Developing a competent, confident and professional pharmacy workforce is essential to the profession’s future. However, achieving this requires more than academic training alone. Structured mentorship, effective supervision and meaningful workplace-based learning are critical to preparing interns and early-career pharmacists for professional practice.

This session will explore the value of empowering learners through strong mentorship and supervision, the role of experiential learning in developing professionalism, and lessons from international pharmacy internship models. Drawing on local and global perspectives, the discussion will examine how tutors, preceptors, responsible pharmacists and workplace supervisors across community, hospital, manufacturing, wholesale and other practice settings can contribute to workforce development. Ultimately, the session will highlight strategies to strengthen the transition from student to competent healthcare professional.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain the roles of mentorship, supervision and workplace-based learning in developing competent and professional pharmacy practitioners.
• Identify best practices from local and international internship and training models that support workforce development.
• Recognise the contribution of tutors, preceptors, responsible pharmacists and supervisors in fostering professional growth, readiness for practice and lifelong learning.

Key Take-Home Messages

• Effective mentorship and supervision are fundamental to developing confident, competent and ethical pharmacy professionals.
• Workforce development is a shared responsibility that extends across community, hospital, wholesale, manufacturing, academia and other pharmacy sectors.
• Strong internship and training programmes can enhance professional identity, improve readiness for practice and strengthen the future pharmacy workforce.