Pre-Pharmacy Lecture Series

Mike Brown / Thuy Levo

“Perspectives from two first year pharmacy students”

2-5-07

Attendance: 7

I.         Mike Brown (University of Utah) Contact info. Ph # 774-8083

            A.        Preparation for acceptance:

                        1.         Volunteered 2 hours / week for 3 months at the LTD pharmacy at McKay Dee hospital. This was adequate for getting into the program, but mentioned he had a disadvantage compared to those who had worked as pharmacy technicians when he was required to learn the top 100 drugs on the market and current trends in the field.

                        2.          In applying to pharmacy school, he felt he had stacked his portfolio very well. After talking to his classmates, he discovered he was rather average. Everyone in his class had done similar things. He encouraged students cover all the basics and then do something that makes them unique and sets them apart from the field of applicants.

                        3.         Make sure all portions of the application are thoroughly completed. He re-wrote his personal statement about 10 times and had English teachers critique it.

                        4.          He took the KAPLAN course, which he said was helpful, but wasn’t sure it was worth the money. Because the KAPLAN exams were much more difficult than the PCAT, he was able to score well on the entrance exam. Most students in his class scored in the 90+ percentile.

                        5.          Strong communication skills are essential.

                        6.         Students who do not get into the program can take the course “Medicinal Chemistry” along with the pharmacy students at the U. By scoring well in this class, they can make a case for their academic ability to compete. Taking Cell Biology or Biochemistry beforehand would be helpful.

            B.        University of Utah pharmacy school information

                        1.         Interest free (or delayed interest) loans are available to students. Still need to pay between $1,500 and $2,000 / year.

                        2.         So far his first year of classes has not been too challenging and is performing well. He has had tougher semesters at WSU. However, classes become more difficult as the program advances.

                        3.         University of Utah supplies him with a free bus pass that he uses to commute from his home in Layton to the campus.

                        4.         After passing his first semester, he was granted an intern license. He has the opportunity to work 24 hours / week.

                        5.         Each class has about 6 - 7 instructors, who lecture on their specialty area. All lecture notes are available as power point presentations that can be downloaded onto personal computers. Students of a particular class take nearly all the same classes throughout the program. Besides the core classes, students are required to take 10 electives.

II.        Thuy Levo (University of Southern Nevada)

            A.        Keys to acceptance:

                        1.         Since the PCAT is not required at USN, grades are the main measuring tool that leads to an interview. Once a candidate qualifies for an interview, the interview then serves as the key to admission into the program. Applicants are not required to have extensive experience in the field of pharmacy.

                        2.         During the interview applicants are assessed on communication, motivation, sincerity, leadership, confidence in decision making.

            B.        School information:

                        1.         USN is a private school located in South Jordan. They have a new facility dedicated early December 2006. The new facility is actually larger than the parent school located in Henderson, NV, and there has been some discussion about making this new facility the home base.

                        2.         The USN pharmacy program has a 3 year duration, and costs approximately $34,000 / year. Students currently may obtain financial assistance through private loans. Efforts to make federal loans available are under way.

                        3.         The first two years consist of 6-7 hours of class work. The last year involves work in an internship.

                        4.         Each student is given a lap top computer upon entering the program. All information students are required to know his given to them electronically. Therefore, they do not have books.

                        5.         Courses all presented in block format (study 1 subject at a time). Students are frequently divided up into small groups and allowed opportunities to express their thoughts and ideas. The instructor circulates among the groups to offer special assistance. One of the best features of the program is the relationships each student generates with peers.

                        6.         See the handout below:

University of Southern Nevada

DAILY SCHEDULE:

ØQuiz (8:00 – 8:15 am)

·    10 – 15 questions pertaining to the previous day’s material

·    Designed to help each individual student assess his/her understanding of the material & gauge how well he/she is studying.

·    Serve as a preview to how assessment questions may be asked.

ØQuiz discussion (8:15 – 9:00 am)

ØLecture w/breaks or Team Activities/Discussions @ every 1-1 ½ hours (9 – 12 pm & 1 – 3 pm)

ØTeam Activities/Discussions

·    Teams usually consist of 5-6 people

·    Designed to reemphasize concepts discussed in the hour prior

·    Allows students the opportunity to ask the professor any questions & clarify anything that may be confusing him/her.

·    Allows students to bounce ideas off each other & expand on his/her communications skills.

·    Also allows students to take on teaching roles.

·    May consist of open-ended discussion questions, case studies, research questions, conceptual questions….etc.

·    Students are usually given 15-30 minutes to complete these activities.

·    Activities are followed by an entire class discussion

WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

EPPE (EARLY PHARMACY PRACTICE EXPERIENCE):

Ø8 hours is spent on-site at an assigned retail pharmacy

ØThe first 3 hours are allotted for completion of an assignment

ØThe remaining time is spent completing & mastering pharmacist-related tasks outlined in the EPPE learning objectives

ØAn assessment by both the preceptor & student intern is completed at the conclusion of the day.

ASSESSMENT DAY:

ØConsist of ~10 questions from each day of lectures (60-70 questions)

ØPass/Fail

ØMust achieve a 90% overall individually in order to PASS an assessment

Ø2 hours are allotted for the individual assessment

ØUpon completion, the team will take the same assessment together. (1 hour)

·    If the team achieves a 95% on the exam, 5% can be added to the individual student’s assessment

·    So if a student receives an 85% individually (failing grade), but his/her group achieves a 95% or above, he/she can add 5% to their individual assessment score, which will allow that student to pass

·    Intention:

§Help students learn from each other

§Test a student’s confidence in his/her answers

§Gives students an opportunity to understand the mentality their fellow classmate(s) had in answering certain questions

§Help the student get an idea of how well he/she did on his/her individual assessment

ØIf a student does not pass an assessment, he/she must remediate that exam the following Monday. Those who pass have the day off.

REMEDIATION:

ØReview of the assessment taken on Friday

ØReview of any of the lecture material the student(s) needs

·    The time allotted for this review is determined by the student(s) remediating.

·    The professor is there to assist the student(s) in clarifying concepts & answering any of the questions he/she may have.

ØA completely different assessment is taken.

·    2 hours is also allotted for this exam

·    There is NO group assessment on Remediation Mondays

·    Student must pass with a 90%

·    If a student does not pass, he/she must repeat the block during the scheduled time in the summer & take another assessment at the conclusion of the repeated block.

MY CONTACT INFO:

Thuy Khanh LeVo

First Year Pharm. D Student

University of Southern Nevada – South Jordan

10920 S. River Front Parkway

South Jordan, UT 84095

(801) 510-3218

tlevo@student.usn.edu

Kristin Whelan

First Year Pharm. D Student

University of Southern Nevada – South Jordan

10920 S. River Front Parkway

South Jordan, UT 84095

(801) 540-0735

kwhelan@student.usn.edu