First-year PharmD students are being introduced to the profession and the college during a series of sessions over the next two weeks. The sessions include an orientation, professional and self-development, patient screening trainings, a day of service, and mentoring and networking events.
The Professional Engagement course kicks off the Learning and Living Curriculum, which will expand upon techniques that have been used successfully in the college for many years. It is transformative, patient-focused, and student-centered.
Unique elements of the Learning and Living Curriculum include:
- The two-week Professional Engagement Period.
- Aligned Component Course series (ACCs): Classes are now organized by disease state and will be team-taught. Instead of having a stand-alone courses such as pathology (disease causes and their behaviors) and pharmacology (the uses, effects and modes of actions of drugs) with one instructor, a disease state will be used as the theme to tie former stand-alone subjects together.
- Active learning strategies: Instructors will move away from a “sage on the stage” role into that of a “guide on the side”: Something that works better for a younger, more technologically-savvy generation. Student pre-class assignments will teach them concepts, while in class they will dive more deeply into the material, often in small groups. Students will apply, analyze and evaluate the material with the help of the teacher and other students.
- Professional discovery: Across their years in the college, PharmD students in small groups will learn about the scientific process, develop a scientific project and present findings.
- Interprofessional education: An essential piece of the Learning and Living Curriculum is having pharmacy students and other health sciences students collaborate.
- Greater ability to specialize: There will be more flexibility for students seeking dual degrees and additional specialization.
The class of 2019 formal traditional academic classes start on Aug. 31 following the White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 29. Classes for the second- and third-year students start on Aug. 24.
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