University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

1841

Location: Baltimore and Rockville, Maryland

Class Size: Around 160

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is the fourth-oldest pharmacy school in the country and has more than 5000 alumni living and working around the world.

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, dean and professor Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FAAPS, FCP, described her faculty members as “world renowned” for their research and pharmacy practice expertise.

The pharmacy school’s interest in research is clear. In 2014, it received $24.5 million in grants and contracts from the government, industry, private, and foundation sources.

In addition to having well-versed faculty members, the school engages student pharmacists through problem solving, critical thinking, continuous peer evaluation, and self-assessment, Dr. Eddington said.

The school has a 93.1% on-time graduation rate, and students had a better-than-average pass rate on their first attempt at the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination. In 2014, the school’s pass rate was 97.3%, which was above the national average of 94.9%.

Of last year’s 156 total graduates, 72 responded to a survey concerning their post-graduation employment. Thirty-four alumni were participating in residencies or fellowships, 29 were working in community pharmacy, 2 were employed in hospital pharmacy, and 7 were involved in other areas, such as industry or Public Health Service work.

What is unique about your school/program?

The school has comprehensive research programs focused on health outcomes and drug design and delivery, as well as numerous areas of patient care, such as pediatrics, oncology, cardiology, and pain and palliative care. The school also provides a unique learning environment where students are able to gain exposure to emerging areas of practice, such as pharmacometrics, regulatory science, and patient-centered outcomes research.

What is the teaching style or philosophy?

Students work collaboratively in groups to prepare for careers in which they will serve as contributors on interprofessional teams.

With campuses in both Baltimore and Rockville, Maryland, our curriculum is delivered through a variety of approaches, including recorded and synchronously delivered lectures, case discussions, small group activities, interactions with standardized patients, laboratories, and a broad array of experiential education opportunities.

Strengths of the curriculum are the wide variety of electives, specific pathways in research and practice, and the availability of dual-degree programs in law, business, and public health.

Our students have a strong sense of service and conduct thousands of hours of community service and education in and around Maryland. By the time they graduate, our students provide a collective 280,000 hours of service to the community and patients through volunteer events and required rotations.

Service activities have included youth tutoring programs, diet and exercise education for elementary school children, a Teddy Bear clinic for patients in the pediatric unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center, health fairs at a landmark Baltimore city market, an interprofessional health fair for homeless citizens, and immunization clinics for the University of Maryland community.

In addition, our students take their service internationally, traveling to countries like Honduras and Panama with organizations such as Global Medical Brigades.

What opportunities do students have for internships or co-ops?

Internship opportunities exist through the school of pharmacy’s partnerships with numerous pharmacy institutions in community, health-system, and other settings.

We are also proud to have more than 800 preceptors at more than 400 sites in Maryland where our students work with pharmacists in a variety of practice areas and even in nontraditional settings, such as state and federal government and industry.

In addition, our students can complete experiential rotations abroad in locations like Australia, South Korea, and Singapore. With the school’s proximity to federal agencies in Washington, DC, our students have the added opportunity to intern and complete experiential rotations in organizations like the FDA and the National Institutes of Health.

Stay current with trends in pharmacy practice and know that you play a role in shaping the profession of pharmacy. Graduates have the knowledge, skills, abilities, and desire to impact practice in a way that greatly improves how we care for patients by serving as medication experts.