IPPE & APPE

Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE)

Overview

Introduces students to the pharmacy profession and the pharmacist's role in patient care.
Begins in P1 year and concludes in the Fall of P3 year.
Students complete about 300 hours, gaining experience in community and institutional pharmacy practice,
and learn to care for patients in clinical, interprofessional settings.

P1 - Year 1

P1 students are paired with P2 or P3 students in a patient-care, layered-learning setting. P1 students perform a patient medication review and present and participate in a discussion of patient cases.

During the summer between P1 and P2 years, students complete a two-week, 80-hour community pharmacy rotation to learn about community pharmacy practice management and pharmacists' administrative and patient care roles.

P2 - Year 2

During the Spring P2 semester, students will complete comprehensive patient care plans for five real patients using the pharmacist patient care process.

In a layered-learning setting, they will demonstrate the application of knowledge and skills in caring for complex patients by presenting on the cases and plans.

In the summer between P2 and P3, students undergo a two-week, 80-hour rotation in a health-system institutional pharmacy setting to learn about the administrative and patient care roles of hospital and health-system pharmacists.

P3 - Year 3

During the Fall P3 semester, students will refine their knowledge and skills on patient cases in a clinical setting.

They will be assigned patient cases to complete a comprehensive, evidence-based care plan using the pharmacist patient care process, present the case and plan to demonstrate the application of knowledge and skills in caring for complex patients, and practice documenting patient case encounters.

Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE)

Overview

APPEs begin in the third year of the program.
The APPE program accounts for nearly 30% of the curriculum.
Offers opportunities to gain experience in top healthcare facilities across Tennessee.

Allows students to explore various pharmacy settings and career paths.
Provides the chance to work alongside healthcare experts.

Details

Students will complete a total of 10 rotations for 1760 hours of pharmacy practice experience:
- 4 Required rotations – Ambulatory Care, Medicine, Advanced Community, and Advanced Institutional APPEs
- At least 7 patient care (PC) rotations – Includes REQUIRED Ambulatory Care, Medicine, and Advanced Community APPEs plus at least 4 elective patient care APPEs
- A maximum of 2 other professional experience (OPE) rotations – includes REQUIRED Advanced Institutional plus 3 elective OPE APPEs

Patient Care (PC) Rotations

PC rotations involve direct patient care in a variety of practice settings.
Students will work to improve health outcomes and promote safe and effective medication use with individual patients

Example PC APPEs

- Critical Care/Emergency Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Cardiology
- Infectious Disease
- Mental Health.

Other Professional Experience (OPE) Rotations

OPE rotations involve non-patient-care activities in a variety of practice settings.
Students will indirectly improve health outcomes and improve patient experiences.

Example OPE APPEs

Compounding
Pharmacy Management
Medical Information
Academia, Research
Informatics.

Outside of Tennessee APPEs

Students may request to complete APPEs outside of the state of Tennessee.

Example practice sites for APPEs outside of Tennessee

Military bases,
Indian Health Services
Veterinary pharmacy practice,

Pharmaceutical companies
Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Military bases, Indian Health Services, veterinary pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical companies, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

International APPEs

Apply to Tennessee's Only Top Ranked College of Pharmacy

Request More Information

Overview

Select students have the opportunity to complete their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) abroad, gaining valuable experience in caring for patient populations in different cultures. Students may apply for rotations in a variety of international healthcare settings