Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program

In addition to the academic requirements for admission to the PharmD program, applicants must also demonstrate self awareness with the ability to reflect on motivation for pursuing a PharmD Degree and exhibit behaviors, values, and professionalism compatible with the role and responsibilities of the profession of Pharmacy.

Admission candidates must also possess the following abilities as required by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) the accrediting body for US Colleges of Pharmacy.

Professional Technical Standards

A candidate for admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program must possess, or be able to achieve through a reasonable accommodation, certain intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities that would enable the individual to acquire the knowledge and technical and clinical skills needed to complete, successfully, the curriculum in order to pursue a career in pharmacy practice. Upon matriculation to the program, the student must continue to possess, or be able to achieve through a reasonable accommodation, the personal competencies outlined below throughout their progression in the program. The practice of pharmacy requires the performance of specific functions that fall into five broad skills categories, including, but not limited to, the areas outlined below. Under all circumstances, a candidate or student should be able to perform the following in a reasonably independent manner, with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Intellectual skills

Students must utilize effective learning techniques in order to assimilate and apply a detailed and complex curriculum to resolve individual drug-related problems. Students must be able to acquire knowledge through many modalities of teaching and instruction including independent learning, collaborative groups, projects, experiential training, and computer assisted learning. Students must demonstrate a fundamental and continuing ability to use analytical reasoning both independently and in collaboration with others to analyze and solve problems and explain healthcare situations. Students must be able to use information to develop appropriate drug therapy and monitoring plans in a reasonable amount of time.

Communication skills

Students must be able to communicate effectively in a broad range of academic and healthcare settings that includes patients, colleagues, and other healthcare team members. Students must understand, communicate, read, and write fluent English. Students must be able to communicate effectively with patients from a broad range of backgrounds, including the ability to recognize nonverbal communication cues.

Motor skills

Students must possess the motor, tactile, auditory, and visual abilities required to perform the duties of a generalist pharmacist, including accurately fulfilling all types of medication orders and utilizing diagnostic equipment or other means for patient assessment. Students must have sufficient physical stamina to complete the rigorous didactic, laboratory, and clinical experiences, which consist of long periods of sitting, standing, or moving.

Behavioral, social, and emotional skills

Students must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment and the prompt completion of all academic and patient care responsibilities. Students must demonstrate professional and ethical demeanor, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to work in an interprofessional environment. Students must also be able to adapt to changes, function in the face of uncertainty, display flexibility and be able to ensure prompt and safe completion of all responsibilities. Compassion, integrity, interpersonal skills, motivation, and concern for others are humanistic qualities expected of students.

Pre-pharmacy Academic Requirements

If you wish to be one of our students, you must complete all pre-pharmacy requirements by the end of the spring term of the year you apply. If necessary, Biochemistry may be completed in the early summer session prior to your admission. Your pre-pharmacy and general education requirements may be completed at any accredited two-or four-year college. These courses provide the foundation necessary for successful completion of the PharmD program.

In addition to to pre-pharmacy requirements, you will need to complete ISU's general education requirements OR complete an Associates of Arts or Science degree OR a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree. The pre-pharmacy requirements and ISU General Education Objectives are listed below:

Course equivalents for Alaskan applicants

DOCTOR OF PHARMACY CURRICULUM

The PharmD Curriculum is provided in an environment characterized by sensitivity to the importance of diversity through the utilization of traditional and innovative delivery methods, and tailored to meet the needs of the citizens of Idaho, Alaska and beyond. The College of Pharmacy has an innovative and forward-thinking faculty who have designed a progressive curriculum to enable you to join the profession of pharmacy as a highly competent pharmacy practitioner. The mission of the College's Doctor of Pharmacy program is to develop caring and highly capable pharmacists who positively impact the health care needs of people in our communities, the state and nation.  We are committed to the advancement of the pharmacy profession and the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences through research, service and patient-centered care. 

Doctor of Pharmacy First Year

The first year in the PharmD program will provide a firm foundation in the basic sciences.  Curriculum topics include:

• Physiology
• Pharmaceutics
• Pharmacology

In other courses, students will learn about literature evaluation, research design, career opportunities, and current issues in healthcare. 

Doctor of Pharmacy Second and Third Years

The second- and third-year courses are presented in a modular format, in which the pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutics and pharmacotherapy of specific organ systems or diseases are integrated into one intensive course focusing on disease-state management. These courses will prepare you for the practice of pharmacy. The focus of these courses is:

• Renal/Pulmonary
• Cardiovascular
• Pain Management  
• Pediatric/Geriatric Pharmacotherapy             
• Endocrine
• Hepatic/Nutrition/Gastrointestinal                     
• Central Nervous System
• Infectious Diseases
• Hematology/Oncology

Doctor of Pharmacy Fourth Year

The final 42 weeks are devoted to full-time Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) at various clerkship sites, which are established in the following locations:

• Pocatello, Boise, Coeur d'Alene and Twin Falls, Idaho
• Reno, Nevada
• Anchorage, Alaska

These sites offer the most innovative and highest quality pharmaceutical care being practiced today. Rotations begin in late May and continue throughout the ensuing 12 months after successful completion of the third-year.

APPE's are under the close supervision of well qualified preceptors at sites located throughout Idaho, Nevada and Alaska.  Students build on the skills and knowledge obtained in the previous three years of the pharmacy curriculum and have the opportunity to serve a wide variety of patient populations in various practice settings.  

Dual Degree Programs

Our joint-degree program permits you to study concurrently for a PharmD and a graduate degree. Professional pharmacy students may apply for early admission to a graduate program following completion of the PharmD first year.  Possible degrees include:

• PharmD/MPH (Masters of Public Health)
• PharmD/MBA (Masters of Business Administration) 
• PharmD/PhD in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences