Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) – Years 1-3
Throughout the course of the first three professional years in the School of Pharmacy, students will experience a variety of practice environments. IPPE rotation sites are located throughout the tri-state area, within easy driving distance from the Marshall School of Pharmacy.
PHAR 811: Community IPPE I (P1-year)
Introduction to community pharmacy practice in a supervised setting. Students are exposed to the roles and responsibilities of the community pharmacist; the importance of effective communication between pharmacists, patients, and other health care providers; and the application of local, state, and federal laws governing pharmacy practice. Reinforces knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the care of patients in the outpatient community setting.
PHAR 813: Community IPPE II (P2-year)
Community pharmacy practice in a supervised setting. Students are exposed to the roles and responsibilities of the community pharmacist; the importance of effective communication between pharmacists, patients and other health care providers; and the application of local, state and federal laws governing pharmacy practice. Enhances the knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the care of ambulatory patients.
PHAR 821: Institutional Practice IPPE (P1-P2)
First and second year students are introduced to institutional pharmacy practice in a supervised setting. Students are exposed to the role and responsibilities of the institutional pharmacist; the importance of effective communication between pharmacists, patients and other health care providers; and the application of local, state and federal laws governing pharmacy practice. The student will demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving, document professional practice activities and parenteral compounding abilities.
PHAR 816: Inpatient Clinical Skills IPPE (P2-P3)
Second and third year students are introduced to the clinical skills needed in an institutional (hospital) setting. Students will demonstrate the ability to develop a therapeutic plan that includes the selection of appropriate drug therapy based on patient characteristics.
PHAR 817: Outpatient Clinical Skills IPPE (Ambulatory/Primary Care) (P3)
Third year students are introduced to the clinical skills needed in a community pharmacy, ambulatory care setting, and primary care offices. Students will demonstrate the ability to develop a therapeutic plan that includes the selection of appropriate drug therapy based on patient characteristics.
PHAR 815: Practice Management IPPE (P3)
Third year students are introduced to pharmacy management practice in a supervised setting. Students are exposed to the roles and responsibilities of a pharmacy team leader, manager, or director. They will also learn about the various management strategies, tools, and responsibilities. Students will have the opportunity to apply the content they learned in Pharmacy Practice Management I and II in this practice setting. The preceptor may require students to develop a business plan or project, and will be available to provide assistance whenever it is needed.
PHAR 819: Longitudinal IPPE (P1-P3)
Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences in Longitudinal Care of the Patient provides students with pharmacy care of a patient over an extended period of time, while learning to navigate the electronic health record. Students are exposed to the role and responsibilities of the pharmacist. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the medical regimen and an understanding of why the medical regimen was or was not modified over a period of time. The student may possibly meet with the patient when the patient is physically available or via telecommunications. All students must complete the necessary VA Medical Center training, fingerprinting, and obtain remote access to the electronic health record (EHR). Failure to do so will result in grade reduction.
Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) – Year 4
The fourth year of pharmacy school consists only of advanced practice experiences. Students will explore eight five-week rotations which begin in summer after their thrid year and end the following May prior to graduation. Required areas of APPE rotations and expectations listed on the syllabi are listed below.
PHAR 881: Advanced Inpatient Clinical Skills (General Medicine)
The Advanced Inpatient Clinical Skills APPE provides students experience in a clinical, acute care / institutional, team-based environment. Students will be expected to utilize abilities learned throughout the pharmacy curriculum in order achieve the goals of the rotation. These tasks include collecting patient-specific information, evaluating and monitoring drug therapy, educating patients or caregivers, responding to drug information inquiries, and functioning effectively within a health care team. Learning will be accomplished through a variety of ways including but not limited to team rounding, written projects, oral presentations, and other pharmacy related tasks.
PHAR 882: Advanced Outpatient Clinical Skills (Ambulatory/Primary Care)
The Outpatient Clinical Skills APPE is a 5 week (200 hour course) that provides students experience in a multi-disciplinary out-patient or clinically focused ambulatory practice environment. Practice sites may include: health-system based clinics, physician/ANRP/PA group practices, managed care clinics, advanced community pharmacies, or other advanced outpatient practice that provides direct patient care. Students will be expected to actively participate in the following tasks including but not limited to: collecting patient-specific information, evaluating and monitoring drug therapy, educating patients and caregivers about medications and medication related problems, responding to drug information or medication related inquiries from health care team members, and meeting general course objectives and site-specific objectives developed by the preceptor. This course is graded as A/B/C/F.
PHAR 883:Advanced Community Pharmacy
The Advanced Community Pharmacy APPE is a 5-week (200 hour) required practice experience in a community pharmacy setting. Students will focus efforts on developing abilities to provide patient-centered pharmacy care services and patient focused dispensing services. Student activities should include many of the following: disease state management, medication therapy management (MTM), preventative health screening(s), providing and documenting immunizations, specialty compounding, and patient education/counselling, or other advanced patient care activities. Students will actively participate in activities such as health-care provider interactions, patient and caregiver interactions, and OTC/Self-Care interactions and recommendations. This course is graded as A/B/C/F.
PHAR 884: Advanced Institutional Pharmacy (Hospital Practice)
The Advanced Institutional Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) is a required 5-week experiential course in an approved health system that prepares the student to function within a hospital or health-system of integrated pharmacy services. Emphasis is placed on the preparation, distribution, and control of medications, medication monitoring, and the ability to communicate with other healthcare professionals, and the ability to work in a team. This rotation focuses on competence to practice in a hospital staffing position. It integrates problem-solving and clinical skills with the basics of inpatient medication distribution, monitoring, and control. The student is expected to demonstrate they are able to practice satisfactorily in this environment.
PHAR 885: Geriatric Pharmacy
The Geriatrics APPE is a 5-week experiential rotation that focus on provision of clinical pharmacy services in a variety of settings with a focus on care to the elderly population. These sites may include community pharmacies, specialty clinics, rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home-based consult services, and assisted living facilities (ALFs). A focus is placed on the interdisciplinary care of the geriatric population. Student pharmacists will enhance knowledge of how to assess pharmacotherapy and appropriateness of drugs, determine how safely and effectively a patient can self-administer the therapy, and how to implement plans to ensure such safe and effective use. Students will be expected to utilize, refine, and apply their knowledge base of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pathophysiology, and therapeutics to enhance the quality of pharmaceutical care of the elderly. (PR: P4 status)
PHAR 886: Diverse Populations
The Diverse Populations Pharmacy APPE is a 5-week required advanced pharmacy practice experience in a community, ambulatory, institutional or other pharmacy setting to a medically underserved population (rural health care, prison population, homeless, immigrant, economically disadvantaged, etc.). The experiential rotation focuses the student experience on providing patient-centered pharmacy care services such as disease management, medication therapy management (MTM), preventative health screenings, immunizations, specialty compounding, pain management, psychiatric pharmacy services, patient education, or other advanced patient care activities to this and other populations. A focus will be providing team-based care in a culturally sensitive, compassionate, community-oriented, and effective way to a diverse, ethnic, rural, poor, and/or indigent population(s) for a variety of disease states.
PHAR 887: 2 Electives
The APPE general electives I and II are 5 week (200 hours) experiential rotation(s) in a variety of advanced pharmacy practice settings. Each elective provides the student with highly focused experiences in a variety of unique practice settings based on the preceptor’s specialty. The student is expected to actively participate in the daily activities at the practice site to explore the student’s interest in the elective area and to develop an in-depth understanding of that area. All learning objectives indicated on this syllabus are adapted by the preceptor to fit their unique site-specific learning objectives. Students must complete 2 different elective rotations. Course is graded as A/B/C/F.
