The Three-Year PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) program includes over 40 weeks of experiential learning. The experiential learning component of this program allows students to apply their extensive knowledge of pharmacotherapy and medication therapy management to patients in a variety of clinical settings.
Early Practice Experience (Required Courses)
Year 1- Experiential Learning 1 (EL1)
Experiential Learning 1 is the first of two early experiential courses, consisting of 160 hours of community pharmacy practice site experience, one day per week, longitudinally during Year 1. Students will actively participate in day-to-day activities within a direct patient care community pharmacy practice setting, enabling application of knowledge, skills and values learned in faculty-based courses and simulated practice environments.
Year 2- Experiential Learning 2 (EL2)
Experiential Learning 2 is the second of two early experiential courses consisting of 160 hours in community based institutional or hospital settings and takes place longitudinally during Year 2. Students will continue to build and enhance their patient care and clinical problem-solving skills.
Year 3- Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE)
Early experiential learning focuses on developing foundational skills in pharmacy practice, while Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) courses help students transition from pharmacy learners to skilled practitioners. A total of 36 weeks of advanced practice experience blocks take place during Year 3 and provide learning opportunities across a broad range of direct and non-direct patient care environments.
Direct Patient Care (DPC):
- Opportunities that are designed to strengthen and integrate students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the provision of patient care across diverse settings.
Non-direct Patient Care (NDPC)
- Opportunities that allow insight into the structure and functions of various areas of pharmacy practice within the health care system and awareness of pharmacists' various roles.
Assessments and Guidance
Students are guided, supervised, and assessed on a day-to-day basis by a preceptor.
Students are additionally supported by a team of Experiential Education Course Coordinators, Office of Experiential Education (OEE) staff, the Director of the OEE, the Academic Lead Experiential Education and related Program Directors.
Students in experiential courses are assessed by their preceptor according to the educational outcomes of the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (AFPC) for First Professional Degree Programs in Pharmacy. These educational outcomes are care provider, communicator, collaborator, leader-manager, health advocate, scholar and professional. Please visit the AFPC website for more information.