Course Descriptions - P1
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PHPP 501 - Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiential I
Fall, 1 credit hour (This course will be offered as Credit/No Credit.)
This course is the first in a sequential series. First year pharmacy students will spend one semester in the retail pharmacy setting interacting with patients and retail pharmacy staff and understanding the entire process of retail pharmacy drug distribution, inventory management and patient education The alternate semester is spent in the hospital setting and introduces the centralized and satellite pharmacy practice model. Students are exposed to patient care issues as well as interprofessional issues and how these relate to pharmacy practice by spending time on the general medical floor, long term care patient care facility and pharmacy, oncology clinic and accompanying nurses on homecare visits.
PHPS 504 - Pharmaceutical Immunology
Fall, 3 credit hours
Basic concepts of immunology, including innate immunity, antigen recognition, lymphocyte development and adaptive immunity, will lay the groundwork for understanding immunity in a clinical context. The student will understand how the immune system exists to protect the human host from infection, but how the development of allergy, autoimmunity, graft rejection and immunity to tumors are all variations of this function. Students will discover how to pharmacologically manipulate the immune system by vaccination and other means. They will also review biotech products available for therapeutic applications, including monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, clotting factors and gene therapies, and the techniques used to prepare these products.
PHPS 501 - Biochemistry - Biomolecules
Fall, 3 credit hours
This course is designed to provide a basic foundation for the understanding of medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and the structure and function of medicinals. Topics will include the structural and physical properties of proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), carbohydrates, lipids and the relationship to their biological function, fundamentals of signal transduction, and DNA replication and repair. These principles will provide the basic concepts for understanding the biochemical basis for disease states and drug action.
PHPS 505/L - Pharmaceutics I
Fall, 3 credit hours
Students will be introduced to issues, theory and practice, involved in the rational choice of drugs, dosage forms and drug delivery systems, and the legal and professional issues in drug compounding. Discussions of Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Compounding Practices will carry over into the lab portion of the class. Students will become comfortable with equipment; procedures and records used in the compounding of various dosage forms, and will practice clinical dispensing skills vital to shaping a truly professional pharmacist.
PHPP 511 - Culture & Inter-professional Health Care
Fall, 2 credit hours
The concept of health care teamwork is not new but also not well-understood. The purpose of this course is to provide a framework for optimizing teamwork in health care. Examples of how team conflicts can be minimized or avoided will be discussed. In addition, the impact of culture on pharmaceutical care and teamwork will also be discussed, stressing the importance of recognizing potential differences between individuals. Students will also learn four major pharmacy practice skill modules to include cultural assessment, communication, patient education and treatment planning.
PHPS 503 - Pharmaceutical Calculations
Fall, 2 credit hours
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of pharmaceutical calculations, including use of the SI system of units, methods of measurement and expressions of concentration. In addition they will learn what constitutes an accurate, understandable and legal prescription or medication order. Through a series of lectures and exercises based on intensive problem solving, students will learn to perform the calculations required for the preparation of a range of pharmaceutical dosage forms as well as for their proper administration to the patient. Emphasis will be placed on accuracy and prevention of medication errors.
PHPS 512 - Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Sciences
Fall, 2 credit hours
This course is designed to introduce first year pharmacy students to the areas included in pharmaceutical Sciences. Areas that will be presented are introduction to Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy. This course will allow students to successfully transition into the integrated therapeutics series of courses.
PHPP 502 - Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiential II
Spring, 1 credit hour (This course will be offered as Credit/No Credit.)
The second course in the IPPE sequence will build on the skills and knowledge of PHPP 501 to develop pharmaceutical care practice.
PHPP 508 - Introduction to Biostatistics
Spring, 3 credit hours
This course serves as the structural framework for a career that relies heavily on the ability to understand, evaluate and communicate medical information. The student will learn basic statistical and epidemiologic skills critical for the evaluation of medical literature and for conceptualizing what constitutes truly evidence-based medicine. As stated by the authors of the textbook… “the goal is to provide students with the tools and skills they will need to be smart users and consumers of medical statistics.”
PHPS 509 - Pathophysiology
Spring, 4 credit hours
This course will begin with a review of basic physiological topics that are of special importance to pharmacy (e.g. the autonomic nervous and the cardiovascular systems). Following this will be an introduction to the discipline of pathology. The course will conclude with a discussion of disease states covered by organ system.
PHPS 502 - Biochemistry - Metabolism
Spring, 3 credit hours
This course will delve into metabolism and the interrelationships of metabolic processes. The biochemistry of metabolism focuses on glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis, and the synthesis and breakdown of biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids). Metabolic control and regulation of pathways will be emphasized, including a discussion on the fundamentals of signal transduction in relation to hormone action. Clinical correlates and metabolic diseases will be examined.
PHPS 506/L - Pharmaceutics II
Spring, 3 credit hours
In this continuation of pharmaceutics, students will be exposed to more advanced dosage forms and concepts such as solutions, disperse systems, Parenterals, transdermal drug delivery systems, and biologic. Practical labs will provide hands-on experiences.
PHPS 550 - Genetics in Medicine
Spring, 2 credit hours
This elective course will introduce the student to the basics of genetics and molecular mechanisms of inheritance as they apply to the treatment of disease and to the response of patients to drug therapy. Students will learn how genetics may lead to new strategies in drug development and treatment, how genetics may be used to predict patient response to specific treatments, and how responses are mediated. Emphasis will be placed on clinical and research applications.
PHPP 550 - History of Pharmacy
Spring, 2 credit hours
This elective is of value for students to appreciate the origin of pharmacy, and the manner in which ancestors of the field practiced their art. Forms of drug therapy have been utilized throughout history and recorded in sources such as the Ebers Papyri. From these ancient civilizations, through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the profession continued to evolve. These historical aspects will be described, as well as techniques, tools, symbols, and art in pharmacy. Particular emphasis will be placed on the evolution of pharmacy in Europe and North America, and landmark drug discoveries that changed the world. Discussion will be offered as to how pharmacy is practiced now, and where the field is headed.