Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy

Location: Schaumburg, Illinois

Founded: 2011

Class Size: 68 students

The Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy (RU-COP) offers students a unique, 3-year program that integrates clinical and practical education.

“The College of Pharmacy embraces a student-centered approach to learning exemplified through a patient-centered curriculum that produces graduates who are competent, committed, and compassionate,” said Dean George E. MacKinnon, PhD, RPh, in an interview with Pharmacy Times. “We achieve this through innovative teaching, experiential training, mentoring, scholarship, intellectual and personal reflection, and community engagement in partnership with faculty, students, practitioners and patients.”

In addition to the traditional Doctor of Pharmacy degree, the school now offers a dual degree program through which students can simultaneously earn a master’s degree in public health from Elmhurst College. Through a partnership formed between the 2 schools in August 2014, pharmacy students can take classes through Elmhurst College and apply Roosevelt coursework toward the master of public health degree.

The college has also recently endorsed the online educational center for the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, the Specialty Pharmacy Education Center. Beginning in the fall of 2014, the college of pharmacy will accept the course content from the center for academic credit.

Students of RU-COP package meals for Feed My Children, one of several commuity service and outreach programs they participate in.

Q: What is unique about your school?

A: Currently, the RU-COP Doctor of Pharmacy program is the only 3-year pharmacy program in the Midwest. RU-COP offers an innovative, patient-centered, and dynamic learning experience to all of the students that attend. A small class size of 68 students, dedicated faculty and staff, and the use of the latest technology helps prepare students to work successfully as practitioners, clinicians, or researchers. Plus our location in the northwest suburbs of Chicago allows us to partner with world class hospitals, Fortune 500 companies, and outstanding research facilities.

Q: Which classes do students enjoy the most?

A: Pharmaceutics Lab and Clinical Care Lab seem to be the classes that many of our students truly enjoy. Students have the opportunity to take what they have learned in lecture and apply it in a setting where they can receive immediate feedback from faculty and even standardized patients. In these labs, students have the opportunity to formulate and compound medications, screen blood pressure, learn how to inoculate patients, and even consult patients on proper medication adherence.

Q: What opportunities do students have for internships or co-ops?A: Many of our students take advantage of internships through CVS/Caremark, Walgreens, Costco, and Walmart to name a few. We also offer our students the opportunity to conduct research alongside our faculty starting during their first summer off and into the regular academic year.

Q: What advice do you have for students who will graduate this year?A: Never forget how fortunate you are, and the responsibility that comes with that. Your education at Roosevelt has trained you to become a pharmacist for a new world. You are there to serve the community as a competent, compassionate, and committed practitioner.