Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE)
The IPPE sequence allows students the opportunity to observe and practice a variety of professional activities in multiple settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and research.
IPPE Programs
The IPPE program is divided over the first three years of the PharmD curriculum and includes both experiential and a didactic curricular components. Each year corresponds with the class year (P3 = IPPE-3). An a or b indicates the semester (a = fall, b = spring). Before beginning P4 rotations, a minimum of three-hundred (300) hours of IPPE activities must be completed. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the minimum three-hundred (300) IPPE hours before APPE rotations begin.
- P1 students complete approximately fifty (50) hours of shadowing activity.
- P2 students complete approximately one-hundred (100) hours of observation and intern activities.
- P3 students complete one-hundred fifty (150) hours of pharmacy practice experience in addition to preceptor evaluated site-specific assignments.
Students courses correspond with each IPPE year. During the classroom portion, topics relevant to each stage of IPPE as well as general topics will be discussed with time for student self-reflection.
To assist with integration of IPPE topics, Pioneer Rx Pharmacy Software is used to enhance the learning experience for students through hands-on simulations featuring the functions and workflow processes found in pharmacies.
Structure
The IPPE program offers the student the opportunity to observe and develop professional skills in major areas of contemporary pharmacy practice including:
- Observation and delivery of patient care services, including disease management, patient education and pharmacotherapeutic consultation;
- Development of pharmaceutical care plans for patient specific problems;
- Continued development of skills in drug information/informatics and pharmacy consults;
- Prescription processing, including ambulatory and inpatient aspects;
- Development of student’s verbal presentation abilities within the medical-pharmacy arena;
- Introduction to basic pharmacy administration in the community and hospital environments;
- Provision of consultation with other health care professionals regarding patient care or drug-related issues
The IPPE curriculum addresses the clinical experience requirement of the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) and includes experiential activities in:
- drug distribution as well as dispensing activities in hospital and community pharmacy settings
- clinical pharmacy activities focused on patient contact
Pharmaceutical care and clinical components objectives are based upon standards from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), and the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA). Students' competency is determined via cognitive and psychomotor performance at ambulatory clinics, community and hospital training sites, as well as didactic performance on school administered evaluation instruments.
Guideline 14.4 of Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Revised PharmD Standards:
"The introductory pharmacy practice experiences must involve actual practice experiences in community and institutional settings and permit students, under appropriate supervision and as permitted by practice regulations, to assume direct patient care responsibilities. Additional practice experiences in other types of practice settings may also be used. The introductory pharmacy practice experiences should begin early in the curriculum and be interfaced with didactic course work that provides an introduction to the profession, and continue in a progressive manner leading to entry into the advanced pharmacy practice experiences. The didactic course work itself should not be counted toward the curricular requirement of introductory pharmacy practice experiences.”
While at a IPPE rotation site, students must abide by the rules, regulations and policies of the facility. Students may not be financially compensated for activities performed during their rotations.
All students must maintain updated immunization records as well as liability insurance as outlined by the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences to engage in IPPE rotation sites experiences.