The entering pharmacy learner will be introduced to the profession of pharmacy and other related healthcare professions in the first semester of this two course series. Learners will become acquainted with pharmacy career opportunities and pathways, and learn the importance of leadership, professionalism, and involvement in pharmacy organizations. Learners will begin the process of becoming a healthcare team member by preparing self and thinking as a team member. Learners will explore the roles, responsibilities, and values of other health care providers to prepare for team-based provision of care. Learners will gain insight into self and professional goals through reflection. Finally learners will familiarize themselves with the basics (names, classes, formulations) of the most commonly prescribed medications.
Learners will be introduced to the basic elements of the immune system and host defense. They will gain knowledge of the mechanisms of immunity which act in a wide range of clinical conditions, including: protection against infectious agents; rejection of tumors; transplantation of tissues and organs; autoimmune and other immunopathologic conditions; and allergy.
Learners will explore the fundamental biochemical principles underlying cellular physiological and biological processes. They will gain knowledge of biomacromolecules mainly from a structural point of view. Learners will gain insight into molecular metabolic and biosynthetic pathways in order to provide a foundation for understanding disease states, mechanism of drug action, and drug metabolism.
Learners will examine the fundamentals of drug delivery and pharmaceutical dosage forms. They will be introduced to the physico-chemical and biological principles, pharmaceutical theories, terminology, and methodologies involved in drug delivery systems. Learners will be exposed to the basic principles related to the formulation, preparation, and effectiveness of pharmaceutical dosage forms. They will relate pharmaceutical nomenclature, numerical expressions, measurement equivalents, problem analysis, and reasoning to the design and preparation of liquid and parenteral dosage forms.
Learners will examine the legal, practical, and scientific elements of preparation of drug products and pharmaceutical delivery systems. They will apply their knowledge of physicochemical principles to the preparation of various dosage forms. Learners will focus on the design, preparation techniques, evaluation, and use of liquid dosage forms. Calculations, metrology, and laboratory exercises will be emphasized.
Learners will explore the major theories, principles and legal constructs of ethical pharmacy practice. They will also have the opportunity to practically apply these ethical principles and legal concepts in pharmacy situations that encompass the rights and responsibilities of patients, pharmacists and other health care entities. Learners will begin to appreciate the relationship of ethics and ethical decision making, within legal constructs, of a health care provider in a culturally diverse population.
Learners will become familiar with aspects of public health, health services, and policy, including health services administration, environmental health, and health promotion. They will be exposed to and gain understanding of the roles of public and private insurers, managed care, pharmaceutical industry, and indigent care programs in health care delivery at a local, national and international level. Learners will be introduced to the incidence and problems associated with misuse and abuse in the health care system.
Learners will explore the study of measurement units, numerical conversion or equivalency factors, and mathematical solving methods that are common and vital to the safe and accurate practice of pharmacy. Learners will focus on pharmaceutical nomenclature, measurement constants or equivalents, calculation formulas and methods, and problem analysis and solving. They will be introduced to prescription interpretation, prescription notation and abbreviations, basic pharmaceutical calculations, statistics, and the mathematics of chemical kinetics, pharmaceutics, and pharmacokinetics.
Learners will be introduced to a variety of concepts and skills in the area of health care communications. Learners will explore effective communication methods for creating positive, therapeutic relationships. Learners will gain insight into interprofessional collaborations between pharmacists and other health care providers. They will learn to apply written and verbal communication skills to facilitate a climate of empathy, shared decision making, mutual support, and trust with families and other caretakers. Learners will develop the ability to effectively interact with low literacy and non-English speaking patients. Cultural competence will be introduced to aid interactions and communications with patients possessing diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors. Skills in interviewing, active listening and empathy, assertiveness, and problem-solving will be emphasized.
Learners will gain insight into the basic principles and mechanisms involved in the progression of normal health to disease. The etiology, pathogenesis, and manifestation of select disorders will be explored. Learners will also focus on the rationale behind therapeutic intervention of select disease states.
Learners will comprehend the basic principles and processes involved in DNA replication and gene expression. They will explore how DNA variations are important in understanding the genetic basis of disease and individual responses to environmental factors. In addition, they will explore normal variations in biological processes between individuals and examine the effects of genetic variation on development and drug responses. They will also focus on the psychosocial response to the disease process and physiologic markers of that process.
Learners will continue the study of physiochemical principles, pharmaceutical dosage forms, and drug delivery systems in this second course of the two-course sequence. Learners will apply physical chemical theories and concepts in the design and development of pharmaceutical formulations with emphasis on dispersion systems, semisolid dosage systems, and solid dosage systems. Learners will be introduced to the design and evaluation of dosing regimens and dosage forms that overcome barriers, optimize drug action, and minimize adverse effects. Learners will become familiar with the biochemical principles involved in the development of biotechnological pharmaceuticals. Chemical kinetics with respect to the stability of drug products will be discussed. Learners will have the opportunity to learn the impact of the various physicochemical properties of drugs, and the physiological and pathological conditions that influence drug absorption processes.
Learners will examine the legal, practical, and scientific elements of preparation of drug products and pharmaceutical delivery systems. They will apply their knowledge of physicochemical principles to the preparation of various dosage forms. Learners will focus on the design, preparation techniques, evaluation, and use of solid/semi-solid dosage forms. Calculations, metrology, and laboratory exercises will be emphasized.
Learners will gain an understanding of how pharmacoeconomic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes relate to the provision of pharmacy care in various health care areas. They will review trends in innovative service provision, examine systems for patient care improvement, describe key concepts in outcomes management, and discuss successful cases from the professional literature.
Learners will review the selection of nonprescription products for the self-treatment of common disorders. Learners will become prepared to differentiate patients who can safely and effectively be treated with nonprescription treatments to those who need referral for further evaluation. Learners will familiarize themselves with nonprescription medications, herbals, vitamins, homeopathic products, and medical devices used by patients for self-treatment of common disorders.
The pharmacy learner will continue to be introduced to various pharmacy career paths and opportunities, examine the history of pharmacy and explore more healthcare professions in this second course of the two course series. Learners will become acquainted with pharmacy career opportunities and pathways, and learn the importance of leadership, professionalism, and involvement in pharmacy organizations. They will examine the historical evolution of the pharmacist’s role from one focused on drug compounding and distribution to a patient-centered practice model and interprofessional collaboration. Learners will continue the process of thinking as a team member by reviewing similarities and differences in communication techniques among various healthcare professionals. Learners will gain insight into self and professional goals through reflection.
In this early exposure, learners will begin to build a knowledge base of institutional pharmacy practice. Learners will gain insight and develop a sense of involvement in institutional pharmacy practice by applying basic pharmacy care within various aspects of the health system. Through observation and participation, learners will explore the various facets of health system pharmacy practice by integrating communication skills and relating didactic instruction to clinical involvement, humanistic care of patients, and social awareness of unmet medical needs. This may include, but is not limited to: patient care; medication-related services; screening for medical problems using a collaborative approach; and working within organizational structures with varying management styles. Learners will also develop an appreciation of various practice modalities, inclusive of, but not limited to: prescriber order entry systems, electronic medical records, prescription automation and informatics, purchasing, formulary control, medical teams, research, and committees. Learners will continue to gain insight into self and professional goals through reflection and on-going development of professional portfolios. Learners will give presentations at the end of the semester.
In addition to curricular requirements, learners are required to satisfy professional development requirements. These program requirements have been selected by the College of Pharmacy to foster personal and professional growth and development. Learners will be required to develop and utilize electronic portfolios to document professional experiences (e.g., meetings, activities, assignments), track community service, and reflect upon and assess learning activities and experiences. The Professional Development series is delivered in a longitudinal, theme-based approach throughout the PharmD curriculum.
