Student Professional Development

All members of a profession have a responsibility to engage in continuous personal and professional development.  As future pharmacists, Doctor of Pharmacy students should engage in this process, in a thoughtful way, over the course of their time in the program.  The PharmD Professional Development Program (PDP) outlines intended objectives for co-curricular and extra-curricular learning, requirements for students, and the process for documenting participation.  This personal and professional development activity supplements the learning and development student pharmacists experience in the classroom, adding to their readiness for APPEs, practice, and participation on interprofessional teams.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of participating in the PharmD Professional Development Program, student pharmacists will:

• Reflect on strengths and areas for personal and professional growth
• Supplement curricular development of skills in the 10 attribute areas of problem solving, education, patient advocacy, interprofessional collaboration, cultural sensitivity, communication, self-awareness, leadership, innovation & entrepreneurship, and professional accountability
• Receive feedback and mentoring that helps to nurture and inform future plans for personal and professional development

Student Requirements

On an annual basis, student pharmacists will participate in and document a minimum of two co-curricular activities that support personal and professional development in the attribute areas outlined above.  Activities are self-selected by the student, though faculty, mentors, and academic advisors are available to assist students in identifying activities that may be best suited to their individual developmental goals.  Student pharmacists enrolled in both the Gold and Purple Curricula generally demonstrate exceptional professional and community engagement; many of their co-curricular activities will already be aligned with these program requirements.  The specific requirements are as follows:

• Students must participate in and document at least two activities per academic year.
• Activities must foster development in at least one of the ten attribute areas outlined in the learning outcomes. Activities may, and often do, support development in multiple attribute areas.
• Activities occurring on an annual basis cannot be used more than once during the course of the program (e.g., the same event occurring on an annual basis) unless the student’s role in the event is different enough to provide for new learning, as demonstrated in the learning reflection.
• Over the course of the PharmD program, a student must document, through activity participation, development in all 10 attribute areas, so it is suggested that students select different co-curricular activities throughout the program to allow enrichment in all areas of personal and professional development.

Documentation Process

Personal and professional development activities are documented in the student’s CORE account. Students must login there and enter CompMS to document these activities. The following information is required for each activity:

• Activity Name
• Date(s) of Participation
• Brief Reflection on Learning & Development Achieved Through Participation
• Connect each activity to the relevant Attribute Area(s) developed (called “outcomes” in CORE)

Students will receive regular feedback regarding their professional development when participating in the Pharmacist Provider course series.

Example Activities

The nature of the attribute areas supported by the Professional Development Program allows for a variety of ways for student pharmacists to engage in growth opportunities.  A list of example activities and the associated attribute areas is provided below.  For activities not listed here, see the next section regarding activity approval.

Activity Approval

If you’re uncertain if a particular activity fits into one of the categories above or would like guidance on potential professional development activities, feel free to reach out to your academic advisor.

Questions?

Questions regarding the Professional Development Program, requirements, documentation, etc. should be directed to Dr. Rachel Firebaugh, & Dr. Brenna Molato.