Introduction
The professional program leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree and eligibility for pharmacist licensure requires a certain level of cognitive, behavioral, and technical skills and abilities inherent in a professional education. The primary role of the pharmacist is to provide safe and effective health care to the patients served. Patient safety must be considered in the selection and education of student pharmacists. Students must contribute to a safe environment through their physical and mental health and social behaviors.
All students are expected to successfully fulfill the same core educational requirements. Student pharmacists participate in active learning and experiential environments that require in-person attendance throughout the Doctor of Pharmacy program. Furthermore, student pharmacists must be able to acquire and maintain a pharmacist intern license/registration from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy during their educational program.
These technical standards are upheld for admission, progression, retention and completion of the program.
Standards that must be met, with or without reasonable accommodation:
Observation: Observation necessitates the functional use of visual, auditory and somatic senses. Students must have the ability to observe and evaluate, in classrooms and patient care areas, demonstrations, experiments and patients, including performing physical assessments. Observation of the technical quality of premanufactured as well as compounded medications is essential.
Communication Skills: As appropriate for each stage of their education, student pharmacists must communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written English; and have the proper use and recognition of nonverbal communication cues. They must be capable of completing professional communication activities in a timely manner.
Motor: Student pharmacists must have the coordination of muscular movement (with or without reasonable accommodation) to undertake the preparation of all routine forms of medication orders, the use of diagnostic equipment for patient assessment, and the direct delivery of patient therapies.
Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: As appropriate for each stage of their education, student pharmacists must demonstrate a fundamental and continuing ability to use analytical reasoning to independently and in collaboration with a health care team synthesize knowledge, solve problems, and explain health care situations. Information must be obtained, retrieved, evaluated, and delivered in an efficient and timely manner. Students must be able to demonstrate good judgment in patient care and assessment and have the ability to incorporate new and changing information obtained from the practice environment.
Behavioral and Social Attributes: Student pharmacists must demonstrate professional and ethical demeanor appropriate to their educational level. Students must be able to function within the regulatory and institutional limits of the educational environment and modify behaviors based on criticism. Students must demonstrate compassion, integrity, and a concern for others. This requires responsibility for personal action and emotional stability under the stressful conditions that may result from their professional education.
Assessment
Students are required to meet these standards at the time of admission and continuously throughout the program. Students are assessed for technical standards as follows:
- Upon admission to the program through an in-person interview
- Upon matriculation into the program through a self-assessment and attestation
- During the program through routine assessments (e.g., experiential assessments, APPE readiness assessments, performance-based assessments) and other
reporting mechanisms through the university and college
Disability Accommodations
The college of pharmacy, in conjunction with the University of Iowa’s Student Disability Services and in compliance with Section 504 of the 1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, endeavors to make reasonable accommodations to facilitate enrollment and program participation of qualified individuals with temporary or permanent disabilities. It is the student’s responsibility to notify Student Disability Services of a disability and to request reasonable accommodations.
Process Regarding Technical Standards Decisions
If a question arises about a current student’s ability to meet these technical standards, the college may investigate to determine if a student can continue in the program. The Associate Dean of Student Affairs will submit a written request to the Student Success and Progression Committee to review a student when evidence has been provided to the Associate Dean of Student Affairs that the student may not meet the technical standards. The student will be provided an opportunity to meet with a subset (i.e., 3 members) of the Student Success and Progression Committee. The SSPC will maintain notes or other record of the meeting.
After the meeting, the SSPC will convene and make a decision based on the evidence provided and information from the student interview. Students who are not able to meet the technical standards with or without reasonable accommodations will be required to take a leave of absence or withdraw, or they may be dismissed from the program. The SSPC will issue a written determination to the student, copying the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
Appeal Procedure:
Students have the right to appeal the decisions made by the Student Success and Progression Committee (SSPC) directly to the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, who will form the ad hoc Appeals Committee (described below).
A student who wishes to appeal must submit a Letter of Appeal to the Dean of the College of Pharmacy within 10 business days of their notification of the SSPC decision. Appeals must be in writing (email attachment is acceptable) and must be based on one or more of the reasons below. The Letter of Appeal must clearly state which reason(s) form the basis for the appeal and provide rationale for each identified reason.
Reasons for appeals:
- new relevant facts unavailable at the time of the SSPC determination
- inadequate consideration of specific information by the committee
- the committee did not follow appropriate procedures, such that the wrong determination resulted
- the committee’s action was unduly severe
The Appeals Committee will be an ad hoc committee appointed by the Dean to review and render a binding decision on the student’s appeal. The committee will be comprised of three faculty members, with at least one member from the clinical-track at the rank of associate professor or higher and at least one member a tenured, tenure track faculty member. The committee may not include anyone on the SSPC, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, or Associate Dean of Student Affairs. The Chair of the SSPC will attend the Appeals Committee meeting and present the information used by the SSPC in making their recommendation. The Appeals Committee’s decision is final.
The Dean will provide the Appeals Committee with the SSPC determination and the student record reviewed by the SSPC. The committee will meet and deliberate for this specific purpose and issue a final decision in writing within 10 business days from the receipt of the Letter of Appeal. The committee will issue the Letter of Appeal to the Dean, copying the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, who will provide it to the student promptly thereafter.
Students dissatisfied with the outcome of the collegiate appeal process may seek further review from the Office of the Provost. Please review “Student Complaints Concerning Faculty Action” policy in the Student Bill of Rights.
Individuals with questions or concerns about their ability to meet these standards are encouraged to contact the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
Approved 17 October 2003 Faculty meeting.
Reviewed, edited, and reapproved July 11, 2023