The School of Pharmacy continues its efforts to create new opportunities for our students across diverse practice settings. One of these initiatives focuses on the continued growth and diversification of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) rotations.
Now in its third year, the innovative IPPE elective course continues to broaden student understanding of the many facets of pharmacy practice in a wide professional setting. Through this course, the experiential education team facilitates shadowing opportunities, conducted either in person or virtually, with pharmacists practicing in specialized settings.
This year, fifteen students were matched with professionals in areas including pediatric emergency medicine, infectious diseases, compounding pharmacy, pharmaceutical industry in medical science liaison roles, and geriatric care.
While the shadowing experiences are relatively brief, typically ranging from four to ten hours, they provide meaningful insight into specialized practice areas early in the PharmD curriculum. These experiences help students refine their professional interests and understand roles of pharmacists in a variety of settings, guide elective choices during their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE), and inform future career planning.
The experiential education team is pleased to continue offering this tailored learning opportunity and looks forward to collaborating with additional alumni and preceptors to further expand these valuable experiences in the coming years.
- Written by Maddie Fry, PharmD, RPh, BCACP | Assistant Dean for Experiential Education & Associate Professor | School of Pharmacy