Experiential Overview

Experiential Education

Student Pharmacist Licensure

Pharmacy students enrolled in their first professional year of pharmacy school are considered pharmacy intern trainees by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. Pharmacy intern trainees may only perform certain technical duties as determined by the Board. After completing their first professional year with a minimum of 30 credit hours of work towards a professional pharmacy degree, students have the opportunity to apply with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to become a pharmacist intern. Pharmacist interns may perform pharmacist duties only under the direction and supervision of a licensed Preceptor. Therefore, pharmacist intern trainees and interns are accountable to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy for their actions whether completing practical experiences within the College of Pharmacy curriculum or working outside as an employee of a pharmacy. All students must be able to provide proof of their license at all times. Student pharmacist licenses must be maintained and in good standing order with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy throughout the College of Pharmacy curriculum. Additionally, students will be required to obtain an intern license in any additional state in which they are assigned. All students are registered as pharmacist interns until they become licensed as a pharmacist. Please see the Texas State Board of Pharmacy's website for more info: http://www.tsbp.state.tx.us/infocist/internship.htm

Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs)
Students will complete at least 300 hours of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) during the first three years of the pharmacy program. These hours are designed to meet the American College of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accreditation standards and the Texas State Board of Pharmacy licensure requirements. At the beginning of the student's first semester in pharmacy school, a 7-week IPPE foundational course will be completed preparing the student for their upcoming experiences. Students will receive an extensive introduction to pharmacy practice and be provided with activities that foster basic critical thinking, communication and interprofessional skills.

The purpose of the IPPEs are to provide students with a beginning knowledge of pharmacy practice and patient care skills. Students will receive training from model healthcare practitioners, called preceptors. All preceptors will hold the title of Adjoint faculty within the College of Pharmacy. All IPPEs will begin early in the student's first year and run concurrently with the didactic portion of the program. This integration ensures that students will have the opportunity to apply their classroom and laboratory skills directly to the practice environment, generating a truly integrated pharmacy curriculum. The IPPE learning outcomes will progress from developmental skills to more advanced concepts at a higher level of practice application as the student progresses through the College of Pharmacy curriculum.

Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs)
Students will be able to progress to the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) in their fourth and final year of pharmacy school, once all IPPEs are completed and College of Pharmacy requirements fulfilled. All students will work to complete at least 1,440 hours of APPEs in order to help satisfy both the ACPE accreditation standards and Texas State Board of Pharmacy licensure requirements. Students will practice under the direction and supervision of highly trained preceptors who also serve as adjoint faculty of College of Pharmacy. The APPEs include 7 six-week rotations requiring at least a 40-hour per week time commitment that will take place in a variety of pharmacy settings (e.g., ambulatory care, oncology, acute care). The purpose of APPEs are to enhance the students' ability to function on interprofessional healthcare teams while developing direct patient care and advanced clinical practice skills. All APPE students will have the opportunity to care for diverse patient populations by developing and implementing wellness initiatives while helping to manage an array of acute and chronic disease-states. Each student will complete four required APPEs which include: Advanced Community Pharmacy Practice; Advanced Hospital Pharmacy Practice; Acute Care/General Medicine; and Ambulatory Care. Additionally, students will help to select other APPEs including two elective rotations and one selective rotation. This selection allows students to focus on their specific area of interest. Some elective rotations may not have a direct patient care component (e.g., research, drug information, nuclear) but will provide the student with advanced knowledge in a pharmacy specialty and direct interaction with a variety of healthcare professionals.