Philosophy and values for pharmacy students: attempting to meet a need.

Some educators over the last few years have been highly critical of the fact that pharmacy curricula leave so little time for personal enrichment and the development of a sense of responsible citizenry in the student. While humanities courses have great potential to address these needs, they are often ineffective because they are not distributed across the curriculum in any meaningful way. The following article sets out the design and the main components of a "philosophy and values" seminar, strategically placed for upperclassmen at a small pharmacy college, which involves students in an examination of values as well as an exposure to technological dilemmas against the backdrop of philosophical ideas and value systems. The effect of the seminar on students over the last five years is also discussed and the suggestion made the seminars and courses like the one described here can contribute much to broadening the horizons of the future pharmacist.