Overview

The Experiential Learning Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy is a critical component of the students’ pharmacy education, accounting for approximately one-third of the entire curriculum.  To accomplish this, the School has affiliations with over 1000 preceptors in sites both local and distant from the School.  Sites include, but are not limited to, hospitals, community pharmacies, managed care organizations, pharmaceutical industry companies, and even international locations.  The chart below illustrates the focus of experiential learning in each year of the professional program.

At the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, experiential learning consists of a progressive set of practice-based experiences that prepares a student to practice as a generalist who is competent to provide primary, patient-centered, pharmaceutical care.

The specific focus of experiential learning changes each year based on a combination of factors including: (1) emphasis of the learning goal; (2) the setting or context of practices; (3) the amount and continuity of contact with patients; (4) the acuity level of the patients’ conditions; and (5) expected level of proficiency in performing pharmaceutical care. The following chart summarizes the shift in emphasis in experiential learning over the four years of professional study.

 

YEAR

 

EMPHASIS

P-1

  

BEGINNING CORE PRACTICE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

  • Enhance social awareness and understanding of health-related issues and unmet medical needs within the community
  • Encourage public health through wellness and disease prevention programs
  • Develop communication skills with patients from diverse populations

P-2

  

COMMUNITY PHARMACY PRACTICE

  • Development of prescription processing, dispensing and counseling skills
  • Emphasis on practicing pharmaceutical care in the community pharmacy setting

P-3

  

INSTITUTIONAL/HEALTH SYSTEM PHARMACY PRACTICE

  • Providing responsible drug delivery
  • Emphasis on practicing pharmaceutical care in the institutional (hospital) /health system setting

P-4

  

ADVANCED PHARMACY PRACTICE EXPERIENCES

  • Intensive practice of the pharmaceutical care process at the generalist level with increasingly complex pharmacotherapeutic problems

Eight full-time rotations (each are five weeks in length)

  • (1) Inpatient Acute Care Rotation
  • (1) Ambulatory Care Rotation
  • (1) Inpatient Acute Care Rotation or (1) Ambulatory Care Rotation
  • (1) Community Pharmacy Rotation
  • (1) Hospital (Institutional)/Health System Pharmacy Rotation
  • (3) Elective Rotations (e.g., consulting, FDA, academic, research, managed care, international)

As the chart indicates, students will spend time in various practice settings during each year of study. While in the setting, students may be expected to complete certain assignments, which are provided by the School of Pharmacy or their preceptor. In addition, students are expected to participate in debriefing sessions on campus. During these sessions students will exchange information about their experiences with other students in order to broaden and deepen their understanding of pharmacy practice. Students will also be asked to complete reflective writing exercises and conduct reviews on topics/issues related to their field experiences.

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Experiential Learning Manual
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