Doctor of Pharmacy

Program Learning Outcomes

“Expected student learning outcomes specify the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes students are expected to attain in courses or in a program.” Page 69. Resource Manual for the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), 2018.

Upon completion of the pharmacy program, our graduates will be:

• Medication Experts

As a medication expert, our graduates will be able to:

1. Provide medication therapy management to patients by employing knowledge of biochemistry, pharmacology, and physiological effects of a drug to optimize outcomes, reduce adverse events, and prevent drug interactions.
2. Design drug dosing regimens for patients utilizing population or patient-specific pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters.
3. Apply knowledge of the physiochemical properties, manufacture, and compounding of pharmaceutical ingredients to recommend an optimal drug delivery formulation.
4. Resolve medication-related problems by critically evaluating scientific literature to make evidence-based recommendations.

1. Patient-Centered Care Practitioners

As a patient-centered care practitioner, our graduates will be able to:

1. Provide pharmacist-mediated, evidence-based, patient-centered care to diverse populations.
2. Evaluate patient- and treatment-specific factors to select the most appropriate treatment options, prevention strategies and referral when necessary.
3. Develop strategies to address patient barriers to medication adherence, including those arising from cultural context and health care disparities.
4. Explain to patients, caregivers, and health care professionals the judicious use of medications within a comprehensive therapeutic plan.
5. Document pertinent patient care information in the health record in a clear and concise manner that complies with safe medication practices.
6. Demonstrate the ability to recommend non-pharmacotherapy as a component of disease prevention and treatment.
7. Evaluate a medication order or prescription to ensure the safe, effective and accurate use of medications.

• Servant Leaders

As a servant leader, our graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate servant leadership by modeling Christ’s example of serving, teaching, and healing to positively influence patient and employee behaviors.
2. Develop skills for life-long learning and continual professional development to remain a competent pharmacist and lead others within the profession of pharmacy.
3. Collaborate with colleagues and other health care practitioners using teamwork, judgment, and self-directed learning to provide evidenced-based pharmaceutical care.
4. Establish covenantal relationships with patients that foster trust, build effective patient-provider relationships, and optimize health outcomes.

• Professional Communicators

As a professional communicator, our graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate effective and collaborative communication skills with all members of a healthcare team as the patient care advocate and medication expert.
2. Communicate health and medication-related information to patients and other health care providers in an effective and comprehensible manner utilizing appropriate drug information resources.
3. Demonstrate professionalism in all forms of communication, including verbal, electronic, and written communication.
4. Exhibit empathy and respect while counseling patients, particularly in difficult and sensitive matters, including cultural, spiritual, and socioeconomic issues.
5. Perform confidently as the medication expert within an interprofessional team to provide medication therapy management.

• Pharmacy Systems Managers

As a pharmacy systems manager, our graduates will be able to:

1. Adhere to current healthcare system principles, including regulatory, legal, ethical, and financial, to systematically assess and improve health care outcomes and prevent medication errors.
2. Participate in the development, implementation, and/or evaluation of system practices to ensure safe and accurate medication use.
3. Assess and report team performance to effectively promote organization efficiency and employee satisfaction.
4. Manage human, physical, and financial pharmacy aspects of a health care delivery system to develop and implement collaborative cost-effective care.
5. Reconcile appropriate use of medications upon transition of care to identify and prevent medication-related problems.
6. Utilize health informatics and technological resources to optimize care, and promote patient safety and continuous quality improvement.

Required First Year Courses - 35.5 Credit Hours

Required 2nd Year Courses - 32 Credit Hours

Required 3rd Year Courses - 32.5 Credit Hours

Required 4th Year Courses - 42 Credit Hours