The development of a Pharmacology module for undergraduate medical students

Teaching an experimental subject such as Pharmacology to large student classes represents a major challenge with regard to appropriate content delivery and assessment. A key skill for Medical graduates is to understand the experimental aspects of drug development to aid their decision-making during their professional lifetime. In the University of Galway, we see the 2^nd year of the curriculum as being pivotal in laying down the foundations of experimental pharmacology. Within our Semester 1 introductory module, we have developed a curriculum that is underpinned by a blend of face to face lectures, Q&A sessions, practical workshops and regular assessment of learning, which is followed in Semester 2 by a capstone task where students create a team-based presentation profiling a recently introduced drug. In conclusion, we have introduced a range of experimental elements into our Pharmacology curriculum that are valuable in developing skills that are achievable in a large class setting.