• Standards for Mission, Planning, and Assessment
• Standards for Organization and Administration
• Standards for Curriculum
• Standards for Students
• Standards for Faculty
• Standards for Library and Educational Resources
• Standards for Physical and Practice Facilities
• Standards for Financial Resources
STANDARDS FOR MISSION, PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT
Standard No. 1. College or School of Pharmacy Mission and Goals
The College or School of Pharmacy should have a published statement,
formulated within an ethical context, of its mission, goals,
and objectives in the areas
of education, research, service, and pharmacy practice. This statement should
be congruent with the mission of the University; the term "University" includes
independent Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy. This statement should include
a fundamental commitment to the preparation of its students for the general
practice of pharmacy with provision of the professional competencies necessary
to the delivery of pharmaceutical care. This statement should also demonstrate
sensitivity to the importance of diversity in its commitment to the educational
preparedness of its students for a health professional career. Goals should
be compatible with the general and specific objectives of pharmaceutical education
in keeping with the scope of pharmacy practice and as reflected in the accreditation
standards and guidelines.
Guideline 1.1
The mission statement of a College or School should include the College's or
School's educational philosophy and how its professional program in pharmacy
is designed to insure that graduates will be health care providers prepared
for the present and evolving scope of practice of pharmacy, such as primary
care. This mission statement will be considered in the light of the College's
or School's own stated purposes or aims so long as those purposes or aims
demonstrably fall within the expectations of the profession as reflected
in accreditation standards.
Guideline 1.2
To facilitate the College's or School's mission statement, an environment for
teaching and learning should be fostered that appreciates the diversity of
people, values the diversity of faculty role models, attends to the diverse
needs of learners, and facilitates the ability of students to work and communicate
effectively with diverse colleagues and patients.
Guideline 1.3
The goals and objectives established for a College or School should set forth
the detailed intentions of the College or School, including consideration of
required resources, processes, and outcomes for educational, research, service,
and pharmacy practice programs.
Guideline 1.4
The mission statement of a College or School should acknowledge pharmaceutical
care as an evolving mode of pharmacy practice in which the pharmacist, in concert
with other health professionals, takes an active role on behalf of patients
in making appropriate drug choices, by effecting distribution of medications
to patients, and by assuming direct responsibilities to empower patients to
achieve the desired outcomes of drug and related therapy. The professional
program in pharmacy should provide educational preparedness so as to enable
the pharmacist to collaborate with other health professionals and to share
in responsibility for the outcomes of drug and related therapy. The professional
program in pharmacy should promote the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes,
and values necessary to the provision of pharmaceutical care for the general
practice of pharmacy in any setting. The College or School should assure an
understanding of pharmaceutical care by its students early in the professional
program in pharmacy. The philosophy of practice as well as the necessary professional
attitudes, ethics, and behaviors should evolve during the course of study.
Moreover, the College or School should insure the professionalization of students,
including the provision of a positive outlook for all aspects of pharmacy practice.
Standard No. 2. Systematic Planning
The College or School of Pharmacy should have a plan and deploy a systematic
planning process to facilitate and continuously improve achievement of the
College's or School's mission, goals, and objectives. Plans and planning processes
should benefit from the support and cooperation of the University administration.
Guideline 2.1
The systematic planning process should include review and revision, where necessary,
of the College's or School's mission statement. The review procedure for
the mission, goals, and objectives should be inclusive, involving administrative
leaders, faculty, students, and practitioners.
Guideline 2.2
The planning process should be strategic in that it is ongoing, broadly-based,
including students and practitioners, and considers financial and academic
planning within the context of societal and professional changes occurring
and contemplated.
Standard No. 3. Systematic Assessment of Achievement
The College or School of Pharmacy should establish and maintain a system that
assesses the extent to which its mission, goals, and objectives are being achieved.
Formative and summative indicators of achievement should be identified and
employed in a continuous and systematic process of evaluating the outcomes
of the educational, research, service, and pharmacy practice programs. Evaluation
should extend beyond the acquisition of knowledge by students to the application
of knowledge and skills in the care of patients in improving medication use.
The College or School should show evidence of using analysis of outcome measures
throughout the educational, research, service, and pharmacy practice programs,
for purposes of continuing development and improvement, including revisions
in curriculum, and modifications of faculty and student policies.
Guideline 3.1
Information regarding the effectiveness of the professional program in pharmacy,
particularly in the form of student achievement, should be gathered systematically
from sources such as students, alumni, state boards of pharmacy and other
publics, professional staff of affiliated practice facilities, and a variety
of other practitioners. The results of student exit interviews, preceptor
evaluations, alumni surveys, and standardized licensure examinations should
be appropriately employed in the assessment system of the College or School;
other indicators of programmatic and student achievement that assess the
extent to which the mission, goals, and objectives are being achieved should
be developed and appropriately applied.
STANDARDS FOR ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
Standard No. 4. College or School of Pharmacy and University Relationships
The University should provide a College or School of Pharmacy adequate financial,
physical, faculty, and administrative resources so as to enable it to meet
required professional program responsibilities, to ensure program stability,
and to insure continuous program quality improvement. The administrative structure
of the College or School should provide for a Dean, who serves as the chief
administrative and academic officer. The Dean should have ready access to the
University President and/or other University officials charged with final responsibility
for the College or School. The College or School should participate in the
governance of the University in a manner consistent with the needs of the institution
in general and the welfare of the College or School in particular.
The College or School should be afforded a reasonable degree of autonomy by
the University. Responsibility and authority for administration of the professional
program in pharmacy should be vested in the College or School. The definition
and delivery of the curriculum should be a responsibility of the College or
School, within the framework of institutional policies and authorities.
Standard No. 5. Organizational and Administrative Relationships in University
and Affiliated Health Care Facilities
The University should support the development of suitable relationships with
other academic and service units of the University for instruction, research,
and patient care. University support should also be provided to expand affiliations
with various pharmacy practice settings external to the University.
So as to foster educational outcomes related to teamwork in health care delivery,
organizational structure and administrative patterns in University or University-affiliated
health care facilities should promote integrated educational, research, service,
and pharmacy practice activities, provide a clearly understood relationship
between service and educational units, insure the necessary blend of educational
and patient care activities in a variety of practice settings, and assure that
appropriate authority for the control and supervision of academic activities
is vested in the College or School of Pharmacy.
Standard No. 6. College or School of Pharmacy Organization
and Administration
The College or School of Pharmacy should be organized in a manner which facilitates
the accomplishment of its overall mission, promotes the goals and objectives
of the professional program in pharmacy, supports pharmacy disciplines, and
effectively deploys resources. The College's or School's organizational and
administrative structure should clearly identify lines of authority and responsibility.
There should be evidence of a spirit of collegiality as well as evidence of
mutual understanding and agreement among the faculty, the Dean, and other administrative
leaders of the College or School on its mission, goals, and objectives as well
as evidence of acceptance of the responsibilities necessary to their achievement.
Guideline 6.1
Where the College or School faculty is organized into departments, divisions,
or other sub-units, administrative leaders, such as Chairs or Heads, should
be invested with the authority necessary to discharge their responsibilities.
Goals and objectives should be established which articulate with the mission
statement of the College or School. Systematic evaluation of the College’s
or School’s mission, goals, and objectives should assess the effectiveness
of each organizational unit in and of itself, as well as how each contributes
to the College or School as a whole in achieving desired outcomes. Departments,
divisions, or other sub-units should be evaluated on the basis of their goals
and objectives, including the effectiveness of their contribution to the
professional program in pharmacy.
Guideline 6.2
Criteria should be established and a mechanism should be in place for the development
and periodic review of the Dean and other administrative leaders of the College
or School. The review process should be broadly-based, including faculty, students,
and practitioners.
Guideline 6.3
The College or School should adopt, consistent with University policies and
procedures, a set of bylaws that delineates the method of faculty governance
and clarifies faculty and administrative responsibilities. Opportunity should
be afforded for all faculty to participate in the governance system and in
the affairs of the departments or divisions, where such sub-units exist. The
College or School should assure a system for communications among all of its
components and for informing alumni and other interested parties of its work.
Guideline 6.4
The faculty should meet with suitable regularity, and a committee structure
should exist to assist in the work of the College or School. Committees should
include students, voluntary faculty, and/or pharmacy practitioners. Minutes
of faculty meetings and written records of committee actions should be maintained
and be available.
Standard No. 7. Responsibilities of the Dean of the College or School
of Pharmacy
The Dean should demonstrate progressive, constructive academic and professional
leadership and effectively unite and inspire faculty and students toward achievement.
The Dean is responsible for assuring: development, articulation, and implementation
of the mission statement; recruitment, retention, and development of a competent
faculty and staff; development, implementation, and evaluation of the educational,
research, service, and pharmacy practice programs and their enhancement; initiation,
implementation, and management of programs for the recruitment and admission
of qualified students; establishment and implementation of standards for academic
performance and progression; resource acquisition and allocation; and continuous
enhancement of the visibility of the College or School both on campus and to
external constituencies.
Guideline 7.1
The Dean should be qualified to provide leadership in pharmacy education, in
research and scholarly activities, and in pharmaceutical care. Among indices
of positive and effective leadership of the Dean are: a commitment to teaching
and research, including pedagogy and scholarly concern for the profession
generally, and pharmacy practice, in particular; a sustained record of scholarship;
a knowledge of health care systems and directions; active and ongoing participation
in the affairs of professional or scientific societies; and an assertive
advocacy on behalf of the College or School to the University administration.
Guideline 7.2
In instances where the Dean is assigned other substantial administrative responsibilities
within the University, arrangements for additional administrative support to
the office of the Dean should be made so as to assure effective administration
of the affairs of the College or School.
Guideline 7.3
In support of the Dean, the responsibilities of the administrative leaders
of departments, divisions, or other sub-units that may exist, such as Chairs
or Heads, should include advancing the respective pharmacy discipline(s), mentoring
and developing faculty, assuring effective delivery of the respective course
offerings, managing operations and budgetary affairs, and setting and evaluating
goals and objectives consistent with the College’s or School’s
mission and as a part of the College’s or School’s systematic planning
and assessment. The administrative leaders should function as a team and should
play a key role in the development and improvement of the professional program
in pharmacy. Adequate administrative and other support should be provided to
the administrative leaders of departments, divisions, or other sub-units that
may exist.
STANDARDS FOR CURRICULUM
Standard No. 8. The Curriculum in Pharmacy
The College or School of Pharmacy should offer a curriculum in pharmacy intended
to prepare its graduates to become generalist practitioners of pharmacy. The
goals and objectives of the curriculum in pharmacy should embrace the scope
of contemporary practice responsibilities as well as emerging roles that ensure
the rational use of drugs in the individualized care of patients as well as
in patient populations. The organized program of study should provide students
with a core of knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and values that are
necessary to the provision of pharmaceutical care and should provide opportunity
for selection by students of courses and professional experiences in keeping
with particular interests and goals. The need for life-long learning should
be reflected as an integral theme of the curriculum.
Standard No. 9. Curricular Organization and Length
The curriculum in pharmacy should provide sufficient content for the achievement
of the professional competencies necessary to the general practice of pharmacy
and to satisfy educational requirements for licensure as a pharmacist, and
should meet the requirements of the institution for the doctor of pharmacy
degree. The College or School of Pharmacy’s organized plan of study should
focus upon the content, sequence, process, and outcomes of the curriculum.
The curriculum for the professional program in pharmacy requires a minimum
of four academic years or the equivalent in order to ensure achievement of
the professional competencies necessary to become a generalist practitioner
who renders pharmaceutical care.
Standard No. 10. Professional Competencies and Outcome Expectations
Professional competencies that should be achieved through the College or School
of Pharmacy’s curriculum in pharmacy are an ability to:
a. evaluate drug orders or prescriptions, accurately
and safely compound drugs in appropriate dosage forms, and package
and dispense dosage forms;
b. manage systems for storage, preparation,
and dispensing of medicines, and supervise technical personnel
who may be involved in such processes;
c. manage and administer a pharmacy and pharmacy
practice;
d. apply computer skills and technological advancements
to practice;
e. communicate with health care professionals
and patients regarding rational drug therapy, wellness, and health
promotion;
f. design, implement, monitor, evaluate, and
modify or recommend modifications in drug therapy to insure effective,
safe, and economical patient care;
g. identify, assess, and solve medication-related
problems, and provide a clinical judgment as to the continuing
effectiveness of individualized therapeutic plans and intended
therapeutic outcomes;
h. evaluate patients and order medications and/or
laboratory tests in accordance with established standards of
practice;
i. evaluate patient problems and triage patients
to other health professionals as appropriate;
j. administer medications;
k. monitor and counsel patients regarding the
purposes, uses, and effects of their medications and related
therapy;
l. understand relevant diet, nutrition, and
non-drug therapies;
m. recommend, counsel, and monitor patient use
of nonprescription drugs;
n. provide emergency first care;
o. retrieve, evaluate, and manage professional
information and literature;
p. use clinical data to optimize therapeutic
drug regimens;
q. collaborate with other health professionals;
and
r. evaluate and document interventions and pharmaceutical
care outcomes.Outcome expectations for student performance in
the professional competencies stated above should be set forth
and measured by the College or School. The process of measuring
outcome expectations should include student self-assessments
of performance in the stated professional competencies.
Standard No. 11. Areas and Content of Curricular Core
The areas and content of the curriculum in pharmacy should provide the student
with a core of knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and values which, in
composite, relate to the professional competencies and outcome expectations
set forth in Standard No. 10. Professional Competencies and Outcome Expectations.
The areas and content of the curriculum in pharmacy should be in phase with
one another and should be balanced in accord with the College or School of
Pharmacy’s mission, goals, and objectives. The areas and content of the
curricular core are as follows:
biomedical sciences, including content in anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology,
microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and biostatistics;
pharmaceutical sciences, including content in medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy,
pharmacology, toxicology, and pharmaceutics which encompasses physical/chemical
principles of dosage forms and drug delivery systems, biopharmaceutics, and
pharmacokinetics;
behavioral, social, and administrative pharmacy sciences, including content
in health care economics, pharmacoeconomics, practice management, communications
applicable to pharmacy, the history of pharmacy, ethical foundations to practice,
and social and behavioral applications and laws pertaining to practice;
pharmacy practice, including content in prescription processing, compounding
and preparation of dosage forms, including parenteral products, drug distribution
and drug administration, epidemiology, pediatrics, geriatrics, gerontology,
nutrition, health promotion and disease prevention, physical assessment, emergency
first-care, clinical laboratory medicine, clinical pharmacokinetics, patient
evaluation and ordering medications, pharmacotherapeutics, disease-state management,
outcomes documentation, self care/non-prescription drugs, and drug information
and literature evaluation; and
professional experience, including introductory and advanced practice experiences
acquired throughout the curriculum as a continuum, progressing from the Introductory
Pharmacy Practice Experiences through the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences
in a variety of practice settings.
Guideline 11.1
Instruction in the use of new and innovative technologies in the provision
of pharmaceutical care, such as information systems and biotechnology, should
be integrated throughout the areas and content of the core curriculum.
Guideline 11.2
The biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences should be of such depth, scope,
timeliness, quality, sequence, and emphasis to provide the foundation for and
support of the intellectual and clinical objectives of the professional program
in pharmacy. The biomedical sciences should provide the basis for understanding
and treating humans in health and disease. Where instruction is provided in
the biomedical sciences by other academic units of the University, these areas
should be developed in accord with the goals and objectives for the curriculum
in pharmacy. Appropriate liaison mechanisms should be established to insure
effective instructional delivery and to assure satisfaction of biomedical science
objectives for the professional program in pharmacy.
Guideline 11.3
The behavioral, social, and administrative pharmacy sciences should provide
the basis for understanding and influencing human behavior in health and disease,
in the management process of pharmacy, and in pharmacy’s interrelationships
with health care systems. The behavioral, social, and administrative pharmacy
sciences should attend to the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and
values necessary to the efficient and effective management of patient-centered
practice, including administrative and management matters related to drugs
and supplies, as well as administrative and management activities related to
personnel and finances. Moreover, the behavioral, social, and administrative
pharmacy sciences area should contribute to the development and implementation
of care plans and to the management of the patient's drug therapies.
Guideline 11.4
The professional experience should be of adequate intensity, breadth, and duration
so as to support achievement of stated competencies as demonstrated by assessment
of outcome expectations. Students should be duly enrolled in the College or
School of Pharmacy and should not receive monetary remuneration for professional
experience so as to assure the primacy of an appropriate student/teacher relationship.
Guideline 11.5
The Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences should be offered in various
practice settings during the early sequencing of the curriculum for purposes
of providing transitional experiential activities and active learning. Such
practice experiences should be organized as a curricular progression leading
to advanced practice experiences so as to support growth in the student's capabilities
to render pharmaceutical care. The scope and breadth of the introductory experiences
should involve the initial development of practice skills, and should be consistent
with these stated purposes. A quality control procedure should be established
in accord with stated purposes and outcome expectations; the Introductory Pharmacy
Practice Experiences may be designed in conjunction with didactic courses or
as a discrete experiential offering.
Guideline 11.6
The Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences should provide active participation
and in-depth experiences to acquire practice skills and judgment and to develop,
in a graded fashion, the level of confidence and responsibility needed for
independent and collaborative practice. Toward this end, a spectrum of practice
experiences should be deployed wherein the biomedical sciences; pharmaceutical
sciences; behavioral, social, and administrative pharmacy sciences; and pharmacy
practice are integrated, professional knowledge and skills are applied, and
professional attitudes, ethics, and behaviors are developed so as to enable
students to provide pharmaceutical care. Advanced practice experiences should
enhance communication and collaborative skills with patients and other professionals,
including the ability to work and communicate effectively with diverse colleagues
and patients. The advanced practice experiences should also provide experience
in prescription processing, compounding and preparation of dosage forms, including
parenteral products, drug distribution systems, documentation of services,
the taking of drug histories, participating in drug therapy decisions, monitoring,
educating, and counseling patients, solving problems, and systematically evaluating
drug use. Advanced practice experiences should include application of clinical
pharmacokinetic principles in the development and management of dosing and
should incorporate knowledge and skills in the searching, analysis, and interpretation
of drug information. Students should be under the close supervision of pharmacist
role models.
Guideline 11.7
The organization of the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences should provide
a balanced series of core and selective experiences that cumulatively provide
sustained experiences of adequate intensity, breadth, and duration to enable
achievement of stated competencies as demonstrated by assessment of outcome
expectations. Generally, the core and selective experiences should be full-time
and provide continuity of care, with pharmacy faculty supervision and monitoring.
The duration of the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences should ordinarily
be the equivalent of one academic year. Core experiences should develop pharmaceutical
care capabilities in inpatient and ambulatory care settings, especially community
pharmacies. Selective experiences should complement the core experiences and
provide adequate and innovative opportunities for students to mature professionally
in accord with their individualized interests. The series of core and selective
experiences should be philosophically and educationally coordinated to achieve,
in composite, the experiential whole of the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences.
Guideline 11.8
The Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences should be provided in both ambulatory
and inpatient settings and should include primary, acute, chronic, and preventive
care among patients of all ages. The core experiences should provide substantial
experience in community pharmacy practice and hospital/institutional pharmacy
practice, as well as substantial practice experience with general medicine
acute care patients. Most of the advanced practice experiences should involve
direct patient care. However, some of the advanced practice experiences may
involve indirect patient care or may occur in non-patient care areas, such
as research and management. Other experiences, such as those in drug information,
managed care, and home health care should be available.
Guideline 11.9
A quality control procedure for the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences
should be established for core and selective experiences so as to facilitate
achievement of stated competencies, provide for feedback, assure reasonable
standardization, and insure consistency in evaluation. The College or School
should assure that all practice facilities utilized for the advanced practice
experiences meet and sustain conditions necessary to the delivery of pharmaceutical
care and to the students’ learning needs through the establishment of
a mechanism such as the use of a review council. This review council, or other
established mechanism for quality control, should involve individuals with
appropriate expertise and perspectives, such as student, practitioner, and
board of pharmacy representation. The core and selective experiences should
be organized, administered, and evaluated in accord with their individualized
goals and objectives and in keeping with the overall goals and objectives for
the advanced practice experiences. General objectives and learning modules
as well as site specific guidelines should be established for the core and
selective experiences. Specific criteria should be developed so as to enable
faculty and students to assess both formative and summative progress. Students
should be provided the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of stated competencies
as evaluated through the use of reliable, validated criteria.
Standard No. 12. Teaching and Learning Processes
The College or School of Pharmacy should address the ways by which curricular
content is taught and learned in the student's achievement of the professional
competencies. Attention should be given to teaching efficiencies and effectiveness
as well as innovative ways and means of curricular delivery. Educational techniques
and technologies should be appropriately integrated to support the achievement
of the professional competencies, to foster the development and maturation
of critical thinking and problem solving skills, and to meet the needs of diverse
learners. Evidence that the educational process involves students as active,
self-directed learners and shows transition from dependent to independent learning
as students progress through the curriculum should be provided.
Guideline 12.1
The educational process should ensure that students are afforded a broad conceptual
mastery of pharmacy practice through the integration of subject matter, literature,
theory, and methods. The educational techniques and technologies should sequentially
develop and demonstrate the capacity of students to interpret, organize,
and communicate knowledge, to engage in critical thinking, and to develop
those analytical, ethical, and professional skills needed to practice and
advance the profession of pharmacy.
Guideline 12.2
Teaching strategies to ensure the adeptness of critical thinking and problem
solving should be an integral part of the educational process. Also, the acquisition
of both oral and written communication skills should be integrated throughout
the curriculum. The curricular areas of pharmacy practice and professional
experience should serve as the mainstay for the application and further development
of interpersonal and interprofessional communicative and collaborative skills
necessary to the rendering of pharmaceutical care. The teaching and learning
of practice skills should be supported by applications of computer technologies,
case studies, simulations, and guided group discussions.
Guideline 12.3
The educational process should promote life-long learning through emphasis
on active, self-directed learning and the fostering of ethical responsibility
for maintaining and enhancing professional competence.
Guideline 12.4
The College or School is urged to offer a curricular pathway for the professional
program in pharmacy leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree for baccalaureate
in pharmacy-degreed pharmacists that is nontraditional in its processes, strategies,
and tactics for delivery. This pathway should provide individualized assessments
of the professional competencies set forth in Standard No. 10. Professional
Competencies and Outcome Expectations for purposes of placement and to enable
a customized plan of study. This curricular pathway should be convenient and
accessible, taking into account the special needs and concerns of baccalaureate
in pharmacy degreed practitioners and characteristics of adult learners. The
nontraditional curricular pathway should insure achievement of the professional
competencies as documented by assessment of outcome expectations for the professional
program in pharmacy. The College or School should experiment with procedures
and assessments for admission with advanced standing, teaching strategies and
instructional methods for curricular delivery, and techniques and technologies
to enable educational economies and efficiencies.
Standard No. 13. Evaluation of Student Achievement
The College or School of Pharmacy should establish principles and methods for
the formative and summative evaluation of student achievement. A variety of
evaluation measures should be systematically and sequentially applied throughout
the professional program in pharmacy. Assessments should measure cognitive
learning, mastery of essential practice skills, and the abilities to communicate
effectively and to use data in the critical thinking and problem solving processes.
Evaluation processes should measure student performance in all of the professional
competencies in accord with outcome expectations.
Guideline 13.1
The system of student evaluation utilized by the College or School should foster
self-initiated learning. Testing procedures should condition students for
the integration and application of principles, critical thinking, and problem
solving rather than for short-term retention or memorization of specific
details or isolated facts.
Standard No. 14. Curriculum Evaluation
Evaluation measures focusing on the efficacy of the curricular structure, content,
process, and outcomes should be systematically and sequentially applied throughout
the curriculum in pharmacy. Evidence should exist that evaluation outcomes,
including student achievement data, are applied to modify or revise the professional
program in pharmacy.
Guideline 14.1
A system of outcome assessment should be developed which fosters data-driven
continuous improvement of curricular structure, content, process, and outcomes.
Evaluation of the curriculum should occur systematically in order to monitor
overall effectiveness, to enable the achievement of the professional competencies
in accord with outcome expectations, and to provide a studied basis for improvement.
The ongoing evaluation process should include input from faculty, students,
administrators, practitioners, and state board of pharmacy members and other
publics. The curriculum as a whole, as well as individual courses, should
be evaluated with respect to the goals and objectives for the professional
program in pharmacy. Experimentation and innovation within the curriculum
in pharmacy should occur continuously. Experimental or innovative approaches
should be adequately planned and coupled with an appropriate evaluation system.
Evaluation should assure that the curriculum is responsive to changes in
pharmacy practice as well as to changes in educational technologies, and
insure that an educational setting and methods of instruction exist that
maximize the development of effective and efficient learning experiences.
Guideline 14.2
A curriculum committee or other appropriate body with defined authorities and
responsibilities, should be in place to manage an orderly and systematic review
of the curriculum structure, content, process, and outcomes. Duties of this
committee should include assurances for coordination of course material, minimization
of unwarranted repetition, deletion of outdated or unessential content, and
provision of a reasonable course load for students. A curricular editing process
should assure that additions are counterpoised with deletions. The appropriateness
of emphasis, presentation mode, and proper sequencing should be considered
so as to provide the optimal environment for learning. The committee should
assess the extent to which innovative teaching methods are effectively deployed,
and outcome measures are systematically applied for purposes of improvement.
STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS
Standard No. 15. Organization of Student Affairs Within a College or
School of Pharmacy
An organizational element within the College or School of Pharmacy should be
devoted to student affairs. The administrative officer responsible for this
organizational element should provide leadership in the development and provision
of student services, including activities intended to develop professional
attitudes, ethics, and behaviors and to otherwise foster the professionalization
of the students. This administrative officer should oversee and coordinate
the multifaceted student affairs activities and services, including recruitment
programs, administration of the admissions and progression processes, maintenance
of records, organization of academic advising and career-pathway counseling,
verification of completion of degree requirements, and linkage with University
student services.
Guideline 15.1
The College or School should demonstrate that an ordered, accurate, and secure
system of student records is maintained. Student records should be confidential
with access limited to authorized persons. Students should be informed of
the right of access to their own records.
Guideline 15.2
The College or School should demonstrate that reasonable efforts have been
made to assist students in obtaining financial aid. In advance of graduation,
the students should receive a written statement from the University or the
College or School indicating all sources of financial assistance received through
the institution for which repayment is required along with the terms and conditions
associated with repayment. The College or School should collect and assess
information regarding default rates in student loan programs.
Guideline 15.3
The College or School should provide academic advising and personal and career-pathway
counseling adequate to the needs of students, including those in nontraditional
pathways. Advisor and counselor training programs, adequate personnel, and
other support should be provided. Personal counseling should be made available
through University resources or by other arrangements.
Guideline 15.4
The College or School should assure access to health services for students,
including times of assignment to off-campus sites. Appropriate immunization
standards should be established as well as a means for ensuring that such standards
are satisfied.
Guideline 15.5
A policy on student affairs, including admissions and progression, that assures
non-discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, lifestyle, national
origin, or disability should exist.
Standard No. 16. Admission Criteria, Policies, and Procedures
The College or School of Pharmacy should establish criteria, policies, and
procedures for admission to the professional program in pharmacy. These criteria,
policies, and procedures should be published in clearly stated terms and made
available to students and prospective students.
Admissions criteria should include the satisfactory completion of post-secondary
preprofessional requirements of such length and quality to provide scientific
foundations and general education and to prepare for and meet the requirements
of the professional doctorate in pharmacy. Admissions criteria should use measures
of achievement in the stipulated preprofessional requirements and other postsecondary
undertakings, and should employ and set performance expectations for such other
tests, evaluations, or interviews, that the College or School has demonstrated
to be useful in selecting students who have the potential for success in the
professional program in pharmacy and the profession.
Guideline 16.1
The preprofessional requirements should provide basic sciences requisite to
the curriculum for the professional program in pharmacy, illustrative of
which are general chemistry, organic chemistry, biological sciences, mathematics,
computer technologies, and physical sciences. Moreover, sufficient general
education, defined as humanities, behavioral sciences, social sciences, and
communication skills, should be provided in the preprofessional requirements
that encourages the broadening of intellectual powers and interests and facilitates
the development of professional practitioners capable of understanding a
culturally diverse society and their role in it as health care providers.
Elements of general education may be attained concurrent or integrated with
the curriculum for the professional program. The preprofessional requirements
may include some elements of the biomedical sciences area of the curriculum
for the professional program.
Guideline 16.2
The College or School may organize its preprofessional requirements and the
professional program in pharmacy as an integrated curriculum or programmatic
continuum, in accord with its established mission statement and its published
admissions policies and procedures.
Guideline 16.3
Admissions criteria, policies, and procedures should give consideration not
only to scholastic accomplishments, but also to other factors such as motivation,
industry, and communication capabilities that show the student's potential
to become a life-long learner and an effective professional. Efforts should
be made in the selection of students to foster diversity.
Guideline 16.4
A recruitment program should be established to provide a pool of well qualified
and diverse applicants for the available positions.
Guideline 16.5
Studies are encouraged that relate admissions criteria with student achievement
in the professional program in pharmacy and performance in professional practice.
Guideline 16.6
Students may be admitted to the professional program in pharmacy under an early
selection program. In such an admissions arrangement, a formal and published
agreement should exist between the College or School and the associated institution(s).
The early selection student should be admitted to the professional program
in pharmacy contingent upon successful completion of entrance requirements
and application procedures.
Standard No. 17. Transfer of Credits and Waiver of Requisites for Admission
with Advanced Standing
The College or School of Pharmacy should establish transfer credit and course
waiver policies consistent with University policies. Generally, credits toward
completion of the professional program in pharmacy may be transferred from
another ACPE accredited degree program in pharmacy, and requisites may be waived
on the basis of rational procedures and defensible assessments.
Graduates of an ACPE accredited baccalaureate in pharmacy program should have
all credits of the baccalaureate in pharmacy degree program transferred to
the professional program in pharmacy and should be admitted with advanced standing.
Moreover, requisites should be waived based upon an educationally sound assessment
of the professional competencies set forth in Standard No. 10. Professional
Competencies and Outcome Expectations which may have been achieved through
continuing pharmaceutical education, all other postgraduate education and training,
and the quality and quantity of previous pharmacy practice experience.
Guideline 17.1
The plan of study for baccalaureate in pharmacy-degreed pharmacists should
be customized in accord with the results of the candidate’s individualized
assessments deploying educational economies and efficiencies and assuring
comparability of the professional competencies and outcome expectations.
Curricular areas and content determined to be essential may be accessed through
traditional and/or nontraditional educational methods. The professional experience
should be organized in a manner that enables continuity in the care of patients
and optimizes the characteristics, capabilities, and resources of adult learners.
A continuing pharmaceutical education sequence may be set forth that prepares
for and supports successful completion of the professional program in pharmacy.
Standard No. 18. Progression of Students
The College or School of Pharmacy should establish and publish criteria, policies,
and procedures for academic progression as well as for academic probation,
dismissal, and readmission. The student's responsibilities and rights to due
process, including appeal mechanisms, should be published and made available.
Guideline 18.1
An ongoing monitoring system of student performance is necessary for the early
detection of academic difficulty. The College or School should provide a
system of access for individualized student services, such as tutorial support.
Standard No. 19. Disclosure of Program Information
A current and accurate description of the professional program in pharmacy
and its post-secondary preprofessional requirements should be made available
to prospective and enrolled students.
Guideline 19.1
A current catalog and/or other documents should be available which include
at least the following: the mission, goals, and objectives of the professional
program in pharmacy; the curricular plan, courses, and credit hours; resources
available to effect the curriculum; admissions and progressions criteria
and policies; off-campus curricular requirements; graduation requirements;
tuition and fees, including refund policies; graduation and placement rates;
current accreditation status of the program; recent pass rates on standardized
licensure examinations; and expectations for attitudes, values, traits, and
ethics as put forth by the profession.
Standard No. 20. Student Representation
The College or School of Pharmacy should show evidence that student representation
exists on appropriate committees and policy-development bodies of the College
or School, including the curriculum committee. Students should be given the
opportunity to be heard during regular faculty meetings.
Guideline 20.1
The College or School should have a student government as well as suitable
committees, such as a student/faculty relations committee, to develop student
leadership, to insure a forum for student dialogue, and to assure adequate
communication of student opinions and perspectives.
Standard No. 21. Student Perspectives in Program Evaluation and Development
The College or School of Pharmacy should provide evidence that student opinion
is sought in program evaluation and development. Moreover, the College or School
should demonstrate that student input is systematically encouraged and considered
in order to foster active student participation in the development and improvement
of the professional program in pharmacy.
Guideline 21.1
Instruments and techniques, such as student evaluation questionnaires and exit
interviews, should be systematically employed for purposes of obtaining student
opinions of faculty, curriculum, and other aspects of the professional program
in pharmacy. The evaluative data so obtained should be systematically applied
for purposes of continuous improvement. The College or School should indicate
to the students the outcomes of their participation in the systematic process
of program evaluation and development.
Standard No. 22. Student/Faculty Relationships
Evidence of harmonious relationships between faculty and students should be
demonstrated. Faculty should mentor students in their academic pursuits, nurture
a positive attitude about the provision of pharmaceutical care, provide guidance
on various career pathways and encourage student involvement in affairs of
the profession. The College or School of Pharmacy should provide an environment
and culture that supports the professionalization of students, is conducive
to good student morale, and inculcates attitudes, ethics, and behaviors congruent
with professional standards.
Guideline 22.1
Faculty should actively encourage student involvement in various professional
organizations, serve as role models, and support student attendance at national,
state, and local meetings. Organized efforts should exist to broaden the horizons
of students, including scientific inquiry, scholarly concern for the profession,
and post-graduate education and training, through such means as guest lecturers,
and participation in curricular and extracurricular activities.
Guideline 22.2
Faculty/student interactions should be facilitated through informal activities.
Faculty attendance at student functions, both professional and social, is urged
as an effective means of fostering harmonious relationships and serving as
role models.
STANDARDS FOR FACULTY
Standard No. 23. Faculty and Staff, Quantitative Factors
The College or School of Pharmacy should have sufficient faculty and staff
resources to meet its mission, goals, and objectives in the areas of education,
research, service, and pharmacy practice. The faculty of a College or School
consists of individuals who have a range of academic titles, full- or part-time
appointments, and serve with or without compensation. A critical nucleus of
full-time faculty to support the pharmacy disciplines and each area of the
curriculum in pharmacy is required. This nucleus may be complemented by part-time
faculty, co-staffed or co-funded faculty positions with affiliates, post-doctoral
personnel, and voluntary faculty. Voluntary faculty should have adjunct or
other appropriate academic titles. The College or School should have a faculty/student
ratio sufficient to effectively deliver and evaluate the professional program
in pharmacy and to provide time for faculty to engage in faculty development
and to pursue research and scholarly activities. The curricular area of professional
experience requires close supervision of and significant interaction with students,
and thus a greater faculty/student ratio should be provided during this aspect
of the professional program in pharmacy.
Guideline 23.1
The faculty/student ratio for the professional experience area of the curriculum
in pharmacy should be adequate so as to provide individualized instruction,
guidance, and evaluative supervision by pharmacy faculty. Important factors
to be considered to assure these goals are the number of students each faculty
member is assigned during the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences,
and, particularly, during the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences, the
nature of the practice setting, and the character of instructional delivery.
Guideline 23.2
The several responsibilities of faculty need to be in balance so as to enable
the pursuit of faculty responsibilities to scholarship.
Guideline 23.3
Adequate staff resources, such as administrative assistants, secretaries, student
affairs personnel, teaching assistants, and laboratory technicians, should
be provided to support effective operation of the College or School. Other
staff resources such as telecommunication, audiovisual, and computer personnel
should be available.
Standard No. 24. Faculty and Staff, Qualitative Factors
The faculty of the College or School of Pharmacy should possess professional
and academic expertise in the components of the professional program in pharmacy
for which they are responsible, and demonstrate contemporary knowledge and
abilities in current educational philosophy and techniques. Faculty, individually
and collectively, should demonstrate a commitment to the mission, goals, and
objectives of the College or School and to the professional program in pharmacy.
Those faculty whose responsibilities include the practice of pharmacy should
satisfy all professional licensure requirements which apply to their practice
sites.
The College or School should have an organized professional development program
for full-time, part-time, and voluntary faculty, consistent with their respective
responsibilities and should demonstrate the effectiveness of this professional
development program. The professional development program should enhance teaching
and assessment skills and should assist faculty in efforts to become and remain
productive scholars. Additionally, the professional development program should
support the acquisition of skills needed for teaching diverse learners.
Guideline 24.1
Faculty members, where consistent with their academic responsibilities, should
be involved in the provision of pharmaceutical care. This activity not only
contributes to the maintenance and enhancement of the skills of practice,
but it is also of fundamental importance in the development of those skills
in students. In the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences involving direct
patient care, it is necessary to have practice faculty who are role models
of professional attributes and behaviors so as to effectively mentor, monitor,
and evaluate students. Faculty members whose academic responsibilities do
not involve the provision of pharmaceutical care should be encouraged to
visit various practice settings so as to heighten sensitivity to and understanding
of pharmacy practice and the delivery of pharmaceutical care.
Guideline 24.2
The faculty should have the capability and continued commitment to be effective
teachers. Effective teaching requires knowledge of the discipline, effective
communication skills, and an understanding of pedagogy, including construction
and delivery of the curriculum in pharmacy. Faculty should deploy educational
technologies and techniques that support various modes of educational delivery,
such as simulations and case studies, and evaluation, such as test construction
and clinical performance assessments. Educational support systems should be
provided to practitioners serving as voluntary faculty in the professional
experience program.
Guideline 24.3
Faculty and staff should be selected in accordance with a policy which assures
nondiscrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, lifestyle, national
origin, or disability. The College or School is encouraged to seek diversity
in the recruitment of its faculty.
Standard No. 25. Faculty Evaluation
Established criteria and a defined process should exist for the measurement
of performance of each faculty member and for promotion and, where applicable,
tenure consideration. Faculty should be evaluated for quality and effectiveness
utilizing academically accepted indicia appropriate to the established responsibilities
of individual faculty members. Evaluation techniques should include administrative
review, peer review, and student evaluations.
Guideline 25.1
Teaching abilities, skills, and effectiveness related to pharmaceutical education
should be evaluated and documented.
Guideline 25.2
Faculty should have a responsibility to generate and disseminate knowledge
through scholarship, whether or not graduate education is a component of the
College's or School's mission. Scholarship, including the scholarship of teaching,
should be evident and demonstrated by productive research and scholarly activities,
such as contributions to the scientific, professional, and educational literature,
publication of books and review articles, and successes in securing extramural
funding in support of research and scholarly activities. The College or School
should foster an environment which encourages contributions by the faculty
to the development and transmission of new knowledge, and should contribute
to the advancement of knowledge and to the intellectual growth of students
through scholarship. The College or School is encouraged to provide, or be
affiliated with institutions that provide, residency and fellowship programs.
Guideline 25.3
Contributions to the advancement and promotion of the profession of pharmacy
should be evidenced by activities such as the development and evaluation of
innovative practice modes, participation in professional and scholarly meetings,
presentation of papers, service as an officer or committee member of organizations,
and as a presenter of continuing education programs.
Guideline 25.4
The faculty evaluation process should take into account and appropriately recognize
efforts of faculty that make contributions toward advancement of the professional
development of students, such as academic advising, career pathway counseling,
and student organization advising.
Standard No. 26. Faculty Self-Assessment
Faculty should continually evaluate their individual and collective performance.
It is essential that faculty assume responsibility for continuously improving
their own teaching, scholarship, and service activities. The use of teaching
portfolios as faculty self-assessment instruments is encouraged.
STANDARD FOR LIBRARY AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Standard No. 27. Library and Educational Resources
Library and educational resources should be available and accessible to the
College or School of Pharmacy that are sufficient to support the professional
program in pharmacy and to provide for research and scholarly activities in
accord with the mission of the College or School. The collection, educational
technologies, services, and staff should be adequate to the needs of faculty
and students, including those in nontraditional pathways; holdings should be
current with an established mechanism for review and updating; the physical
facilities should adequately house the library's print and non-print holdings,
and provide sufficient study, reading, and computer space for students and
faculty. The College or School should demonstrate that these resources are
fully incorporated and utilized in the teaching and learning processes.
Guideline 27.1
The library resources and educational technologies should satisfy generally
accepted standards and practices for library and educational resources that
serve the professional program in pharmacy. The library should be under the
direction of a professional librarian and a good working relationship should
exist with the College or School. Educational technology services should
be under the direction of a media professional and an effective working relationship
should exist with the College or School as well as with the library. A faculty
liaison or committee should be established to assure the adequacy of the
collection, educational technologies, and services and insure their appropriate
integration into the teaching program. An organized program should exist
to teach students the effective and efficient use of the library and educational
resources. Remote access technologies and mechanisms which promote utilization
of library information from off-campus sites should be available. Search
capabilities, inter-library loans, and other methods for access to materials
not in the collection should be available and taught to students. Student
and faculty opinions should be sought regarding the adequacy of library and
educational resources, and estimates of utilization of available resources
by students and faculty should be obtained so as to foster improvement.
STANDARDS FOR PHYSICAL AND PRACTICE FACILITIES
Standard No. 28. Physical Facilities
The physical facilities of a College or School of Pharmacy should be adequate
to achieve its stated mission. Essential physical facilities include administrative
and faculty offices, teaching and research laboratories, lecture rooms, small
classrooms or conference rooms, student amenities, program support areas, and
an infrastructure to support educational technologies. The physical facilities
should be adequately equipped, well-maintained, provide a reasonably attractive
environment for teaching and learning, and meet the federal, state, and local
legal standards for disabled individuals. The teaching facilities, including
general and specialized laboratories, should be sufficient in number and adequate
in size to accommodate the student body. Equipment for computer and laboratory
work should be available so as to provide individual learning experiences and
should be available in a quantity sufficient so that each student has opportunity
for participation. Physical facilities, instrumentation, and supplies should
be adequate to support the research and scholarly activities of the College
or School, including its professional development program for faculty.
Guideline 28.1
Offices for faculty should provide privacy for study and for counseling and
advising students. Adequate facilities should be available for support staff,
including space for clerical and receptionist duties, copying services, and
the housing of equipment and supplies.
Guideline 28.2
Adequate equipment, instrumentation, and other educational technologies necessary
to support the College’s or School’s mission, including audio-visual
aids and computers, should be provided. The necessary teaching resources, including
facilities for practice simulations, should be available so as to provide students
with foundational practice exercises and simulated pharmaceutical care experiences.
Guideline 28.3
Adequate space should be provided for student activities and organizations,
such as meeting rooms, study areas, and lounges. Appropriate resources should
be available to support a favorable environment for student life.
Guideline 28.4
Proper and adequate animal facilities should be available to carry out the
teaching and other programs of the College or School. Development and maintenance
of such facilities should meet acceptable standards for animal facilities.
Guideline 28.5
Access to specialized resources is necessary to support the professional program
in pharmacy, in accord with specific curricular needs. Illustrative of such
resources are a drug information center, computer laboratory, professional
practice simulation laboratory, poison control center, pharmaceutical technology
laboratory, and a nuclear pharmacy.
Standard No. 29. Practice Facilities
A College or School of Pharmacy should have practice facilities of adequate
number and sufficient nature to support the professional experience area of
the curriculum and to provide for the student enrollment. Administrative arrangements
should exist between the College or School and its practice affiliates.
Guideline 29.1
Practice facilities essential to the core Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences,
such as appropriate inpatient and other environments of hospital/institutional
practice, and ambulatory care settings, including community pharmacies, should
be available. Suitable facilities should be available for students to support
the selective Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences in a range of practice
settings, such as primary, acute, chronic, and preventive care areas, medical
specialty care areas, inhome care, health maintenance organizations, managed
care, extended care, and other health care facilities.
Guideline 29.2
The pharmaceutical services at each practice facility should be of an exemplary
nature and faculty (salaried or voluntary) should serve as role models of professional
attributes and behavior for students. All practice facilities should be selected
in accord with quality criteria established and reviewed periodically, in accord
with the quality control procedure of the College or School. The quality control
procedure should include delineation of outcome expectations for student performance
in stated competencies along with assessment tools for measurement. The College
or School should develop innovative practice settings so as to provide students
with new concepts and practice capabilities.
Guideline 29.3
The patient population within the patient care areas of the practice facilities
available to the College or School should be adequate for the instructional
activities being conducted. Evaluation of learning opportunities should include
assessment of the total number of students assigned to the facility, including
pharmacy students as well as other health professional students.
Guideline 29.4
Where University health care facilities exist, these resources should be available
to the professional program in pharmacy. Appropriate interrelationships should
exist between the College or School, the health care facilities, and the pharmacy
services of the health care facilities. Moreover, the educational programs
of the College or School should be integrated with the pharmacy services of
the health care facilities.
Guideline 29.5
The stability of relationships between the College or School and its practice
affiliates should be demonstrated by contractual agreements or other statements
of understanding. Agreements should provide for sufficient advance notification
of termination in order to permit development of alternate affiliations should
this become necessary. Agreements should also address student-related matters
such as health services, malpractice provisions, immunization policies, and
professional conduct.
STANDARD FOR FINANCIAL RESOURCES
Standard No. 30. Financial Resources
Financial resources of a College or School of Pharmacy should be adequate so
that continuing operation of the professional program in pharmacy is assured
at an acceptable level. A budget should be available that provides for programmatic
needs, including faculty resources, materials and supplies, faculty development,
and evaluation for purposes of assessment of achievement and to insure program
effectiveness. Enrollments should be established and managed by the College
or School in harmony with resource capabilities. Financial resources are necessary
to provide for appropriate and well-maintained physical facilities. The University
and the College or School should develop and maintain a broad base of financial
support. The College or School should augment budgetary resources with programs
of private giving and other extramural support for purposes of programmatic
development and enrichment.
Guideline 30.1
The College or School should operate with a budget that is developed and managed
in accord with sound and accepted business practices. Financial resources
should be deployed efficiently and effectively in support of the mission,
goals, and objectives, and should be provided in accord with the plan of
the College or School.
Guideline 30.2
A program should be established to acquire extramural funds through endowment
income, grants, contracts, and other fund raising mechanisms. Resources obtained
through such sources should be free of restrictions that may interfere with
sound educational and ethical policies; such resources should be used in a
manner which maintains the integrity of and supports the mission of the College
or School. Accountability of faculty to the College or School and its professional
program in pharmacy should not be affected by extramural funding.