Career Exploration
The initial experience in the IPPE Program is completed by first-year student pharmacists. This experience allows the student pharmacist to observe and interact with a pharmacist for 6 hours in each of 4 different practice settings, plus a block of time to spend with his/her faculty mentor. The practice settings include community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, ambulatory care, acute care medicine and other elective practice settings. Student pharmacists participate in discussion sessions with classmates and faculty which focus on relevant topics for pharmacy practice. Additionally, the students spend time with their assigned faculty mentor and participate in written and oral reflection. Student pharmacists complete this experience in either the fall or spring semester of the P1 year.
Hospital and Community
The second Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience consists of 2 experiences, an introduction to community pharmacy practice and an introduction to hospital pharmacy practice. Both introductory courses focus on the medication distribution system. The student pharmacist spends 3 weeks (120 hours) in a community pharmacy and 3 weeks (120 hours) or 10 weeks (120 hours) in a hospital pharmacy. These are experiences that take place the summer before or after the P2 year, the fall or spring of the P2 year, or the winter break of the P2 year.
Clinical
The third Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE Clinical) is a prelude to the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences. This experience involves a P3 student pharmacist observing and participating with a P4 student pharmacist completing an APPE with a patient care focus. Student pharmacists prepare a case write-up, present the case verbally to faculty at the college, write a SOAP note for the care, and identify drug information inquiries from the case.
Continuing Professional Development
The Continuing Professional Development course occurs over the first 3 years of the curriculum. This course requires the student pharmacist to complete hours outside the classroom setting in 3 areas: professional leadership (10 hour minimum), professional service (20 hour minimum), and community engagement (no minimum) learning activities. The student completes a total of 30 hours in these activities by December of the P3 year. Student pharmacists meet with their faculty mentor during the P3 year.