The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
The newest health sciences professional school on the UCSD campus
is the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Approved by the
regents in summer 2000, the charter class of students was enrolled in
fall 2002. Students study an innovative curriculum dedicated to educating
future pharmacy practitioners to provide the pharmaceutical care needs
of our growing and increasingly diverse society. The goal of the doctor
of pharmacy curriculum is to prepare students to be leaders in the profession
of pharmacy and to provide them with the tools to practice effectively
in a wide variety of currently existing and potential future roles in
academia, hospitals and clinics, long-term facilities and home care,
government, health policy, the pharmaceutical industry, and innovative
community pharmacy practice settings. It is expected that the emerging
fields of pharmacogenomics and bioinformatics will have a profound influence
on the future practice of pharmacy, and that graduates of the UCSD School
of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will be in an excellent position
to bring these advances to the patient care setting.
Future growth in enrollment in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences is planned for twenty-five students in the class entering in
2003 and thirty students in 2004. The Pharmaceutical Sciences Building,
which will house the administrative, teaching, and research activities
of the school, is scheduled for occupancy in fall 2005. Until these
facilities are available, enrollment will be limited to a maximum of
thirty students in each class. Once the building is available for occupancy,
the entering class size is planned to increase to sixty students.
Rather than duplicate existing departments on the UCSD campus and
in the School of Medicine, the founding faculty of the school draw upon
the strengths of the basic and biomedical science departments that have
provided an outstanding education to undergraduate, graduate, and medical
students for more than thirty years. Faculty from campus departments
and the School of Medicine join School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences faculty in teaching the preclinical courses in the curriculum.
Clinical faculty, who are active practitioners in a variety of medical
center, community, and industry locations, provide both classroom instruction
as well as guidance of students during advanced pharmacy practice clinical
experiences.
During the first years of implementation, the curriculum will be dynamic,
under constant review, and using faculty and student input, updated
by interdisciplinary faculty committees. Presently, the four-year curriculum
leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree is designed as follows:
In the first year, students are enrolled in courses in anatomy and
histology, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutics, bioinformatics,
law and ethics, biostatistics and an introduction to the practice of
pharmacy. Students gain their first exposure to patient care by working
alongside medical students in UCSD sponsored, student-run, free medical
clinics in San Diego. In the second year, pharmacy and first-year medical
students are concurrently enrolled in courses that serve as a foundation
for understanding disease and disease management. In this unique environment,
pharmacy and medical students study cell biology and biochemistry, organ
physiology, pharmacology, neurosciences and endocrinology, reproduction
and metabolism, laboratory medicine, and health policy. This is another
step in developing the collegial relationship they encounter in the
patient-care setting. Courses, specific to the needs of pharmacy students,
such as additional course work in pharmacology, drug study design, and
pharmacy practice are also provided. The third year focuses on the application
of the information learned in the previous years with additional course
work in microbiology, pharmacology, drug information, pharmaceutical
chemistry, pharmaceutics, and pharmacogenomics. A major course sequence
in drug therapeutics begins the process of applying the knowledge gained
in the basic sciences to the clinical management and care of patients.
The fourth year is devoted entirely to advanced pharmacy practice clinical
experiences where students learn to apply the skills and knowledge obtained
in the curriculum in a variety of patient care settings. Many of these
advanced practice experiences take place at UCSD-affiliated medical
centers, such as UCSD Medical CenterHillcrest, UCSD Medical Center
La Jolla, the Veterans Administration Medical Center in La Jolla,
and San Diego Childrens Hospital and Medical Center. In addition,
many other health care facilities throughout the region are utilized.
Not only do students participate in the care of patients in many of
the most modern medical facilities in the San Diego area, but they also
learn to appreciate the challenges faced in providing care to some of
the less advantaged citizens of the region. Both classroom elective
courses as well as advanced practice experience electives provide flexibility
for the student to explore the many facets of the profession and provide
an opportunity for the curriculum to meet a particular students
educational goals and objectives.
The San Diego region ranks third in the nation in the development
of new biotechnology. The school is developing relationships with this
burgeoning biotechnology industry, which is adjacent to the UCSD campus.
There are advanced practice and research experiences available to students
in these exciting new areas of practice.
The common required and elective course work taken by pharmacy and
medical students and advanced practice clinical experiences where medical
and pharmacy students work closely together have been created to foster
the development of cooperation between the professions as well as to
develop an appreciation for the unique roles that each professional
provides in the care of patients.
For the past twenty-five years, UCSF School of Pharmacy students have
been enrolled in advanced practice clinical activities at UCSD Medical
Centers. This long-standing relationship is continuing and being expanded
by the UCSD School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Fourth-year
UCSF students are assigned as mentors for first-year UCSD pharmacy students.
This allows the first-year students to observe their mentors functioning
in the clinical environment and provides the first-year students with
an early exposure to pharmacy practice and patient care. Also, the two
schools are utilizing distance-learning facilities to enhance communication
and to share educational and research experiences between students and
faculty on the two campuses.
Selection Factors
The Admissions Committee seeks a diverse pool of applicants who have
demonstrated strong academic ability in both the required prerequisite
course work and in their entire academic career as well as a wide breadth
of extracurricular interests. In addition, the committee selects applicants
for matriculation who have demonstrated the personal qualities of intelligence,
maturity, integrity, dedication to the ideal of service to society,
and who are best suited for meeting the educational goals of the school.
The ability to express oneself clearly in both oral and written English
is essential. The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is
committed to admitting students with diverse cultural, economic, and
social backgrounds. Although grade-point average is an important factor,
it is not the sole criterion for acceptance. In addition to intellectual
and academic competence, the Admissions Committee considers communication
skills, leadership ability, community service, and health care-related
experience. Preference for admission is afforded to California residents
when all other selection factors are equal, and consideration at this
time is given only to applicants who are either United States citizens
or permanent residents.
All students are enrolled in the full-time, four-year professional
program leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.). No students
in advanced standing, transfer students from other schools of pharmacy,
or part-time students are accepted. All students enter at the first-year
level.
The faculty of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
is exploring the implementation of a seven-year B.S./Pharm.D. program
and a Pharm.D./Ph.D. program. As development of each program matures,
information will be made available on the School of Pharmacy Web site.
It is not anticipated that the programs will be ready for student enrollment
until fall 2005.
For additional information about the UCSD School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences, visit the school Web site, write, call, or email:
University of California, San Diego
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0657
La Jolla, California 92093-0657
(858) 822-4900
General Email: pharmacy@ucsd.edu
Admissions Office Email: sppsadmissions@ucsd.edu
Web site: http://pharmacy.ucsd.edu
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