Clinical & Pharmacy Science

The primary goal of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) is to provide the student with an opportunity to experience a broad range of pharmacy practice experiences early in the student's academic career. IPPEs are characterized by various assignments provided to students from their P1 through P3 including actual practice experiences in community and institutional settings. IPPE provides an introduction to the profession and continue in a progressive manner leading to entry into Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) that they will complete during the fourth professional year.

The primary goal of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) is to provide the student with an opportunity to experience a broad range of pharmacy practice experiences early in the student's academic career. IPPEs are characterized by various assignments provided to students from their P1 through P3 including actual practice experiences in community and institutional settings. IPPE provides an introduction to the profession and continue in a progressive manner leading to entry into Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) that they will complete during the fourth professional year.

This course is an interdisciplinary course designed to sensitize the student to the special physiological, psychological, sociological, and economic aspects of aging. In addition, special attention will be given to specific drug problems and solutions to these problems.

This course introduces students to ethical and to bioethical issues confronting healthcare providers within the practice setting. The course introduces students to how ethical theory and principles work to critically analyze and construct well concerned responses to ethical dilemmas. By utilizing the Beaubeu Grid method to collect and analyze case information students will refine their critical thinking skills (both verbal and written) as they read, write, discuss, and resolve the case material presented in class. Emphasis on collaborative dialogue between and among the disciplines represents the hallmark of this course. Finally, the course will familiarize students with ethical and legal considerations, patient-provider relationships, professionalism, and the concepts of moral reasoning.

Herbal and Complementary Medicines, including phytomedicine, are becoming an integral part of our society and the growing self-medicating trend among consumers. This course is designed to provide students with the background that they need to advise patients on the sensible use of herbs and to promote public health and safety. Emphases will be placed on the need for phytomedicinals as alternative therapies, the safety and efficacy of herbal preparations, and the role of pharmacists in helping consumers select useful and safe herbal products. The regulatory and legislative aspects of marketing and selling phytomedicinals in the U.S. will also be discussed. Readings will include relevant articles and publications.

The purpose of this course is to train health care professional students on their role in preparing citizens to be better prepared to respond to emergencies in their communities. This course will train students to provide critical support to first responders, immediate assistance to victims and help organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. Lastly students will learn how to coordinate outreach efforts to improve community resilience. Completion of this course will help meet the training requirements to be a volunteer for the Capitol City Pharmacy MRC.

The course deals with an introduction to techniques and methodologies in clinical pharmacy research. Emphasis on literature retrieval, design/conduct of experiments on a specific problem, drug therapy clinical studies or pharmacy administration topics, and analysis and interpretation of data for a written report.

This course was developed as a partnership between the Howard University College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, the Howard University College of Pharmacy, and the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica. Through a series of online lectures, interdisciplinary learning exercises, and scholarly writing activities, students will learn about their role in public health research. They will develop a report and have open dialogue across professions to enhance baseline knowledge and skills in health sciences research, with a focus on public health. Special emphasis will be placed on cultivating a deeper understanding of the United States' (US) healthcare system compared to that of a different country. Students will use research principles to explore how these systems affect various health care professions, as well as the global patient communities that they serve. Salient themes of interprofessional collaboration, leadership, public health research, global health, and cultural awareness will be covered throughout the course content. The course will include a 7-day trip to Jamaica. Here, students will implement team-based research projects at local health centers, participate in guided tours of health care facilities as well as cultural landmarks that teach about the evolution of healthcare in Jamaica. Finally, students will participate in a service-learning activity (a community health fair) in collaboration with health science students at University of West Indies in Jamaica. *This hybrid course will be taught online with three inclass meetings.

This course refers to the application of technology in the delivery of drug information services. Drug information services, in turn, include responding to drug information inquiries, conducting medication use evaluations and participating in medication quality assurance programs, such as; monitoring adverse drug reactions, drug and herbal product interactions, and medications errors. This course is intended to introduce students to drug information skills required to deliver pharmaceutical care. Students will be trained to develop the skills to obtain information from various literature and reference sources to answer drug information questions efficiently. Techniques for researching and evaluating drug literature will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on systemic approaches to formulation of responses utilizing both verbal and written communication skills.

This course is an introductory development course. Quantitative skills necessary for an understanding of the 37 basic and clinical pharmaceutical sciences will be explored. Various techniques necessary in pharmaceutical calculations employed by the pharmacist in formulation, compounding, manufacturing and dispensing of medications will be discussed. The course will also provide the student with the development of skills to recognize errors in prescribing in both oral and written medication orders, basic patient and professional staff communication and basic patient data collection skill. Commonly used equipment and pharmaceutical dosing devices available in a variety of simulated practice settings will be introduced.

This course serves as an introduction to the principles of biostatistics, study design and analysis. Students will learn basic statistical methods using contemporary computer-based statistical packages, and the application of statistics to pharmacy-based research. The course will introduce students to the elements of scientific research, the scientific process, and the role of research in clinical practice and pharmaceutical care. After this course, students should be able to understand the key elements of the scientific process and study design, and the application of statistical analysis to this process.

The Pharmaceutical Law and Policy course is designed to provide students with an understanding of key legal and policy issues (past and present) associated with and that shape the practice of pharmacy.

This course utilizes principles of team-building and case-based learning to develop student understanding of the practical aspects of contemporary pharmacy practice. Instructors will introduce students to the Pharmacist's Patient Care Process (PPCP), covering the first three steps in the five-step process. Emphasis will be placed on both the verbal and written communication skills needed to interact with a variety of patients and across health care disciplines. Heavy focus will be placed on navigating the outpatient pharmacy setting, which involves acquiring preliminary knowledge about prescription handling and inventory management, as well as applied knowledge of OTC products and the most utilized prescription drugs. In addition, students will learn patient-counseling techniques, and develop basic physical assessment and clinical writing skills.

This course is designed to assess the skills of 3rd-year pharmacy students using an active learning format. All five steps of the Pharmacist's Patient Care Process (PPCP) will be covered, and students must demonstrate, through fulfillment of the ACPE-derived core competencies, mastery of the pre-APPE domains. As an addendum to the course, students are expected to complete structured patient care activities (MTM) at designated sites that will enhance knowledge and skills in care delivery. Students will also be required to complete at least 1 encounter related to inter-professional education (IPE).

The Pharmacoepidemiology and Outcomes Research section is an introduction to the evaluation of the scientific studies that supports the rational use of medication use in humans. The goals of this block is to provide opportunities for students to understand the concepts, methods, and applications of epidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, and outcomes studies utilized in clinical settings as well as with to provide tools to critically assess the clinical literature. In addition, the methods for the interpretational and generalization of findings from these studies relevant to medical and pharmaceutical care practice will be introduced by utilizing knowledge developed from the Research Methods/Biostatistics block. Students will be also prepared for problem-based critique sessions in the Integrative Therapeutics blocks.

The course involves an examination of the laws and regulatory issues pertaining to the practice of pharmacy. Specifically, the course will focus on pertinent sections of the Federal Controlled Substances Act, Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, as well as an overview of the state board of pharmacy acts and rules governing Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

The Integrative Therapeutics (IT) Lab 7 and 8 are modular formatted courses which are organized by organ systems. The IT Lab 4 courses are intended to provide the student with a review of prescription and non-prescription (OTC) medications and medical devices and health care products commonly encountered in pharmacy practice. The appropriate selection, rational use, therapeutic efficacy and issues, warnings, precautions, contraindications, drug interactions, use in pregnancy and lactation of prescription and non-prescription medications will be studied. In addition, an emphasis will be placed on counseling patients on the selection and proper use of non-prescription (OTC) medications and devices. The course will provide students with opportunities for increasing their problem-solving skills through the use of a modified problem-based learning approach. Students are scheduled to attend two large group sessions each week.

Module Content: Neoplastic Disorder: General Principles and Pathophysiology, Principles of Drug Therapy, Acute Myelogenous Leukemia & Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia & Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Ovarian and Cervical Cancer, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Prostate Cancer, Acute and Chronic Pain Therapeutics, Lymphomas, Colorectal Cancer, Anemias, Hemoglobinopathies, Renal Cancer, Supportive Care, Death and Dying.

Module Content: Diabetes Mellitus, Thyroid Diseases, Adrenal Diseases, Pituitary Gland Disorders, Acute and Chronic Renal Failure, Dialysis and Drug Loss Issues, Alcoholic Cirrhosis, Portal Hypertension, Drug-Induces Liver Disease, Hepatitis, Peptic Ulcer Disease / Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Stress-Related Gastrointestinal; Bleeding, Infectious Gastritis / Pancreatitis, Disorders of the GI Systems: Cholecystitis, Appendicitis, Diverticulitis, Hemorrhoids, Peritonitis, Nausea and Vomiting, Constipation and Diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease), and Nutrition (parenteral / Enteral/ Pediatric).

The Integrative Therapeutics (IT) Lab III modular formatted courses which are organized by organ systems. The IT Lab 5 and 6 courses are intended to provide the student with a review of prescription and non-prescription (OTC) medications and medical devices and health care products commonly encountered in pharmacy practice. The appropriate selection, rational use, therapeutic efficacy and issues, warnings, precautions, contraindications, drug interactions, use in pregnancy and lactation of prescription and non-prescription medications will be studied. In addition, an emphasis will be placed on counseling patients on the selection and proper use of non-prescription (OTC) medications and devices. The course will provide students with opportunities for increasing their problem-solving skills through the use of a modified problem-based learning approach. Students are scheduled to attend two large group sessions each week.

This is a continuation of Application in Pharmacy Practice 4 course. The course will be co-coordinated by clinical and basic science faculty, who will provide instruction utilizing both didactic and practical teaching modalities. The applications for pharmacy practice 5 course is the fifth in a longitudinal series of courses meant to fully integrate knowledge and skills acquired from each course running during the same semester. It aims to incorporate the entrustable professional activities (EPAs), which emphasize practical applications for being a clinical pharmacist, using interactive and case-based learning activities during scheduled 3-hour sessions. Students will learn the purpose of the material taught in each course as well as how that material may be applied in practice-based real-world scenarios.

Module Content: Structure- Activity Relationship, Application of Pharmacokinetic - Pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) Principles, and Mechanisms of Action and Resistance for Each Class of Antimicrobial Agents. Appropriate Therapy for Community Acquired Infections Versus Hospital Acquired Infections, Recent Epidemiological Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Their Guidelines for Treatment, Preventive and Infection Control Measures, Defining the Goals of Infectious Disease Therapy, Selecting Appropriate Infectious Diseases Therapy from Among Available Choices, and Evaluating and Documenting Outcomes.

Module Content: Connective Tissue Disorders, Osteoporosis, Gout / Hyperuricemia, Rheumatic disorders, Osteomyelitis/Septic Arthritis, Skin / Dermatotherapy, Drug Induced skin disorders, Acne/Psoriasis, Solid Organ Transplant -Heart, Solid Organ Transplant -Lung, Solid Organ Transplant -Liver, and Solid Organ Transplant -Kidney.

The Integrative Therapeutics (IT) Lab II modular formatted courses which are organized by organ systems. The IT Lab 3 and 4 courses are intended to provide the student with a review of prescription and non-prescription (OTC) medications and medical devices and health care products commonly encountered in pharmacy practice. The appropriate selection, rational use, therapeutic efficacy and issues, warnings, precautions, contraindications, drug interactions, use in pregnancy and lactation of prescription and non-prescription medications will be studied. In addition, an emphasis will be placed on counseling patients on the selection and proper use of non-prescription (OTC) medications and devices. The course will provide students with opportunities for increasing their problem-solving skills through the use of a modified problem-based learning approach. Students are scheduled to attend two large group sessions each week.

The pharmacy practice clerkships are college-coordinated experience-based integrated problem-solving courses designed to help the student become an active participant in providing pharmacy services. The student, under the direction of different preceptors will learn to provide pharmaceutical care in cooperation with patients, prescribers and other members of an interprofessional health care team based on sound therapeutic principles and evidence-based data. This will take into account all relevant legal, ethical, social, economic and professional issues, emerging technologies and evolving pharmaceutical, biomedical, sociobehavioral and clinical sciences that may impact therapeutic outcomes.

The pharmacy practice clerkships are college-coordinated experience-based integrated problem-solving courses designed to help the student become an active participant in providing pharmacy services. The student, under the direction of different preceptors will learn to provide pharmaceutical care in cooperation with patients, prescribers and other members of an inter-professional health care team based on sound therapeutic principles and evidence-based data. This will take into account all relevant legal, ethical, social, economic and professional issues, emerging technologies and evolving pharmaceutical, biomedical, socio-behavioral and clinical sciences that may impact therapeutic outcomes.

The pharmacy practice clerkships are college-coordinated experiencebased integrated problem-solving courses designed to help the student become an active participant in providing pharmacy services. The student, under the direction of different preceptors will learn to provide pharmaceutical care in cooperation with patients, prescribers and other members of an inter-professional health care team based on sound therapeutic principles and evidence-based data. This will take into account all relevant legal, ethical, social, economic and professional issues, emerging technologies and evolving pharmaceutical, biomedical, socio-behavioral and clinical sciences that may impact therapeutic outcomes.

Module Content: Assessment of Therapy and Pharmaceutical Care, Interpretation of Clinical Laboratory Tests, Herbs and Nutritional Supplements, Anaphylaxis and Drug Allergies, Managing Acute Drug Toxicity & Clinical Toxicology, Delivering Culturally Competent Care, Acid-Base Disorders, Fluid and Electrolyte Disorders, Drug Interactions, Pharmacogenetics, Geriatrics, Obesity, and Pediatrics. The course will be taught by the clinical faculty to provide instruction utilizing both didactic and practical experience sessions. The course is organized by organ systems of the human body and various diseases associated with them. Students will learn about the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of various disease states that health care practitioners (pharmacists) may encounter in their practice settings. Students will learn to make appropriate therapy choices, define goals of therapy, and learn to assess whether these goals are being achieved. Students will learn to create, implement and monitor pharmaceutical care plans. A goal of this course is to prepare students with the ability to render pharmaceutical care and participate successfully for the experiential program. The course is structured in a modular format and complemented with Integrated Therapeutics Laboratory. In order for students to achieve the course goals and objectives, a variety of teaching methods will be applied. Students will participate in traditional lectures, small group discussions, and practical laboratories to reinforce didactic teachings and other learning accesses.

Module Content: Hypertension, Heart Failure, Venous Thromboembolism, Hyperlipidemias, Ischemic Heart Disease, Arrhythmias, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Myocardial Infarction, Shock, and Peripheral Vascular Disease. The course is structured in a modular format and complemented with Integrative Therapeutics Laboratory with lectures, labs and onsite practice activities led by clinical faculty. In order for students to achieve the course goals and objectives, a variety of teaching methods will be applied. Students participate in traditional lectures, small group discussions, practical laboratory exercises, onsite senior shadowing with direct patient care activities, SOAP case write-ups, SOAP presentations and Oral exam to reinforce didactic teachings and overall student learning; however, the primary focus of the module is provided by traditional lectures. The Cardiovascular Module engage students in learning about the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of various disease states that affect the heart and vasculature with an emphasis on addressing practical information relevant to the practice of pharmacy. Students will learn to make appropriate therapy choices, define goals of therapy, and learn to assess whether these goals are being achieved. Students will learn to create, implement and monitor pharmaceutical care plans. A goal of this course is to introduce students to patient-specific cardiovascular disease state management and enhance their clinical skills. Integrative Therapeutics Lab I complements the didactic Integrative Therapeutics I Cardiovascular Module course and facilitates the process of team building by making the basic knowledge taught in the didactic course "come alive" in structured case studies lab exercises. Thus, the didactic lecture material will be expanded, reinforced and made practical by the case-based learning method. Cases will cover material taught in prior semesters to ensure adequate understanding of both the basic sciences and clinical application of therapeutics. Practice skills on the key assessment parameters required for optimal pharmaceutical care of a patient will be enforced. Assessment skills covered in the lab are those needed to make effective drug therapy decisions or recommendations and monitor the patient's response to drug therapy. These include interpretation of laboratory information, physical assessment, disease and drug monitoring, and case evaluation.

Group facilitated discussion has been proven to be an aid in learning for students in health professions. Integrative Therapeutics Lab I is a separate course from the didactic Integrative Therapeutics I course and is not designed to prepare students to pass exams given as a requirement of Integrative Therapeutics I. The Lab is designed to facilitate the process of team building by making the basic knowledge taught in the didactic course "come alive" in structured case studies lab exercises. Thus, the didactic lecture material will be expanded, reinforced and made practical by the case-based learning method. Cases will cover material taught in prior semesters to ensure adequate understanding of both the basic sciences and clinical application of therapeutics. Practice skills on the key assessment parameters required for optimal pharmaceutical care of a patient will be enforced. Assessment skills covered in the lab are those needed to make effective drug therapy decisions or recommendations and monitor the patient's response to drug therapy. These include interpretation of laboratory information, physical assessment, disease and drug monitoring, and case evaluation.

This course is an expansive and in-depth Introduction to Pharmacy Administration. It facilitates the student's management and leadership training by introducing them to a comprehensive overview of management and leadership principles, concepts and practices in pharmacy-based environments. The course further addresses the economic, administrative, entrepreneurial, innovative and human resource aspects of pharmacy practice while furthering students' knowledge on details about the US Health Care System.

Module Content: Substance Abuse Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Dementia - Alzheimer's Disease / Vascular Dementias, Parkinson's Disease, major Depressive Disorders / Bipolar Disorders, Seizure Disorders, Withdrawal Syndromes, Headache, Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders, Neuropathic Pain, Fibromyalgia, Ischemic Stroke, ADHD / Tourette's Syndrome/ Enuresis, Sleep Disorders, and Multiple Sclerosis.

Module Content: Review of Pulmonary System / Drug Induced Pulmonary Disease, Respiratory Distress Syndromes / Ventilator Functions, Asthma, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Review of ENT System: Allergic Rhinitis / Sinusitis, Acute Bronchitis, and Common Cold, Urinary Incontinence, Women's Health - Hormone Therapy, Women's Health - Contraception, Women's Health - Infertility & Endometriosis, Women's Health - Pregnancy and Lactation, Men's Health - Erectile Dysfunction, and Ear and Eye Disorders.

This course is an expansive and in-depth application of the materials taught in Principles of Pharmacy Administration 1. It facilitates the student's application of management and leadership training using case-based approaches and projects to develop and master techniques learned in Principles of Pharmacy Administration 1. The course further addresses the economic, administrative, entrepreneurial, innovative and human resource aspects of pharmacy practice in the context of the US Health Care System from a pharmacist perspective.

This is a continuation of Application in Pharmacy Practice 5 course. The course will be co-coordinated by clinical and basic science faculty, who will provide instruction utilizing both didactic and practical teaching modalities. The applications for pharmacy practice 6 course is the sixth in a longitudinal series of courses meant to fully integrate knowledge and skills acquired from each course running during the same semester. It aims to incorporate the entrustable professional activities (EPAs), which emphasize practical applications for being a clinical pharmacist, using interactive and case-based learning activities during scheduled 3-hour sessions. Students will learn the purpose of the material taught in each course as well as how that material may be applied in practice-based real-world scenarios.