Prerequisites Competencies

Program Guide

--------The Nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy Pathway Program--------

Prerequisite Competencies

To help assure that applicants will be successful, demonstrated competency of the following objectives will be required in four core areas of pharmacy practice prior to beginning actual course work. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding completion of prerequisite competencies.

I. Drug Information

retrieve, analyze and interpret the professional and scientific literature to provide drug information to patients, caregivers, and health care professionals;
use a systematic and efficient procedure to retrieve appropriate drug information to answer a request;
list several types of drug information resources that can be used to satisfy a drug information request;
formulate a drug information response based on the requestor’s level of understanding; and
examine components of research literature, including study design, methodology, results, conclusions, and clinical significance, for appropriateness, accuracy, and completeness.

Providing Drug Information, a 2-day workshop, is planned to be offered Saturday and Sunday, August 27-28, 2005 at the UGA College of Pharmacy in Athens. The program fee is $225.00. You may register for this program by calling the Continuing Education Department at the College of Pharmacy (706) 542-6232.

Applicants may submit certificate of completion for ASHP Drug Information Series 1-3 by the admissions application deadline to receive credit for this prerequisite. To order these workbooks, call ASHP at (301) 657-4383 or go to www.ashp.org. If applicant has completed an equally stringent course, send documented evidence (e.g. program syllabus with objectives) to the admissions office for consideration.

II. Basic Laboratory Tests

identify and define the normal value ranges for common laboratory tests for hematology, arterial blood gases, hepatic function, renal function, pulmonary function, rheumatologic tests, endocrine and metabolic diseases, and cardiac function;
given a clinical situation, discuss the clinical interpretation and significance of common laboratory tests;
use common laboratory tests as parameters to measure the achievement of desired therapeutic outcomes;
identify results of laboratory tests in a patient chart that are pertinent to a particular drug therapy decision; and
discuss the potential influence of diseases and drugs on the normal value ranges of common laboratory tests.

Interpreting Basic Laboratory Tests, a 2-day workshop, is planned to be offered Saturday & Sunday, September 24-25 at the UGA College of Pharmacy in Athens. The program fee is $275.00. You may register for this program by calling the Continuing Education Department at the College of Pharmacy (706) 542-6232.

If applicant has completed an equally stringent course, send documented evidence (e.g. program syllabus with objectives) to the admissions office for consideration.

III. Pharmacy Care Communication Skills

organize the main points of oral communication;
identify situations which require integration of legal, ethical and institution-specific information into the oral communication;
differentiate empathetic from non-empathetic responses;
demonstrate effective interviewing skills that enhance patient care;
demonstrate active listening skills;
compare and contrast how verbal and nonverbal communications are used;
provide effective patient counseling to diverse audiences;
demonstrate effective presentation skills using media support; and
compare and contrast effective presentation skills with effective teaching skills.

Communication Skills, a half-day workshop, is planned for Saturday, August 13, 2005 at the University of Georgia in conjunction with an onsite requirement for new students in the Nontraditional Pharm.D. Program. The program fee is $75.00. You may register for this program by calling the Continuing Education Department at the College of Pharmacy (706) 542-6232.

If applicant has completed an equally stringent course such as Pharmacist Patient Consultation Program I & II developed by the Public Health Service, send documented evidence (e.g. program syllabus with objectives) to the admissions office for consideration.

IV. Standard Approach to Providing Pharmacy Patient Care

use a systematic problem-solving process to make clinical and therapeutic decisions that maximize pharmaceutical care;
assess current drug therapy to determine drug-related problems;
identify and resolve drug therapy problems based on drug therapy assessment;
devise a plan for meeting a patient’s health care goals;
identify monitoring parameters needed to evaluate the plan; and
develop a method for documenting recommendations.

Standard Approach to Providing Pharmacy Patient Care, a half-day workshop, is planned for Saturday, August 13, 2005 at the University of Georgia in conjunction with an onsite requirement for new students in the Nontraditional Pharm.D. Program. The program fee is $75.00. You may register for this program by calling the Continuing Education Department at the College of Pharmacy (706) 542-6232.

If applicant has completed an equally stringent course such as ASHP Pharmacotherapy Series 1-5, send documented evidence (e.g. program syllabus with objectives) to the admissions office for consideration.

Last updated on May 09, 2005