Many Arabic-speaking pharmacists have arrived as refugees in Sweden during the past 2 years. The integration process is complicated, with large practical and theoretical difficulties facing Syrian pharmacists obtaining Swedish pharmacist licensure. At the same time, the lack of pharmacists in Swedish pharmacies is increasing.^1,2 The Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences has long offered continuing professional development for pharmacists and is now beginning to translate its e-learnings in pharmacotherapy into Arabic. The project was launched in collaboration with Sveriges Farmaceuter, the Swedish Pharmacists Association; Svensk Handel; and Apoteksföretagen Almega, the employers’ association for the Swedish pharmacy sector.

The purpose of the Swedish integration project is to translate and offer e-learning courses to Arabic-speaking pharmacists entering Sweden as refugees and to facilitate their attainment of Swedish pharmacist licensure. Equipped with knowledge about Swedish pharmacy and the ways in which pharmacists work in Sweden, these refugee pharmacists will find it easier to receive practical placement. Moreover, the project will help them reiterate their knowledge and better prepare for the university examinations they must complete. The way to Swedish licensure consists of:

1. Validated pharmacist examination
2. General knowledge test or supplementary courses
3. Swedish test
4. Legislation test
5. Practical placement

A large 2013 study showed that the best way for professionals to be successful when coming into Sweden as refugees is to start practicing within their profession as soon as possible.³

Swedish e-learning courses in pharmacotherapy in Arabic offer refugee pharmacists knowledge in their native language. This in turn will enable Arabic-speaking pharmacists to be in faster conformity with Swedish pharmacotherapy traditions, patient counseling, relationships with physicians, and so forth. The translated topics are as follows:

• Swedish traditions of therapy
• Legislation
• Drugs of natural origin
• Good pharmacy practice (GPP) in Sweden
• Cases with meetings and collaborations with pharmacy customers
• Swedish clinical guidelines
• Physician-pharmacist relationships
• Demarcation pharmacy/health care
• Self-care
• Scientific references
• Pharmacy – Swedish dictionary

A screenshot of an example of the courses offered is depicted in Figure 1.

The e-learning courses became accessible in January 2016. As of June 1, 816 unique users had been registered (Figure 2). This conforms with the group of pharmacists who are taking part in the government’s establishment program. These pharmacists are now living over most of the country and need not depend on, for example, living in large cities to take part in the courses (Figure 3). Almost all of the participants are from Syria and have their degrees from Damascus University. Moreover, almost all have been in practice for several years, and some were pharmacy owners in Syria.

The effort gives Arabic-speaking pharmacists entering Sweden as refugees a unique chance to start their journey to a new professional life, before they have completed their studies in the Swedish language. Bridges across linguistic and professional gaps are created, fostering pharmacy as a borderless profession. With Arabic-speaking pharmacists, Swedish pharmacies can be part of the effort to achieve good public health across cultures and languages.

Figure 1. Welcome page for one of the e-learning courses.

Figure 2. Number of unique users of the e-learning courses.

Figure 3. Domiciles in Sweden for refugee pharmacists from Syria.

1. Arbetsförmedlingen, Sweden’s Public Employment Agency, 2016. Available at www.arbetsformedlingen.se/Om-oss/For-leverantorer/For-kompletterande-aktorer-utbildningsleverantorer-och-kommuner-med-utbildningskontrakt/Snabbsparen.html. Accessed October 24, 2016.
2. Arbetsförmedlingen, Sweden’s Public Employment Agency, 2016. Available at www.arbetsformedlingen.se/Om-oss/Om-Arbetsformedlingen/Etablering-av-nyanlanda/Fragor-och-svar-om-etableringsuppdraget.html. Accessed October 24, 2016.
3. Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees. TCO Granskar: Ett Jobb Eller Rätt Jobb? 2013. Available at www.tco.se/globalassets/2013-2014_genrebilder_nyheter/1113-ett-jobb-eller-ratt-jobb_w_1.1.pdf. Accessed October 24, 2016.

Opinions, judgments, and data expressed or implied in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the policy or position of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. The American College of Clinical Pharmacy provides no warranty regarding their accuracy or reliability.