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College of Pharmacy
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INDEX |
Ronald P. Jordan, Interim Dean
Joan M. Lausier, Associate Dean
E. Paul Larrat, Associate Dean
Entering freshmen are admitted to URI’s six-year entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, described on the next pages. The college also awards two graduate degrees: the Master of Science (M.S.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in pharmaceutical sciences, offered by both departments, Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy Practice.
The six-year Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum is patterned on accepted programs of study recommended by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education, and other interested organizations. The Doctor of Pharmacy is accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois, 60602; acpe-accredit.org).
Medication therapy management is the responsible provision of drug therapy to achieve specific outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life. A pharmacist, in cooperation with a patient and other healthcare professionals, designs, implements, and monitors a plan of care that will produce desired patient outcomes. A key element in medication therapy management is that the pharmacist accepts personal responsibility in achieving the desired outcomes. In learning to provide medication therapy management, pharmacy students must exhibit the highest level of ethical behavior and moral values in all of their decision-making, as well as in their actions both in and outside of the college. Furthermore, students must acknowledge that the profession and medication therapy management are based foremost on caring, trust, and communication for the benefit of patients and society in general. All students must be committed to maintaining these standards, to fostering the professional development of other pharmacy students, and to responding appropriately when the ethical and moral standards of the profession have been breached.
Graduates of our program have a strong record of passing the national licensing examination (NABPLEX). Average scores over the past five years are in the 90 percentages, with scores for 2007 graduates taking the exam for the first time at 97.3%. The program in pharmacy provides preparation for community and institutional pharmacy practice. Students have the opportunity to take professional electives that will advance their knowledge in different areas of pharmacy, including hospital, clinical, manufacturing, managed care, drug analysis, administration, and research.
A recent survey of alumni indicates that 64% work in a community practice setting, while 11% work in hospitals. Others are pursuing advanced training in residencies (19%), fellowships (3%), and graduate school (3%). Job responsibilities vary from staff pharmacists, manager, clinical specialist, consultant, executive, to professor. Seventy-one percent agree that their educational experience at URI contributed to their leadership abilities in the profession.
Pharmacy students must request transfer from University College to the College of Pharmacy at the end of three semesters. Only those pharmacy students having a 2.50 grade point average or better in required preprofessional courses (CHM 101, 102, 112, 114, and 227; BIO 101, 121, 242, and 244; MTH 131; and MIC 201) with no grade less than C- in any of these courses, and an overall grade point average of 2.00 will be admitted at this time. Successful candidates must maintain a grade point average of 2.50 in remaining prerequisite courses (CHM 226, 228; STA 307; and BCH 311). Students who lose their seat at the end of three semesters will be considered for admission on a competitive basis along with other URI undergraduate students and transfer students from other institutions at the end of four semesters. Applicants with a grade point average of less than 2.50 for the designated preprofessional courses will not be considered for admission to the college. For purposes of admission among transfer students (both internal and external), all of the preprofessional courses listed above, plus CHM 226, 228, STA 307, and BCH 311 (or equivalent courses) must be completed. All applicants must have a 2.50 in these courses, and successful candidates will be competitively selected from the applicant pool. In addition, all students must complete WRT 106, ECN 201, COM 100, and PHL 212 as a specific component of their general education prior to admission to the professional curriculum. Beginning in the fall of 2009, PCAT exams, work experience, and letters of recommendation will be required for all transfer applicants. Please note that it is a competitive program and seats are limited. For a more detailed description of these requirements, see the Admission Web site.
Beginning in the professional curriculum third year (P1) students should have their own laptop computer for use in the classroom. There are lease and purchase options at the University Bookstore for interested students.
Unless otherwise indicated, courses offered by the college are restricted to pharmacy majors.
Students must earn a minimum grade point average of 2.00 overall and 2.20 in all professional courses in order to qualify for graduation in the Pharm.D. program. Students can repeat up to ten credits of pharmacy courses in which they received a C- or less in order to achieve the 2.20 GPA graduation requirement.
The student whose cumulative GPA in professional courses falls below a 2.00 at the end of any semester will be dismissed from the program. Students will not be allowed to proceed into their sixth-year (P4) rotations without at least a 2.00 GPA in required professional pharmacy courses.
Professional and/or legal exigencies arise from time to time which may necessitate changes in a pharmacy course, progression, and/or graduation requirements. Students should review their status with academic advisors on a timely basis and refer to current publications for updated information.
Students in certain other New England states may enroll in pharmacy under the New England Regional Student Program. (See page 32 for current changes in this program.)
Faculty
Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences: Professor Chichester, chairperson. Professors Cho, Kislalioglu, Lausier, Parang, Rodgers, Rosenbaum, Shaikh, Shimizu, Yan, and Zia; Associate Professors Rowley and Zawia; Assistant Professors Akhlaghi, Deng, King, Seeram, and Udwary; Professors Emeriti Needham and Swonger.
Pharmacy Practice: Associate Professor Kogut, chairperson. Professors Barbour, Dufresne, Hume, Larrat, Owens, and Tempkin; Associate Professors Bratberg, Charpentier, Feret, Lasky, Lin, MacDonnell, Matson, Orr, Pawasauskas, and Taveira; Assistant Professors Akus, Cohen, Cowles, Estus, Goren, LaPlante, Marcoux, Mersfelder, Quilliam, and Ward.
Six-year Entry Level Pharm.D. Curriculum Requirements
A total of 202 credits is required for graduation. Proficiency in American Red Cross standard first aid, community CPR, and physical assessment1 is also expected of each student prior to advanced practice rotation.
Experiential Rotations. Introductory and advanced experiential rotations may be scheduled at a distance from the Kingston campus. These rotations contribute importantly to the depth and breadth of the experiential program. While the college makes every effort to accommodate student requests regarding rotations, students should anticipate having some rotations assigned at a distance. For these rotations, sudents are responsible for their costs of transportation.
First Year First semester: 15 credits
CHM 101 (3), 102 (1); COM 100 or WRT 106 (3); BIO 101 (4); one 3-credit elective or PHL 212 (3); and URI 101 (1).
Second semester: 17 credits
CHM 112 (3), 114 (1); MTH 131 (3); COM 100 or WRT 106 (3); BIO 121 (4), and one 3-credit elective or PHL 212 (3).
Second YearFirst semester: 17 credits
CHM 227 (3); ECN 201 (3); MIC 201 (4); BIO 242 (3), 244 (1), and one 3-credit elective.
Second semester: 17 credits
BCH 311 (3); CHM 228 (3), 226 (2); STA 307 (3), and 6 credits of electives.
Professional Curriculum. (At this time, the professional curriculum is being modified. Presented below is a framework to show the course distribution by year.)
First Professional Year (P1) First semester: 15 credits
PHP/BPS 311 (2); BPS 301 (2), 303 (2), 305 (2), 313 (2), 318 (1), 321 (2); PHP 317 (2).
Second semester: 17 credits
PHP/BPS 310 (2); BPS 325 (2), 326 (1), 334 (2); PHP 305 (3), 316 (3), 332 (3), 340 (1)3; PHC 327 (1)2.
Second Professional Year (P2) First semester: 15 credits
PHP/BPS 409 (2), 418 (3); BPS 416 (1), 421 (2); PHP 401 (3), 413 (3), 450 (0); PHC 417 (1) 2.
Second semester: 17 credits
PHP/BPS 312 (2); BPS 322 (2), 403 (3); PHP 324 (2), 451 (0); FSN 444 (3); professional elective (3); PHC 427 (1) 2 and lab to be determined (1).
Third Profession Year (P3) First semester: 17 credits
PHP/BPS 410 (2), 515 (1); BPS 422 (2), 504 (3); PHP 414 (3), 503 (2); professional elective (3); PHC 517 (1) 2.
Second semester: 15 credits
PHP/BPS class (2); BPS 521 (3); PHP 504 (3), 513 (2), 516 (1); professional elective (3); PHC 527 (1) 2.
Fourth Professional Year (P4)
Combined summer, first, and second semester: 36 credits
To complete the curriculum, students must complete six 6-week advanced practice experiences in community (PHP 591), ambulatory care (PHP 5953), inpatient (PHP 592), institutional (PHP 5943), and two different elective areas (PHP 593) for a total of 36 credits. The rotations will take place over summer, fall, and spring semesters in any order and are all capstone requirements in the program.
Doctor of Pharmacy Professional Electives. As part of the College’s professional curriculum, students may select three courses to improve their knowledge and understanding in a variety of areas including pediatric pharmacotherapy, geriatric pharmacotherapy, advanced topics in self care; specialty clinical areas such as infectious diseases, endocrine, and neuropsychiatry; pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics; and research.
Students desiring to expand their understanding in pharmacy practice may consider courses from the following sections: PHP 430, 440, 460, 505, 520, 540, 542, 550, 555, 560, and 580; PHP/BPS 519; HSS 530; PSY 460; NFS 551 and 552; and MSI 310.
Students desiring to expand their understanding in biomedical, pharmaceutical, and pharmacy research may select professional electives that focus learning on the theory and practice of laboratory research techniques, the evaluation and quantification of results, and on the understanding and interpreting of scientific literature. They will develop skills for oral and written communication of hypotheses, methods, and interpretations, and will carry out basic scientific research in one of the following four areas of specialization: medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy, pharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics, pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics, or pharmacology and toxicology. Students will develop a program of study in conjunction with a faculty advisor in their area of interest. All students will take 9 credits of course work at the graduate level and may take an elective advanced practice experience in research. Students focusing their elective professional courses in this manner may also be able to apply and work toward an M.S. degree in one of the following areas:
Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy: Molecular mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis; combinatorial chemistry; solid-phase peptide synthesis; screening, isolation, and structure elucidation of physiologically-active natural products; biosynthesis of microbial and plant natural products; herbal medicine.
Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics: Design, development, production, evaluation, and regulatory approval of pharmaceutical and self care products as well as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies using virtual, clinical, and preclinical data, often with an emphasis on population approaches.
Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics: Health and economic outcomes research pertaining to pharmacotherapy as used in human populations. Specializations include medication adherence, decision and cost-effectiveness analyses, post-marketing surveillance, epidemiologic methods, and quality improvement and measurement.
Pharmacology and Toxicology: Research projects explore the mechanisms involved in various disease states and their pharmacological intervention, and mechanisms of toxicity of various environmental agents. Ongoing topics include the effects of hormonal imbalances and antihypertensive agents on cardiac function and metabolism in hypertension, diagnosis and treatment of arthritis, effect of septic shock on drug metabolism, developmental neurotoxicity of environmental agents, hepatoxicity and nephrotoxicity of heavy metals, interindividual variation in metabolism of heterocyclic amine carcinogens, regulation and genetic heterogeneity of enzymes involved in drug and xenobiotic metabolism, calcium- and non-calcium mediated pathways of cell death, and the development of inhibitors to cell signaling events.
Double Major in Pharmacy and French. Qualified students can graduate in six years with both a Pharm.D. degree and a B.A. degree in French. Students must complete at least two five-week rotations in a French-speaking country and earn 30 credits of French, six of which must be from 400- level courses. French 101 and 102 do not count among the mandatory 30 credits. It is recommended that students wishing to double major come to URI with four years of high school French and advanced placement credits.
1 PHP 900
2 Interactive learning courses will be shared by PHP and BPS under the code of PHC.
3 pending approval
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