Postgraduate education and staff development in Spain

The evolution of the number of hospital pharmacists and pharmacy services in Spanish hospitals is presented and compared with different European countries. The reasons and regulations that have motivated this improvement also are explained. The program for residency training in accredited hospital pharmacies is discussed. In Spain, three years of residency are necessary to become a hospital pharmacy specialist. The Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (AEFH) developed workshops, following the criteria of the World Health Organization, in order to produce an education guidelines document for residency training programs. These educational objectives are presented and the lack of support from Spanish schools of pharmacy is emphasized.