Pharmacy Is an Applied Discipline: The Baumkuchen Layer Model of Curriculum Design

Pharmacy education faces significant challenges, particularly in keeping up with the rapidly evolving health care landscape due to the expansion of information and technology. The pressure to "teach everything" risks curriculum overload and detracts from defining core knowledge essential for pharmacists. This commentary advocates for a comprehensive definition of pharmacist knowledge as a framework to reorganize pharmacy education, aligning with knowledge domains outlined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It proposes the Baumkuchen Layer Model, a metaphor inspired by the German layer cake, to integrate academic discipline classification with a hierarchical knowledge structure. This approach ensures a solid foundation for students, enabling them to engage with increasingly complex concepts, thus preparing them to navigate modern health care complexities, contribute to patient care, and support public health initiatives.