The PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) program includes 43 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 - Early Practice Experience (EPE-1)
This course is the first of two early experiential rotations, consisting of 160 hours of experiential education in a community pharmacy practice setting.
Students will undertake EPE-1 during the summer following Year 1 (May-August). Students will actively participate in day-to-day services within a community pharmacy practice setting, thus enabling application of knowledge, skills and values learned in faculty-based courses and simulated practice environments (Medication Therapy Management laboratories).
Year 2 - Early Practice Experience (EPE-2)
This course is the second of two early experiential rotations, consisting of 160 hours of experiential education in a direct patient care environment, including community or institutional pharmacy practice setting.
Students will complete EPE-2 during the summer following Year 2 (May – August). The course will build on the first two years of the program, preparing students for their Year 3 courses.
Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (Required Courses)
Year 4 - Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE)
Prior to commencing APPE courses (rotations), students in the PharmD program will have completed three years of undergraduate pharmacy education, including a Preparation for APPE course. Year 4 of the program includes 35 weeks of APPE courses and 15 weeks of independent study. Each APPE course is 5 weeks in length (the exception is the Required Community Direct Patient Care Course which is 10 weeks) in a variety of practice environments. Students will be expected to travel to placement sites across Ontario.
The PharmD APPE year consists of three course types:
- Required Direct Patient Care Courses
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Direct Patient Care (DPC) courses may be completed in a variety of practice settings, including institutional, community, ambulatory care, family health teams, and long-term care.
- Community Pharmacy DPC (10 Weeks)
- Institutional Practice DPC 1 (5 Weeks)
- Institutional Practice DPC 1 (5 Weeks)
- Selective DPC in an approved pharmacy practice setting (5 Weeks)
- Elective Courses
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The elective rotations may be Direct Patient Care (DPC) or Non-Direct Patient Care (NDPC). NDPC rotation types include administrative/management/leadership, clinical trials, medical information, drug use evaluation, education, global health, project, and research.
- Elective Course 1 (5 Weeks)
- Elective Course 2 (5 Weeks)
- Study Blocks
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Students will have the remaining three 5-week blocks defined as Study Blocks scheduled throughout their final year..
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.