The Doctor of Pharmacy program offers a small class size (student/faculty ratio of about 6:1) and is based on a 3-year accelerated, year-round curriculum. The program seeks to provide students with a strong foundation in the pharmaceutical, social/administrative, and clinical sciences. The program emphasizes the provision of high-quality patient-centered care and medication therapy management, the development of skills for lifelong learning, and opportunities for multi-cultural development.
The faculty, through its teaching, mentoring, and scholarship, work to maximize student potential and to contribute to the advancement of the profession by preparing highly trained, culturally competent, articulate, and caring pharmacists who are potential leaders and innovators in pharmacy practice and research.
The first two academic years (SP-1 and SP-2 years) will consist of a combination of required modular (block) and longitudinal didactic courses completed in-person on the UMES campus. A four-course Skills Lab sequence runs simultaneously with the integrated block courses during each of the first two years to ensure reinforcement of knowledge and development of essential skills and entrustable professional activities. Each of the first four semesters also includes an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) completed in conjunction with an approved practice site overseen by a credentialed preceptor.
During the third year (SP-3) of the program, students complete 40 credit hours of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). Each APPE course is a full-time, 40 hours/week, supervised rotation that is 5 weeks in duration, providing 5 credits and 200 hours towards pharmacist licensure. Students must complete four required APPE rotations in advanced community, advanced institutional, acute care, and ambulatory care practice. The remaining four APPE rotations can be selected from among various electives, with at least one patient care elective and one systems elective. The final year of the curriculum also includes two longitudinal courses (PHRM795 and PHRM796) that are designed to prepare students for the transition to independent pharmacy practice and will be taken concurrently with the APPE rotations.
