PRE-PHARMACY CLUB: PACIFIC UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Monday 3/13/17 6pm Giedt 1007
Katrina Stein
- assistant director for graduate and professional admissions
- Pharmacy program is in Hillsboro, OR
- Undergraduate is in Forest Grove
- 3 years continuous
- accept 100 students
- no PCAT; not taken into consideration
- tuition $45,200 per year
- application dates for fall 2018
- final PharmCAS deadline: January
- final supplemental deadline: January
- accredited since June 2009
- mission statement
- patient focused
- help patients know the questions to ask, how to advocate for themselves and in the outside community
- innovative & collaborative patient-centered care in diverse population by building an inter-professional, learner-centered community
- curriculum structure
- 2 didactic years
- 1 clinical year
- block design
- most courses delivered one at a time
- 8am-3pm is a typical class schedule
- blocks 2 weeks long; total hours per block vary per class
Strengths:
- 3 year PharmD: start your career earlier at the only Northwest 3 year program
- Innovative program: modified block courses & non-competitive P/NP grades
- Knowledgeable Graduates: NAPLEX & Residency rates at or above national averages
Tuition
$135,459 = cost of 3 year PharmD
Longitudinal Courses: span entire term
Mondays or Tuesdays
-Social & Administrative pharmacy (SAS), etc.
2 Didactic Years
- P1: blocks are foundational, science w/ clinical application
- Ex: fundamentals of drug action & metabolism
- Pharmaceutical sciences: cardiovascular
- P2: pharmacotherapy & Disease state
- Ex: Intro to patient centered care
- Clinical sciences: cardiovascular
TYPICAL BLOCK STRUCTURE:
Monday (re-exam if needed), Social/Admin Pharmacy; block lectures
Tuesday: week 1: pharmacy practice 1; week 2: IPPE-1(clinical exp in spring of P1)
Wednesday: block lectures
Thursday: block lectures
Friday: week 1: block lectures, week 2: exam day
Students can retake up to 3 block exams (failure of 4 or more results in academic dismissal)
Experiential Education
IPPE = introductory pharmacy practice experiences
P1: IPPE 1: one day every other week (spring)
-Fall=IPPE prep, didactic course to prepare for site experiences
-long term care service learning
P2: IPPE 2: 9 week experience in summer
IPPE 3: 1 day every other week (fall)6 weeks health sys/hospital (IPPE 3)
3 weeks community (IPPE 2);
APPE=advanced pharmacy practice experiences
P3: 8 x 6week rotations throughout the year
Predominantly in Oregon, but some in CA
5 required: Community, Institutional, Ambulatory, Internal Med, & Patient Care Pharmacy
2 electives: variety of experiences
online learning & board exam prep during “8th” block (self directed learning block)
CLASS OF 2019
- Average GPA: 3.3. look at cumulative, science, and last 45 credit hour GPA’s (3 GPA’s)
- Female: 70, male: 33
- Average age: 25 (age range 19-42)
- More students from CA than from OR
- About 80% of c/o 2019 has a BA/BS even though it is not required
- 641 applications received, 272 interviewed, 105 class size
TYPICAL ADMISSIONS CRITERIA:
3 pillars:
- strength and breadth of academic record (how well you did in prereq’s; having done biochem can make you more competitive since it is not a prereq)
W’s don’t matter unless you see trend of W’s that may be detrimental
Retakes: trend of retakes may be an issue, but retakes are averaged! Ex: if get D and retake, get A, grade will be averaged.
Requires that all prereqs are C and above
- passion & understanding for pharmacy profession
why do you want to be a pharmacist?
Not just: you like science and you like to help people. But that doesn’t tell you why pharmacy vs MD vs PA. specifically why pharmacy. Easier to communicate this if you’ve had pharmacy experience; no requirements to have experience, but it is helpful for you to give specific examples of why you want to be a pharmacist if you’d had experience
If you don’t become a tech, research about the profession and possibly interview pharmacists to get more information about the field
- communication: how well you complete the written portions of the application (personal statement in PharmCAS is generic, not school specific; supplemental application: specific to Pacific, trying to get to know what interests you about Pacific. If there’s 2 part questions remember to answer both questions really well and thoroughly!
*If in your supplemental essay, you can take out the name of the school and replace it with another school and it still makes sense, it’s not specific enough.
Type of community activities and volunteer work: Really look at: do they have time management skills and have they developed stress coping mechanism. *able to balance both academics and extracurricular actives such as volunteer work or club activities.
PREREQUISITES
You don’t have to be a specific major, as long as you’ve completed the prerequisites
- General biology 1 year
- Microbiology 1 class
- Human anatomy & physiology: 1 year
- (Biochemistry is highly recommended)
- General organic chemistry– 1 year
- Physics 1 class
- Calculus 1 class
- English: 2 classes
- Speech/communication/debate: 1 class
- Physics: general/abnormal 1 class
- Econ: micro/macro 1 class
- Sociology: 1 class
- Humanities/fine arts: 1 class
If take classes at different institutions, try to take it at a school with the same credit system (quarter vs semester) **pacific.edu/PharmD for more specific information
ADMISSIONS PROCESS:
- Free unofficial prerequisites evaluation
- Applications available mid July, PharmCAS & supplemental
- Rolling admissions: once apps open, they’ll start reviewing and making invitations for interviews through fall and winter *beneficial to apply earlier in the cycle
- Early decision deadline September 2017; final deadline January 2018
- Admissions decisions by late April
- Waitlist: if spots open up, they contact the waitlist up till the first day before class
HOW TO BE COMPETITIVE:
- When to submit your app? Earlier is better
- Important prerequisites: human anatomy/physiology; microbiology, organic chemistry, *biochemistry is recommended
- Take advantage of optional essay #3
- Community service/volunteer work
- Exposure to pharmacy profession