The Certificate in Geriatric Pharmacy can be earned while in the PharmD program or as a practicing pharmacist. The goal of the Certificate is to train pharmacists to become specialists in geriatrics to meet the needs of older adults in all practice settings. Students will acquire knowledge and skills in the general principles of selecting and optimizing drug therapy for older adults with several comorbidities.

This specialized training will assist pharmacists practicing in any pharmacy environment, including community, home health care, hospital and long-term care settings.


Curriculum
Required Courses (10 credits)

• PHARM 549 Assessment and Pharmacotherapy of Older Adults (4 credits); PY3, Spring
• PHARMP 577 Geriatrics APPE (6 credits); PY4 (prerequisite: general medicine rotation)

Grading Policy
Successful completion of the certificate requires a minimum grade of 2.70 in each numeric graded certificate course (including geriatric clerkship) and a CR grade in each CR/NC certificate course.

Elective Choices - (5 credits)
Students pursuing the certificate in geriatrics may choose from electives offered not only by the School of Pharmacy but other departments at the University of Washington. Electives not listed below will be accepted based on the nature and extent of geriatric/gerontology content. General criteria for acceptance of an elective are that the majority (ie. greater than 50%) of the coursework is focused on the care, needs, or services required by older adults. If you are interested in a different UW elective not listed below, please contact Dr. Nanci Murphy ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

School of Pharmacy-Based Geriatric Electives

• Pharm503-IPPE (geriatrics)-2 credits; PY2, Spring (not offered in 2013)
• Pharm513P Medical Devices for Home Health Care (3 credits)
• PharmP578-APPE (variable credit) - take an additional geri rotation beyond your required PharmD rotations for elective credit.
• Pharm 595-Independent study- develop a project or special studies in geriatrics (variable credit).
• Pharm599-Research-collaborate with faculty member on a geriatrics research project (variable credit).

University-Based Geriatric Electives

• NURS 507 Mental Health of Older Adults (3)
• NURS 599 Seminars in Aging (1)

Electives offered through UW Educational Outreach

The following courses are offered as part of the Gerontology Certificate through UW Educational Outreach and are suitable courses. These courses require an additional fee for registration as these are distance learning courses.

• UCONJ 411 Psychology of Aging (3)
• UCONJ 412 The Family in Later Life (3)
• UCONJ 413 Current Issues in Aging (3)
• UCONJ 440 Biological Aspects of Aging (3)
• UCONJ 442 Social and Cultural Aspects of Aging (3)
• UCONJ 443 Interdisciplinary Seminar on Aging (1-6, max. 15)

Possible sequence of Courses (Note: this includes only some of the possible electives)

	Autumn	Winter	Spring	Summer
PY1			PHARM 513 (3)	UCONJ 440 (3)
PY2		NURS 507 (3) NURS 599 (1)	PHARM 503 (2)* PHARM 513 (3)
PY3			PHARM 549 (4)
PY4		PHARMP 577 (6) and optional PHARMP 578 (1-6 credits)

*not offered in 2012