Friday, January 29, 2010
PRINCESS ANNE, MD-The new Doctor of Pharmacy Program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore is approved to admit its first class for the fall 2010 as a result of being recently granted Pre-candidate accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
First in a three-step process, Pre-candidate status is awarded by the ACPE Board of Directors to a new program that has not yet enrolled students.
“This first accreditation step is critical in allowing the UMES School of Pharmacy to pursue its strategic plan of growth and development for the Doctor of Pharmacy Program,” said Dr. Nicholas Blanchard, dean and professor, UMES School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.
The UMES Pharm.D. Program expects to enroll an initial class of 60 students, with enrollment reaching 180 by the third year of the program.
Once students are enrolled in the program, an on-site evaluation will take place by the ACPE to consider advancing the program to the Candidate accreditation status for programs with students attending classes, but have yet to have a graduating class. Full accreditation, the final step, will occur if candidate status is granted, the program develops as planned and has met all ACPE standards for accreditation and has graduated its first class. Graduates are then eligible to be licensed pharmacists by examination with respective state boards of pharmacy.
“The coming to fruition of the establishment of an accredited Doctor of Pharmacy Program is the fulfillment of the efforts of many people at UMES and the community who lent their support to the effort. I want to thank our many supporters, among them our elected officials, who wrote letters and advocated for UMES’ Doctor of Pharmacy Program,” said Thelma B. Thompson, president, UMES. “UMES’ goal is to offer an entry level professional degree that will graduate knowledgeable and compassionate students able to deliver comprehensive pharmaceutical care, especially in rural and underserved areas of the Eastern Shore.”
According to a recent report by the University System of Maryland, the state imports approximately 50 percent of its pharmacists from out of the state. A November 2005 Department of Labor Occupational Skill Shortage Assessment Report predicts a national shortfall of some 157,000 pharmacists by 2020.
Students eligible for admission into the program must hold a relevant degree or successfully complete the pre-pharmacy curriculum, which consists of two years of coursework that provides solid knowledge of biology, chemistry, mathematics and the social sciences.
For more information about the UMES Pharm.D. Program, contact Celia Williams-Fowlkes at 410-651-8354.
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Gail Stephens, assistant director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-651-7580, gcstephens@umes.edu.
