PharmD International Pathway Program (PIP)

Khalid Waleed Taher, PharmD 2020

Why did you choose your WesternU program? As an international student aiming for a specialized residency program (PGY-2) in one of my areas of interests in the U.S., I found at WesternU college of pharmacy all the support I need to be a future competitive applicant for the residency program. The PharmD program at WesternU offers early and extensive exposure to clinical and educational work. For instance, there are several opportunities I got myself involved at including, but not limited to, pharmacy residency elective preparation course, research activities, and working as a tutor. Moreover, having 1.5 years of rotations in the program just perfectly suits my interests.

What would you tell a prospective student about WesternU? I highly encourage WesternU prospective students to not hesitate to communicate with the faculty, students, and staff. They are always very welcoming and eager to help and answer your questions. I have received unlimited support at the “Preview Day” before even joining WesternU which gave me a big motivation to excel and secure acceptance at WesternU.

Franco Dickson, PharmD 2020

Describe an engaging aspect of your program and why you like it. There are many engaging aspects in the PIP program that help to mold you into the ideal pharmacist the society needs. One of the more important ones is teamwork. Teamwork is one of the many facets of the PIP program that enables you to acquire skills that are essential to the current practice of pharmacy. Most pharmacists work in fields that require a lot of teamwork and communication, the incorporation of this into our training makes our transition into these fields seamless since we acquire most, if not all the requisite skills needed to thrive in such situations during our education.

Why did you choose your WesternU program? The PIP program is a very well-structured curriculum that helps one to acquire a lot of clinical pharmacy knowledge through top-notch didactic and practical tuition. The curriculum entails aspects such as teamwork and inter-professional education that equips the students with essential skills that will help them excel in the current scope of pharmacy practice. The block system also helps you to maximize your knowledge in one area of pharmacy at a time, which makes it easier for students to grasp all the concepts of clinical practice in that area without having to deal with the distraction of learning multiple unrelated subjects at once.

Cynthia Jackevicius, BScPhm, PharmD, MSc, FCSHP, BCPS

Professor College of Pharmacy

WesternU distinctive: The block system is unique to the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at WesternU. It allows students to focus on one major therapeutic topic at a time and concentrate their learning in this area. Many students choose WesternU since they enjoy learning in this system.

Best Advice: WesternU is unique in that the school focuses on health professions education. It is a small campus so it is very welcoming and easy to get involved in student activities, such as those with professional associations.

On interprofessional education: Incorporating an IPE curriculum is an ideal way to teach health professionals since upon graduation, health professionals all work with each other to manage patient’s health issues.

Anandi Law, B.Pharm, PhD

Department Chair, Professor College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administration

On research: A WesternU intramural grant helped fund one of my earliest research proposals when I joined here. The project was a survey of (40% of) California community pharmacies to determine the status and extent of disease management programs. The results from that project were published in a fairly high impact journal for pharmacy practitioners and researchers (Journal of American Pharmacists Association) and helped establish my work in this area as well as expand the scope of my practice based research as community (chain and independent) pharmacies contacted me to help start such programs in their settings. Currently WesternU is trying to expand its research infrastructure and I am looking forward to hearing more about the increased resources.

WesternU distinctive: There are various unique aspects of the Pharm.D. program that define us: The block system is unique in the fact that students focus on only one area at a time; although personally I was more at ease with traditional programs, time and data have shown that the block system seems to be successful in increasing focus and depth in a topic area. It also helps faculty have focused time for their teaching and research during different times of the year without interruption. The Advanced Elective is another unique aspect – it serves as a capstone project for our students and is valued by all constituents – since it allows the student to take a project from conception to completion.

On interprofessional education: The IPE initiative is really exciting in its attempts to have health care providers learn and develop positive attitudes and respect and have realistic expectations of other health care professionals so the team concept that we preach in patent-focused care moves to reality.

Bradley T. Andresen, PhD

Assistant Professor

How do you think the interprofessional education (IPE) curriculum will enhance student’s professional lives? IPE will provide student pharmacists the opportunity to practice clinical interactions with multiple professions that they would not normally see in their early clinical rotations. As with any skill this increased practice leads to increased ability, allowing student pharmacists to be more knowledgeable and confident when interacting with other health professions.

Kwame Fosu Awuah, PharmD 2017

Describe an engaging aspect of your program and why you like it.

Getting the opportunity to interact with the various professionals involved in the healthcare environment through IPE, doing presentations in class and also interviewing patients through the OSCE which is done at the end of every semester. The ability to talk to patients and help them on their path to better health which to me is a sense of achievement and fulfilling to my personal goals and ambition in life.

Why did you choose your WesternU program?

The school has a unique interprofessional curriculum which affords students from other health professions to work in unison with a common goal of better patient health.This gives you an advantage in the work place . This has actually helped me in my current clinical clerkship rotations where I interact with MD, RN, LAB, PT and a host of other professions.

Palak Desai, PharmD 2018

What would you tell a prospective student about WesternU?

Western U provides a unique educational experience, combining the best in classroom, experiential learning under the direction of a world class faculty. Faculty, who can conceptualize, develop, implement, and evaluate instructional assessment strategies and use them to maximize student learning. The faculty members who make up the department are a diverse group of professionals, including clinical pharmacists who practice in hospitals, ambulatory care clinics and community pharmacies, clinical scientists who conduct research in both laboratory and patient care settings, who research a variety of aspects of medication use and health care delivery.

Ernest Abbey, PharmD

PharmD, Class of 2013

Describe your best clinical experience and why it was memorable.

My first Coumadin clinical experience at Casa Colina Hospital. That was the first time I adjusted Coumadin and prescribed / ordered new doses for real patients based on the INR. It really felt good!

What would you tell a prospective student about WesternU?

If you are looking for patient-centered education, then WesternU is the best institution to consider.

Mayur Yadav, Pharm, MS

PharmD, Class of 2013

How have you seen the university’s humanistic philosophy lived out by members of the WesternU family?

Western University of Health Science’s humanistic philosophy lived out by members of the western family play an important role. The lecturers here are more supportive than critical, more understanding than judgmental, more genuine than playing a role. WesternU Students are encouraged to make choices that range from day-to-day activities to periodically setting future life goals. This allows students to focus on a specific subject of interest for any amount of time they choose, within reason. WesternU faculty believe it is important for students to be motivated and engaged in the material they are learning, and this happens when the topic is something the students need and want to know.

Ihinosen Ogbeide, PharmD

PharmD, Class of 2007

What would you tell a prospective student about WesternU?

The faculty here are very helpful, knowledgeable, and care about success of the students. One of the reasons I chose WesternU is because of the warmth and compassion from the staff. When I came for a tour they were very welcoming and that made me want to come here. The program is very fast paced and requires continuous hard work and dedication to achieving your goal. It is quite an exciting experience and there are opportunities to get involved actively in the pharmacy profession.