Doctor of Pharmacy
Vision Statement
The College of Pharmacy at Marshall B. Ketchum University will be a recognized innovator and provider of distinctive, highest quality, evidence-based education, research, and collaborative pharmacy practice.
Mission
The mission of MBKU COP is to educate individuals to become ethical and compassionate pharmacists who competently deliver patient-centric services in diverse environments and systems of healthcare, with a commitment to innovative scholarship.
Program Overview
It takes four academic years to complete the Doctor of Pharmacy program. The first-year curriculum provides the foundation for professional practice with instruction on pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences, body systems and disease, epidemiology, public health, pharmaceutical self-care, pharmacy law and roles of the pharmacist. The curriculum teaches United States and global health care systems, interpersonal and interprofessional communications, pre-clinical laboratory skills, pharmacy practice skills and provides certifications in immunization and life support. Students will begin Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences courses (IPPE).
The second year curriculum continues to build on the foundation courses from year one with instruction on applied biomedical sciences, pharmacology, clinical medicine and pharmacotherapeutics. The curriculum teaches professional ethics, behavioral aspects of health, drug information, evidence-based practice, research methodology, biostatistics, pharmacokinetics and basics of laboratory medicine. Students continue with IPPE courses.
The third year curriculum continues with focused instruction on the principles of clinical medicine and pharmacotherapeutics. The curriculum incorporates biotechnology, pharmacogenomics, pharmacoeconomics, special populations and contains a skills lab for clinical and evidence-based reasoning and certification in medication therapy management. The curriculum provides an opportunity for students to complete a doctoral level research and scholarship project and provides students an opportunity to take three didactic electives of their choice.
The fourth year, also known as the experiential year curriculum lists all the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) courses. Students will also take APPE electives of their choice. The Case Conferences will consist of reflection sessions that discuss pertinent clinical areas through case studies and will provide a North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) preparatory course to assess NAPLEX readiness.
The degree of Doctor of Pharmacy will be conferred on students who are officially admitted to, and who satisfactorily complete the four-year professional curriculum in pharmacy. Satisfactory completion of the Doctor of Pharmacy program will academically qualify the graduate to apply for licensure in each of the 50 states.