Colleges Collaborate on Accelerated Pharmacy Program

Indiana University (IU) Southeast and Sullivan University College of Pharmacy in Kentucky are partnering for an accelerated pharmacy program that will save students time and tuition money.

Students at IU Southeast may now enter a pre-pharmacy track to prepare for the PharmD degree at Sullivan. Sullivan students can also apply their credits toward a Bachelor of Science degree at IU Southeast.

“This accelerated year-round program offers the fastest path to a career,” said Stacy Rowe, associate professor and director of student affairs at Sullivan University College of Pharmacy, in an IU Southeast school release.

The pre-pharmacy track at IU Southeast includes prerequisites for Sullivan’s pharmacy program, such as biology, chemistry, English, and economics courses.

Phase 1 of the program requires IU Southeast students to be accepted for the Bachelors of Arts degree in chemistry-biochemistry or biology.

“We are responding to the region’s call for more graduates in this field,” said IU Southeast Chancellor Ray Wallace in a school release. “It is especially important for students to realize that they will finish with 2 very marketable degrees after 5 short years of study both here at IU Southeast and at Sullivan University.”

According to the Pharmacy Workforce Center’s Aggregate Demand Index, Kentucky has a 3.29 demand for pharmacists as of October 2015, while Indiana has a 3.6 demand for pharmacists.

A score of 3 means demand is balanced with supply, while a score of 4 means that there is some difficulty filling open positions.

Regionally, the South and Midwest are more in need for pharmacists than the Northeast or West.