School of Pharmacy

MICHELLE L. HILAIRE, Pharm.D. Duquesne University 2002; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 2004.

JAMIE R. HORNECKER, B.S. Texas Tech University 1999; Pharm.D. University of Wyoming 2003; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 2006.

KERRI VANDEL KILGORE, B.S. University of Wyoming 1981; Pharm.D. University of Minnesota 1985; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 2002.

JANELLE L. KRUEGER, B.S. University of Wyoming 1992; M.S. University of Kansas 1997; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 2005.

A. CHRISTIE NELSON, Pharm.D. University of New Mexico 2002; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 2003.

JENNIFER L. PETRIE, Pharm.D. University of New Mexico 2003; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 2004.

AMY STUMP, Pharm.D. University of Nebraska Medical Center 2003; Clinical Assistant Professor 2006.

CHRISTY M. WEILAND, B.A. Sonoma State University 2003; Pharm.D. University of Washington 2007; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 2008.

TONJA M. WOODS, Pharm.D. University of Wyoming 2002; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 2003.

In Wyoming, as in most other states, one requirement for examination and registration as a pharmacist is graduation from an accredited entry-level professional program at a school or college of pharmacy. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the national accrediting agency for pharmacy, accredits pharmacy degree programs.

The Doctor of Pharmacy program at UW was implemented beginning fall 1996 and was accorded full accreditation status in 2007 following an on-site evaluation by the ACPE in September 2006. Verification of current accreditation status may be made by: a) contacting the Dean’s Office, School of Pharmacy; b) connecting to www.uwyo.edu/pharmacy/; c) contacting the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (20 North Clark Street Suite 2500, Chicago IL 60602-5109; (312) 664-3575; csinfo@acpe-accredit.org) or d) by checking the latest Annual Directory of Accredited Professional Programs published by ACPE.

The school is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and adheres to its educational standards.

Applicants for the professional program in pharmacy must complete preprofessional requirements before they can be admitted. Usually, a minimum of four semesters (two academic years totaling 67 credit hours) is required to complete preprofessional requirements.

All preprofessional coursework must be completed by the end of the spring semester prior to matriculation in the professional program. Summer work will not be accepted.

Graduates of fully accredited high schools may be admitted to the preprofessional program with a math placement score of 3 or an ACT math score of 23. Students transferring into the professional program must have a GPA of 3.0.

For students who do not meet these requirements, it is suggested that they major in Health Sciences undeclared for their first year until they meet the math requirement.

Admission to the professional program leading to the entry-level Pharm. D. degree is limited to 52 students per year and is highly competitive. Admission is granted by the School of Pharmacy Associate Dean of Student Affairs upon the advice of the School of Pharmacy Student Affairs Committee. Students applying to the UW School of Pharmacy must use the PharmCAS application (www.pharmcas.org) process, all materials (PCAT scores, and Letters of Recommendation) are submit to UW using this service. The School of Pharmacy requires no supplemental application. Students granted admission to the professional program will have to pay a one-time, non-refundable, seat fee to guarantee their placement into the entering class. As part of a College of Health Sciences requirement students are also expected to complete and pass a background check prior to final admission to the professional program.

The degree of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) is granted upon satisfactory completion of the professional curriculum in accordance to the school’s academic standards and the fulfillment of the general university requirements. Transfer students who have previous professional pharmacy credits accepted as partial completion of residence work may not earn a degree from this university for less than 30 semester hours of resident credit in the professional program of this School of Pharmacy over a minimum of two resident semesters.

Graduation with Honors

The University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy is authorized to grant honors for academic excellence. A Doctor of Pharmacy with honors designation is awarded by the University of Wyoming to students who graduate with exceptional scholarship in Pharmacy. Exceptional scholarship in pharmacy is defined as completion of a minimum of 142 hours from the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy and graduation in the top 5% of the class based on their pharmacy GPA. The Pharmacy GPA is calculated on the basis of required professional pharmacy curriculum coursework and excludes required or selected elective hours. The honors distinction must be approved by a School of Pharmacy faculty vote.

Students admitted to the professional program are required to participate and sign the University Of Wyoming School Of Pharmacy Honor Code. Failure to sign the honor code will result in a withdrawal of admission offer or termination from the professional program.

The course of study in the School of Pharmacy (thereafter, SOP) is four academic years leading to a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD). The coursework is organized in a prescribed, non-negotiable, sequential manner, which provides for an excellent general and professional background. The correct sequence and timing of the professional courses in the curriculum must be maintained throughout the entire program. Students usually enter the professional program (thereafter, Program) with a P1 designation (first-year pharmacy student) and are not allowed to register for P2, P3 or P4 coursework until all professional required courses pertaining to the P1 year have been satisfied with passing grades (C or better) and achievement of at least the minimum GPA (see academic standards). Normally, while in the Program, pharmacy core courses from other professional pharmacy programs will not be applied to the UW degree. Courses taken as S/U, including electives, are usually considered unacceptable in fulfilling Program requirements, with the exception of PHCY 6485, Reflective Learning in Pharmacy.

Academic Standards

1. All University and SOP policies governing academic and professional requirements, including probation and dismissal, apply to students enrolled in the SOP Program.

2. Any violation of the academic standards herein described may constitute grounds for probation or dismissal from the Program. A violation may also lead to student inability to be placed in fourth year professional courses.

3. All academic requirements in the Program must be completed in a maximum of 6 years. This time period incorporates the 4 years of coursework and professional experiences required of all students, and takes into account any leave of absence approved by the school (in accordance with the SOP Leave of Absence Policy document). Students shall be terminated from the program if graduation is not achieved at the end of the 6th year from their official admission date to the professional program.

4. A grade of D or lower, or course withdrawal, in any required course of the professional program constitutes failure to progress toward the PharmD degree and results in probation (inability to progress to the next year).

5. A grade of D or lower, or course withdrawal, in any elective coursework will not fulfill elective requirements and the number of credits must be replaced prior to reaching the fourth year in the Program. Students need to understand that while failure in elective courses will not stop progression or cause student termination from the program, it will count toward the minimum GPA of 2.0, which may be grounds for stopping progression and/or termination.

6. No professional program courses can be repeated more than once. Inability to earn a grade of C or better in the same course will lead to student termination from the Program.

7. A maximum of three core courses may be permitted to be repeated during the degree program. This standard is however contingent on maintenance of acceptable GPA for progression.

8. Inability to successfully complete a core course in the Program will automatically prevent progression to the next semester.

9. Courses required in the Program that are taken before admission to the Program (e.g. MOLB 3610: Principles of Biochemistry and ZOO 3120: Integrative Physiology) are not automatically applicable toward the PharmD degree. The student may apply for a waiver of the requirement (but not the credits).

10. Students re-admitted to the Program are required to repeat all coursework, including electives.

11. To progress to the next semester in the Program, the SOP requires that all students:

a. Complete all required courses in a semester with a grade of C or better.

b. Complete at least 12 hours of coursework applicable to the pharmacy degree each semester (special circumstances will require submission of a petition requesting permission to register for less than 12 hours).

c. Have a GPA of 2.0 or better in both university coursework and professional program courses each semester.

12. Failure to meet any academic standards for one semester results in notification that the student is not making satisfactory progress and is being stopped from advancing in the program. It may also result in termination from the Program.

13. Failure to meet any academic standards for two semesters (not necessarily consecutive) results in automatic termination from the Program.

14. Graduation with a PharmD degree requires a cumulative GPA of 2.50 in all coursework taken as a professional student (both total university coursework GPA and required Program GPA [all PHCY, ZOO and MOLB courses]).

Elective Credits Policy

The purpose of electives at the School of Pharmacy (SOP) is to complement the pharmacy curriculum, expand knowledge within a specific pharmacy discipline and to ensure completion of the general liberal arts education of the University of Wyoming. Therefore, the following policies have been approved by the faculty for the Doctor of Pharmacy professional program (thereafter, Program).

1. As published in the University Bulletin and SOP brochure students are required to complete a minimum number of electives, specific for the student’s year of matriculation into the Program. This number may vary and may be modified as adjustments are made to the professional curriculum to comply with accreditation standards. Students will be made aware of this number during initial orientation into the Program and kept informed of any changes during their stay in the academic program.

 2. Students must take elective courses to satisfy first the requirements of the University Studies Program (thereafter, USP) and then complete the remaining required electives credits as general elective coursework (Program-approved required number of elective hours).

3. Students are required to complete all USP requirements even if they exceed the minimum number of elective hours initially defined in their Program in order to graduate from UW.

4. All general elective coursework must be upper division (UW 3000 level or above) to ensure adequate rigor appropriate to a professional program.

a) All University of Wyoming online courses at 3000 level or above are accepted for elective credit toward the Program.

b) Transfer or online courses equivalent to UW 3000 level or above from other accredited four-year institutions may be honored as elective credits toward the Program.

5. All required hours (including electives) must be completed by students before progressing into the P4 rotation year. Students will not be allowed to progress toward the 4th year rotations if their academic records show that less than a total of 107 credits were completed and/or university studies requirements were not fulfilled.

6. When an elective course is approved through a petition, enrollment in the course must occur during the semester for which it was approved, i.e. if the student changes his/her mind the course will have to be petitioned again to be taken during another semester.

7. Courses offered through any community colleges, including Wyoming community colleges, regardless of their level or type (online or not), are usually neither transferable nor accepted as elective credits toward the Program.

8. Students shall not take electives as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) credit.

9. All courses taken in the preprofessional program or to fulfill requirements in a previous degree cannot be retaken to count as elective hours in the Program.

10. Credit by exam through the Foreign Languages Dept. will not be accepted as fulfillment of elective requirements in the Program. However, it is a student’s right to test out for Wyoming History and Government, and Physical Education lecture while receiving elective credits toward the Program and fulfilling USP requirements.

11. For procedures and handling of all exceptions to these policies, the students should consult the SOP brochure, the student handbook, the SOP website, or check with the Manager of Pharmacy Student Services or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

The School of Pharmacy offers only the four-year curriculum leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.

In order to keep abreast with changes in pharmaceutical education, the following curriculum is subject to change or modification as required by accrediting board. Students should be aware that changes must be expected and they will be included in their academic program. The School of Pharmacy does not plan to change graduation requirements inadvertently, but does reserve the right to change any provisions or requirement deemed necessary at any time within the student’s term of residence. Students should note that classes are usually scheduled Monday through Friday, but may include some evening and weekend coursework.

Pharmacy (PHCY) Courses

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Last Change: 03/13/09