Lebanon is a small country in the Middle East with a surface area of 10,452 km² and a population of around 4 million. The history of pharmacy education in Lebanon dates back to 1871, when the American Protestant missionaries established the first school of pharmacy at what is now the American University of Beirut¹ (AUB), and to 1889, when the French Catholic missionaries established the second school of pharmacy at Saint-Joseph University² (USJ). The pharmacy program at AUB was discontinued during the Lebanese Civil War in 1977. Today, Lebanon is home to five private pharmacy schools: USJ, Beirut Arab University, Lebanese American University (LAU), and the newly established Lebanese International University and Jinan University. Lebanon is also home to one public pharmacy school, Lebanese University. These six pharmacy schools will soon account for more than 400 graduates every year. As of August 2011, there were 6056 pharmacists, 2372 community pharmacies, and 233 health-system pharmacies registered at the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists.³ The vast majority of registered pharmacists practice in a community or hospital pharmacy (51%), 16% work for the pharmaceutical industry, and 6% are affiliated with academic or governmental centers.³

The growing number of graduates and the lack of new practice settings exacerbated by a weak economy are factors likely to induce a significant decrease in job opportunities and satisfaction.⁴ A potential solution to this problem is the creation of opportunities for graduates to practice clinical pharmacy. Although all pharmacy schools in Lebanon are offering their students a variety of didactic and experiential courses to prepare them for a career in clinical pharmacy, the school of pharmacy at LAU has been focusing on this area of practice since the inception of its doctor of pharmacy program and its accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education in 2002. Several LAU graduates have been pursuing residency training in the United States and have been instrumental in promoting clinical pharmacy education, practice, and research in Lebanon. The school of pharmacy at USJ, in collaboration with its affiliated teaching hospital Hôtel-Dieu de France and schools of pharmacy in France, has also been promoting clinical pharmacy by offering certificates, master’s degrees, and postgraduate residency training in hospital pharmacy practice.

A career in clinical pharmacy is looking promising in Lebanon. As of August 2011, seven pharmacists certified by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties in pharmacotherapy, psychiatric pharmacy, and/or nutrition support were practicing in Lebanon.⁵ Clinical faculty members from six schools of pharmacy are precepting students and interacting with health care professionals in a variety of practice settings: community, ambulatory, hospital, and long-term care settings. If given the opportunity to be widely implemented, clinical pharmacy services have the potential to create several opportunities for pharmacists in this country.

1. American University of Beirut. History. Available at www.aub.edu.lb/main/about/Pages/history.aspx. Accessed November 1, 2011.
2. Saint-Joseph University. History. Available at www.usj.edu.lb/en/files/history.html. Accessed October 12, 2011.
3. Lebanese Order of Pharmacists. Available at www.opl.org.lb. Accessed November 1, 2011.
4. Salameh P, Hamdan I. Pharmacy manpower in Lebanon: an exploratory look at work-related satisfaction. Res Social Adm Pharm 2007;3:336–50.
5. Board of Pharmacy Specialties. Find a Board Certified Pharmacist. Available at www.bpsweb.org/resources/find_bcp.cfm. Accessed November 1, 2011.

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