Educational Framework

As reflected in the Pharm.D. learning outcomes, the Touro College of Pharmacy has defined the general educational and professional outcomes and abilities expected of today’s graduates. The curriculum is designed so our graduates have a full understanding of the foundations of the pharmaceutical sciences, clinical pharmacy practice, and patient care. With pharmacy practice evolving rapidly, we regularly review and update our curriculum and the structure of our program to make sure our graduates are fully prepared and trained to succeed in the field. The curriculum was designed to prepare students for an entry-level position in any aspect of the profession. Moreover, the curriculum prepares students to continue their education through the pursuit of a graduate degree or by participating in residency and/or fellowship programs.

The Pharm.D. curriculum of the Touro College of Pharmacy consists of four years of intensive study in the classroom, laboratory and in pharmacy practice settings. The first five semesters, known as the Pre-Advanced Pharmacy Practice Curriculum (Pre-APPE), consists of coursework that is centered primarily in the classroom and laboratories. The Pre-APPE curriculum consists of studies in the pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences that are of such depth, scope, timeliness, quality, sequence and emphasis as to provide the foundation for and support of the intellectual and clinical objectives of the student pharmacist. Studies in the behavioral, social, and administrative pharmacy sciences provide the basis for the student pharmacist’s understanding and influencing human behavior in health and disease, in the management processes of pharmacy, and in pharmacy’s interrelationships with other health care professionals.

Studies in pharmacy practice develop the student pharmacist’s abilities in implementing the Pharmacist Patient Care Process, the model of practice that has been adopted by every major pharmacy professional association. Pharmacy Practice coursework allows for the development of understanding of important disease states and rational therapeutics of these conditions. The coursework is designed to develop the abilities of students to utilize pathophysiologic, pharmacotherapeutic and pharmacoeconomic principles in utilizing the Pharmacist Patient Care Process for patient management. This includes collection of necessary subjective and objective information about the patient; assessment of this information to prioritize problems and achieve optimal care; development of individualized patient-centered care plans; implementation of care plans in collaboration with other health care professionals; and the monitoring and evaluation of the care plan. Additionally, studies in pharmacy practice prepare the student pharmacist to physically assess and counsel patients who are about to receive or are receiving medications, and to administer medications via various routes such as injection and inhalation. In addition to the required coursework students must complete two didactic pharmacy elective courses for a total of six credits. These courses may be completed in either semester of the second year or the first semester of the third year.

Additionally, in the summers between the first and second year and between the second and third year of the Pre-APPE Curriculum, students obtain their first experiences in actual pharmacy settings. These are referred to as Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences, or IPPEs. Introductory pharmacy practice experiences are offered during the early phases of the curriculum for purposes of providing transitional experiential activities and active learning. IPPEs offer students the opportunity to develop care plans for patients, counsel patients about prescription and nonprescription items, interact with other health-care professionals, and assist in the dispensing of prescriptions.

In the spring semester of the third-year, students begin their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences, or APPEs, that continue through the summer of the third year and throughout the fourth year. During this time students return to the College on an occasional basis for the Seminars in Pharmacy Practice sequence which keeps them apprised of the latest developments in the practice of pharmacy. The APPEs provide students with active participation and in-depth experiences to acquire practice skills and judgment to develop the level of confidence and responsibility needed for independent and collaborative pharmacy practice. These experiences serve as a capstone and require students to utilize all knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors previously learned. The required experiences ensure that students have developed the competency to participate in the drug use decision making process, to select the correct medication and dosage for a given situation, to interact with health-care professionals and peers, to communicate with patients and/or care-givers, to solve issues related to the rational use of medications and document them, to utilize drug information skills to respond to queries, to assist pharmacists in dispensing commercially available as well as extemporaneously prepared medications, and to develop in- depth pharmaceutical care plans. The elective APPEs, of which three are required, continue this process, yet allow students to fulfill individual professional needs.

During the final few weeks before completing the program, students return to the College full-time for comprehensive review in the Pharmacy Practice Primers and Advanced Pharmacy Calculations courses.