Year 2 Course Descriptions (3 Year PharmD)

Foundations 2 is the second course in the Foundations curriculum of the Doctor of Pharmacy program.  This course broadens student perspectives on our healthcare system as a whole and their role as leaders, managers, advocates, stewards, and care providers within the system. It particularly emphasizes the transition to hospital practice to ensure preparedness for Experiential Year 2. The course centres on the goals of the healthcare to achieve the Quintuple Aim (championed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement), the components of which are improving patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, improving care team well-being and advancing health equity and the processes of building an integrated and continually learning healthcare system.  Foundational sciences, and therapeutic topics that build on learning from Year 1 and anticipate students addressing more complex therapeutics in the hospital setting and advanced therapeutics and skills courses.  

Applied Therapeutics 4 is 12-week course that is the first in the series of courses in the second year of the curriculum. Students will learn about common infectious diseases, urology conditions, and nephrology topics. An understanding of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology will allow students to select the appropriate pharmacotherapy for an individual patient presenting with these diseases and conditions.

Applied Therapeutics 5 focuses on the assessment and management of neurological, mental health, and substance use disorders through a biopsychosocial and equity-oriented lens. Students will build competency in pathobiology, pharmacology, pharmacotherapy, and clinical pharmacokinetics while also examining how stigma, trauma, social determinants of health, and systemic inequities influence illness experience, access to care, and treatment outcomes. Emphasis is placed on trauma-informed care, shared decision-making, measurement-based care, and the ethical complexities inherent in neuropsychiatric practice.

This course prepares pharmacy students to navigate the evolving landscape of cancer and immune-mediated disease management. With cancer now the leading cause of death in Canada—and with more patients living longer with the disease due to therapeutic advances—pharmacists are increasingly called upon to support patients across the cancer care continuum. Applied Therapeutics 6 provides a strong foundation in cancer pathophysiology, treatment modalities, and supportive care, while also exploring the immunologic underpinnings of conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and multiple sclerosis (MS).        

This is the fourth of a series of six pharmacy skills and simulation focused courses where students will apply knowledge and develop skills needed to provide patient centred pharmacy care. Students will engage in guided, independent and collaborative learning experiences such as conducting patient interviews, gathering and interpreting health and medication histories, responding to drug information queries, performing physical assessments, and evaluating appropriateness of drug therapy. Students will explore the ethical and legal dimensions of pharmacy practice, including responsible prescribing and decision making that prioritizes patient safety and fosters culturally competent care. Topics covered in this course will align with Applied Therapeutics 4.

This is the fifth of a series of six pharmacy skills and simulation focused courses where students will apply knowledge and develop skills needed to provide patient centred pharmacy care. Students will engage in guided, independent and collaborative learning experiences such as conducting patient interviews, gathering and interpreting health and medication histories, participating in prescription processing, responding to drug information queries, performing physical assessments, and evaluating appropriateness of drug therapy. Students will explore the ethical and legal dimensions of pharmacy practice, including responsible prescribing and decision making that prioritizes patient safety and fosters culturally competent care. Topics covered in this course will align with Applied Therapeutics 5. 

This is the sixth of a series of six pharmacy skills and simulation focused courses where students will apply knowledge and develop skills needed to provide patient centred pharmacy care. Students will engage in guided, independent and collaborative learning experiences such as conducting patient interviews, gathering and interpreting health and medication histories, participating in prescription processing, responding to drug information queries, performing physical assessments, and evaluating appropriateness of drug therapy. Students will explore the ethical and legal dimensions of pharmacy practice, including responsible prescribing and decision making that prioritizes patient safety and fosters culturally competent care. Topics covered in this course will align with Applied Therapeutics 6.

Experiential Learning 2 is the second early experiential course, completed longitudinally during Year 2. Students will actively participate in day-to-day activities within a direct patient care hospital pharmacy practice setting, thus enabling application of knowledge, skills and values learned in faculty-based courses and simulated practice environments.