event. During counseling a patient the students should learn to use and increase his communication skills to ensure maximum benefit for the patient. This event takes place during the annual congress with more than 60 students usually participating.

IPSF has good contacts with then World Health Organisation (WHO), and through this IPSF is able to study the happenings in the international health care system. Contacts have been established with UNESCO, and IPSF together with the other IMISO partners are working on a Higher Education Project.

IPSF is a Full Member of the Intersectorial Meeting of International Students Organisations (IMISO) and works in close co-operation with the other partners, AIESEC (business students), ELSA (law students), IAAS (agriculture students), and IFMSA (medical students) . Through IMISO about 6 million students in 90 countries can be reached.

Nature and aims

Nature
IPSF is a non-political, independent, non-profit making student run organisation.

Aims
  • To establish a permanent form of contact with representative organisations of pharmacy students
  • To promote the exchange of ideas by international correspondance and by encouraging full dissemination of scientific and professional knowledge
  • To encourage the formation and development of national pharmacy student organisations
  • To collect opinions and information of pharmaceutical education with the aim of attaining unification of standards
  • Organising annual international pharmaceutical conferences
  • To encourage and promote international visits and exchanges
  • To publish IPSF News Bulletins and project updates
  • To co-operate with other international organisations on a scientific and cultural plane

Structure

Membership
There are four categories of membership :

  1. Full Members (FM) are national pharmacy organisations representing the majority of pharmacy students in that country
  2. Members in Association (MiA) are schools of pharmacy which may or may not be in member countries
  3. Individual Members (IM) are pharmacy students or pharmacists up to four years after graduation who may or may not be from member countries.
  4. Alumni Members (AM) are "older" pharmacists who wish to support and advance the aims of the Federation, but who do not want to actively participate in IPSF.
  5. Honorary Life Members (HLMs). Honorary Membership of the Federation is awarded by the General Assembly to individuals who have givien outstanding service to IPSF over a number of years.

The fees for Individual Membership to IPSF are:

- 1 year membership = 40 Swiss Francs

- 2 year membership = 70 Swiss Francs

- 5 year membership = 150 Swiss Francs

Only Full Members (FMís) have voting rights

Decision making
The General Assembly, meeting once a year in August, is the decision making body of IPSF. All Full Members and the Executive carry the right to vote and propose motions. Any member carries the right to address the assembly.

Management

The IPSF is run by a six membered Executive Committee consisting of;

  • President
  • Secretary General
  • Treasurer
  • Chairperson of Public Relations
  • Chairperson of Information and Education
  • Chairperson of Student Exchange

Various offices including a Translation Office, a membership promotion committee and a Reception Committee also aid the smooth running of the Federation. Sub-committees work on specific projects, with Continental, National and Local groups generally reflecting that of the International Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee, Sub-Committees and Members carry out the activities of IPSF which are co-ordinated by the Executive Body. Elections of the International Executive Board are held at the General Assembly in August.

Activities

Key Area Activities
  • IPSF's key area activities include:
  • Student Exchange;
  • Pharmacy Continuing Education and Supplementary Training;
  • Public Health;
  • Educational Standards and Information Resources.

Student Exchange(SE)

The SE Program

Pharmacy students have the unique opportunity to experience and learn about pharmacy on an international level, and at the same time broadening their own views and culture, as well as seeing a foreign country. This program is one of the most exciting aspects of IPSF. It enables students to live and work in a foreign country at a minimal cost. Participants have the chance to experience the way in which pharmacy is practiced in another place on a firsthand level. They are able to meet with pharmacy students from different places and exchange ideas and information. IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY NOT TO BE MISSED!!!!!!!

Who may participate?

  • Pharmacy students from IPSF member countries
  • Pharmacy students from other countries, as long as they become IPSF Individual Members (IM)
  • Pharmacists from any country, up to four years after qualifying, as long as they become IPSF Individual Members (IM)

Countries which participate in the SE Program

Simply click on the country you are interested in visiting as part of the Student Exchange Programme, and you will receive more information. The information is regularly updated. The documents are presented as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. Your browser will have to be configured to either directly read pdf files or save them to disk for viewing with Acrobat Reader.

Austria Belgium Brazil Bulgaria
Canada Catalonia Costa Rica Croatia
Czech Republic Egypt El Salvador Finland
Germany Ghana Great Britain Guatemala
Honduras Hungary Iceland Ireland
Israel Kenya Latvia Lithuania
Macedonia Malta Norway Peru
Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia
Slovenia South Africa Spain Sudan
Sweden Switzerland Tanzania The Netherlands
Turkey USA Zimbabwe

How to participate?

Contact the IPSF Student Exchange Officer in your country for more information or an application form. If you would like to become an invidual member of IPSF, the please contact the IPSF Secretariat for more information, and an application form.

See last entry for all contact information!

Pharmacy Continuing Education and supplementary training

IPSF is involved in various activites asuch as arranging events to encourage patient orientated pharmacy by arranging training in, e.g. patient counseling. there is now an international patient counseling event held every year and national organisations are encouraged to do the same. Various workshops, congresses and symposia are held, some in conjunction with other organisations.

One of the ongoing projects is the IPSF AIDS Awareness Campaign. IPSF is attempting to determine existing projects amongst pharmacy students inorder to provide countires which have no activity in this area with ideas. IPSF member countries participating in the second stage of the campaign are generally targeting primary school children. the whole idea is to have young people addressing the younger genration which in turn has a larger impact.

Educational standards

IPSF is involved with the Pharmacy 2000 Project. We have surveyed the pharmacy education and undergraduate curricula in member and non-member countries to determine differences in education around the world. This is an ongoing project focusing not only on education but also pre-registration training and the role of the pharmacist. A publication is available showing results of this survey. With the increase in flow of pharmacists and students from country to country, IPSF hopes to be involved in the determining of standards. The final phase of this project is going to be a survey into the fact whether our education prepares us for our profession as a pharmacist.

IPSF is currently working together with UNESCO and the other IMISO Partners on Ô The Social Role and the Employment of Graduates in the 21st Century Ô which links the 50th anniversary debate on Higher Education, the Student forum ( 1996 - 2001 ) and also the preparations for the proposed UNESCO World conference on Higher Education (1998).

43rd IPSF Congress in Vancouver, Canada

The 43rd Annual Congress of IPSF will be held in Vancouver, Canada from 16th to 26th August 1997. It promises to be an extremely exciting Congress with relevant workshops, a Symposium on 'The Prescribing Authority of the Pharmacist', and a poster event titled 'Biotechnology and the Pharmacist'. The General Assembly and the USP Patient Counselling Event will also take place during the Congress.

Of course there will also be a social programme organised including day trips and sightseeing so that delegates can get a feel for the city of Vancouver and its surroundings. Social events will include a traditional Native American evening, the infamous International Evening and the Development Fund Auction.

About 200 delegates from 40 countries are expected, which will make this Congress a truly international gathering.

For more information, please have a look at the conference web page or contact the Chairperson of the 1997 Reception Committee - Cory Proctor

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR IPSF

President: Alison Sutherland (South Africa)

Secretary General: Sally Arnison (Great Britain)

Treasurer: Garwyn Morris (Great Britain)

Chairperson of Information and Education: Peter Segbor (Ghana)

Chairperson of Public Relations: Pierre Badenhorst (South Africa)

Chairperson of Student Exchange: Inka Pulliainen (Finland)

Co-opted member: Helena Ferreira (Portugal)

Permanent contact address for IPSF and Executive:

If you would like more information about IPSF, please contact us at the address below, there is somebody waiting for your call!

IPSF Secretariat

Andries Bickerweg 5

2517 JP Den Haag

The Netherlands

Tel: +31 70 363 1925

Fax: +31 70 363 3914

E-mail:IPSF@fip.nl (Please Note: the subject line of the email message should be IPSF)


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