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Experiential
Education in the Doctor of
Pharmacy Program
The
professional experience component of the Doctor of Pharmacy
Program consists of a series of structured experiential learning
practicums which begin during the second semester of the first
professional year. The experiences occur in a variety of settings
such as hospitals, community pharmacies, and the pharmaceutical
industry, among others. The practicums are organized as a
curricular progression leading to eight advanced practice
experiences (five required and three selective) in the fourth
professional year of the curriculum. A total of 1,620 contact
hours (equivalent to 45 semester credits) are distributed
and offered in the curricular sequence, as they appear in
the following table.
EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION (PRACTICUMS)
LEARNING SEQUENCE
| First
Year |
Second
Year |
Third
Year |
Fourth
Year |
Introductory
Practicum
(72 hrs)
2 credits |
Service
Learning
(36 hrs)
1 credit
Longitudinal
Care I (36 hrs)
1 credit
|
Longitudinal
Care II
(36 hrs)
1 credit
Management of the Practice and the Medication
Distribution and
Control Systems
(288 hrs)
8 credits
Community
Institutional
|
Advanced
Practicums
(8 practicums)
(1,152 hrs)
32 credits
Institutional Pharmacy Practice
Inpatient Pharmaceutical Care: General Medicine Inpatient
Pharmaceutical Care: Acute Care in Specialized Practice
Pharmaceutical Care in Ambulatory Setting: Community
Pharmacy Practice
Pharmaceutical Care in Ambulatory Setting:
Institutional Practice
Selective Advanced Practicum in Pharmacy (select 3 of
these available)
|
| Total
1,620 hrs |
INTRODUCTORY
PRACTICUM
(FARM 7115)
This practicum is designed to provide the
student an ample vision of the science and the profession
of pharmacy and existing career opportunities. The student
observes, practices, and analyzes, according to his/her level
of development, the responsibilities and activities that pharmacists
carry out in a variety of settings, with emphasis on those
as members of a team. The student completes a minimum of 14
hours in each of the following settings: community pharmacy,
health care institution, pharmaceutical industry, and a setting
of the student's choice, for a total of 56 contact hours in
the practice settings and 16 hours in group sessions at the
school. Active learning strategies and instructional methodologies
are used. The student will accrue a total of 72 hours of practice.
SERVICE LEARNING
(FARM 7266)
This practicum is a structured field experience,
which expose the student to community health matters through
the participation in public and private organizations. The
student is assigned to an organization and develops an under
standing of its mission, goals, objectives, and operation,
and the pharmacist's role in community health. The knowledge
obtained by the student through the academic program until
this moment makes possible the provision of a service to an
organization contextualized to the needs of the community
and the Pharmacy profession. This practicum is an opportunity
to provide community service as well as a learning experience
for the student. The students will accrue a total of 36 hours
of practice.
LONGITUDINAL CARE I
(FARM 7275)
In
this practicum the student participates in the longitudinal
care of a patient with emphasis in the continuity of care
and the evaluation of the changing needs of the patients.
The student learns to effectively collect information from
various sources, including the patient, evaluate the needs
of the patient, and how to prepare progress reports about
the health status of the patient. The student explicitly applies
the knowledge and skills developed in other courses and demonstrates
the attributes of a professional. The practicum includes activities
of interaction with the patient and other health care professionals
responsible for their care, as well as classroom activities.
The student will accrue a total of 36 hours of practice.
LONGITUDINAL
CARE PRACTICE II
(FARM 7375)
In
this practicum, continuation of Longitudinal Care I, the student
participates in the longitudinal care of a patient with emphasis
in the continuity of care and the evaluation of the changing
needs of the patients. The student having greater skill in
information gathering from different sources and in evaluation
of the medication needs of the patient, develops care plans
and provides follow-up. The practicum includes activities
that require interaction with patient and health professionals
responsible for the care of the patient, as well as classroom
activities. The student will accrue a total of 36 hours of
practice.
MANAGEMENT OF THE PRACTICE AND
THE MEDICATION DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL SYSTEMS PRACTICUM:
COMMUNITY PHARMACY
(FARM 7346)
This
practicum is designed to provide a comprehensive experience
on the structures and basic processes needed to support the
drug distribution and control systems in the practice of community
pharmacy and its integral relation with the medication use
process and the delivery of pharmaceutical care. The student
will complete 144 hours of practice in a community pharmacy.
The principal instructional methodology is practice-based
teaching.
MANAGEMENT
OF THE PRACTICE AND THE MEDICATION DISTRIBUTION
AND CONTROL SYSTEMS PRACTICUM: INSTITUTIONAL PHARMACY
(FARM 7345)
This
practicum is designed to provide a comprehensive experience
on the structures and basic processes needed to support the
drug distribution and control systems in the practice of institutional
pharmacy and its integral relation with the medication use
process and the delivery of pharmaceutical care. The student
will complete 144 hours of practice in an institutional pharmacy.
The principal instructional methodology is practice-based
teaching.
INSTITUTIONAL
PHARMACY PRACTICE
(FARM 7487)
This
practicum provides opportunities for comprehensive in-depth
experience in specific areas of institutional pharmacy practice.
The student participates in activities related to the management
of a pharmacy in a health institution and in activities to
optimize pharmacotherapies such as medication formulary management,
medication use evaluations, and adverse drug events/medication
errors program. The main instructional methodology is practice
base teaching. The student will accrue a total of 144 hours
of practice.
INPATIENT PHARMACEUTICAL CARE:
GENERAL MEDICINE
(FARM 7488)
This
practicum provides the student with comprehensive in-depth
practice experience in the provision of pharmaceutical care
in an acute inpatient setting. Its emphasis is the pharmacist's
responsibility in the detection, prevention, and solution
of pharmacotherapeutic problems found in general medicine
and the need to use a standard systematic patient care process.
This requires that the student gather pertinent information,
evaluate pharmacotherapeutic problems, develop and document
care plans, and measure and document specific results achieved
in the patient. The main instructional methodology is practice
base teaching. The student will accrue a total of 144 hours
of practice.
INPATIENT
PHARMACEUTICAL CARE:
ACUTE CARE IN SPECIALIZED PRACTICE
(FARM 7489)
This
practicum provides the student with comprehensive in-depth
practice experience in the provision of pharmaceutical care
in a specialized practice in an acute inpatient setting. The
practicum has as objective the integration and application
of knowledge previously developed as well as the development
of professional abilities in the context of pharmacy practice.
Its emphasis is the pharmacist's responsibility in the detection,
prevention, and solution of pharmacotherapeutic problems using
a standard systematic patient care process. This requires
that the student gather pertinent information, evaluate pharmacotherapeutic
problems, develop and document care plans, and measure and
document the result of their interventions. The main instructional
methodology is practice based teaching. The student will accrue
a total of 144 hours of practice.
PHARMACEUTICAL CARE IN THE AMBULATORY
SETTING:
COMMUNITY PHARMACY PRACTICE
(FARM 7497)
This
practicum provides the student comprehensive in-depth practice
experience in the provision of pharmaceutical care in a community
pharmacy. Its emphasis is the pharmacist's responsibility
in the prevention and solution of pharmacotherapeutic problems
found in community pharmacy practice and the need to use a
standard systematic patient care process. This requires that
the student gather pertinent information, evaluate pharmacotherapeutic
problems, develop and document care plans, and measure and
document specific results achieved in the patient. The main
instructional methodology is practice based teaching. The
practicum is developed in one or more community pharmacies
that provide pharmaceutical care to patients in their community.
The student will accrue a total of 144 hours of practice.
PHARMACEUTICAL CARE IN THE AMBULATORY
SETTING:
INSTITUTIONAL PRACTICE
(FARM 7498)
This
practicum provides the student with comprehensive in-depth
practice experience in the provision of pharmaceutical care
in the ambulatory setting of a health institution. Its emphasis
is preventive health and the solution of pharmacotherapeutic
problems found in this setting and the need to use a standard
systematic patient care process. This requires the student
to gather pertinent information, evaluate pharmacotherapeutic
problems, develop and document care plans, and measure and
document specific results attained in the patient. The main
instructional methodology is practice based teaching. The
student will accrue a total of 144 hours of practice.
SELECTIVE ADVANCED PRACTICUM IN PHARMACY
(FARM 7451, 7452 AND 7453)
These
practicums are designed to provide comprehensive in-depth
experience to students in a wide range of practice areas in
pharmacy. It can include participation in traditional practice
settings and participation in innovative pharmacy practice
settings. Practice experiences may involve direct patient
care, indirect patient care or may occur in non-patient care
areas. The main instructional methodology is practice based
teaching. Various practicums are available. The student will
accrue a total of 144 hours of practice in each practicum.
Click
the brochure for more information
Mission
Provide
pharmacy students with exemplary experiential learning opportunities
that contribute to the development of competent professionals
and informed citizens prepared to enter the general practice
of pharmacy in different settings.
Personnel
Dr.
Astrid J. García, Director (ajgarcia@rcm.upr.edu)
María del Pilar Rivera, Administrative Coordinator
(mprivera@rcm.upr.edu)
Elisa Moreno, Secretary (emoreno@rcm.upr.edu)
Location
Deanship
for Student Affairs and School of Pharmacy Building
Third Floor, Office 327
Telephone
787-758-2525, Exts. 5300, 2131, 7002
Fax
787-754-6995
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