Our region is known for its unparalleled and innovative brewing of coffee, craft beer, and cider. (Even more reasons to come to the UWSOP!) Over the past several months, the UWSOP has been preparing to brew our own unique flavor of unparalleled and innovative pharmacy education.
To craft a curriculum that empowers pharmacists of tomorrow, the Guidance Team has sourced quality ingredients from the best minds and programs available:
- published literature
- accreditation standards
- current UWSOP curriculum
- current/prospective/past students, faculty, staff, preceptors
- active practitioners and industry leaders in consulting, community and hospital pharmacy, clinics, academia
- experts in curricular change at the UW (the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry), and across the nation (UCSF School of Pharmacy, UNC Eschelman School of Pharmacy, Pacific University School of Pharmacy, University of Michigan College of Pharmacy)
- UWSOP Dean’s Advisory Council of Students
- faculty from Minnesota pharmacy schools, and other attendees at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Spring Institute in May
- focus group participants (students, Deans, Associate Deans, and practitioners) at the Northwest Pharmacy Convention in June
- experts in/literature on adult-learning science, and evidence-based pedagogical approaches and best practices
We’ve already begun percolating the data—discussing the emerging patterns, opportunities and challenges, learning outcomes and competencies, and potential methodologies and curricular models. We started exploring our guiding principles and vision for pharmacy education, as well as our curricular values (what), rationale (why), and implementation options (how). At our next meeting, we will review these documents, and explore additional approaches and supportive structures necessary to guide the curricular innovation process.