Technology.
All
Wingate
University
pharmacy students are required to have laptop
personal computers. Students are trained to use their laptops to access class
notes prior to and during each class. Laptops are used extensively in each
class.
Wingate
University
pharmacy classrooms provide wireless connections
to the medical library system and to the Internet, allowing students to retrieve
not only class-related materials, but drug and disease management materials.
Additionally, students electronically network with pharmacist mentors and with
real patients assigned to them. A rapid-impression electronic system allows students to register their opinions and answers to questions posed to
form a viewable class composite.
Professional Orientation
Sequence. The Professional Orientation
Sequence entails many topics that will help the Wingate University pharmacy
student better understand his/her role in the profession of pharmacy. A Top 200
drug exploration, during the first two semesters of the curriculum, helps the
student learn the names and functions of the most commonly prescribed
medications. This is followed by the development of pharmaceutical calculations
skills. All students are required to develop their medical Spanish language
skills in their second professional year, and application of these language
skills begins in the practice experiences that follow. Additionally, instruction
and practice in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and basic life support complement
the second year. In their third year of the professional program,
Wingate
University
pharmacy students are trained to assume roles as
leaders in the professional organizations that advocate the advancement of the
profession of pharmacy, and they are trained to become leaders in their
communities.
Patient
Assessment Sequence. An integrated
course sequence in biochemistry, human anatomy and physiology, and
pathophysiology culminates with additional integration into a patient physical
assessment course. Beginning in the second year, this sequence entails course
work in diagnostic clinical laboratory medicine and patient assessment. The
patient assessment component develops the student’s physical examination and
monitoring skills as well as patient inventory skills.
Problem Management Sequence. The
problem management sequence is inaugurated with an overview of the principles of
drug actions – specifically, the mechanisms of action of drugs. Following this
overview of pharmacology and medicinal chemistry, the sequence entails
discussions of pharmacotherapy for each of the most common medical (physical and
psychological) conditions confronting healthcare providers. This sequence in
pharmacotherapy essentially follows an organ systems approach. The problem
management sequence provides the core therapeutic knowledge necessary for the
contemporary practice of pharmacy in the ambulatory and acute care arenas. The
elements of pharmacotherapy in this sequence are the mechanisms of drug action,
dosing, monitoring drug and nondrug therapy, pharmacoeconomic issues,
patient-related issues, and therapeutic outcomes assessment. The sequence
includes instruction in endocrine pharmacotherapy, infectious disease,
over-the-counter drugs, and durable medical equipment in Semester-3. The
pharmacotherapy associated with reproductive, renal, gastrointestinal, hepatic,
and musculoskeletal, systems and dermatology and nutrition are covered in
Semester-4. In Semester-5, topics addressed include the cardiovascular and
respiratory systems along with course work in hematology, oncology, and the
special populations of pediatrics and geriatrics. In Semester-6, neurology, pain
management, psychiatry, sensory organs, women’s and men’s health
pharmacotherapy principles are developed. Finally, a review of drugs by category
is provided at the end of the didactic curriculum.
Pharmaceutical Care Sequence.
The pharmaceutical care sequence entails course work that is necessary to build
the skills necessary to provide pharmaceutical care to a variety of patient
prototypes. The sequence begins with a course on how to develop a patient
database and how to construct a patient care plan. This is followed by the
development of professional patient-centered communication and counseling
skills. In the second year, the student will learn the essentials of dosing
secondary to the knowledge of patient-specific absorption, distribution,
metabolism, and excretion of drugs. In the third professional year, this
sequence entails financial and personnel management and herbals, alternative,
and complementary medicines.
Pharmacy Practice Sequence.
The pharmacy practice sequence is an eclectic mixture of courses grounded in the
various functions of the contemporary practice of pharmacy. The ability to
retrieve and analyze medical information is emphasized within this sequence.
These skills are utilized throughout the curriculum. Additionally, the sequence
related to the practice of pharmacy helps the student to develop his/her drug
order processing and compounding skills for special dosage forms, including
parenteral products. In the second year, this sequence provides the legal and
ethical backdrop to the profession. Additionally, in the second year, students
learn the processes and techniques of immunization administration.
Problem-Based Learning Case Sequence.
Each semester of the didactic curriculum, students will break into teams of
approximately seven to dissect cases related to patient problems that are
representative of commonly encountered problems in pharmacy practice. Students
are trained to think critically, and to use group study to maximize learning.
Most cases considered will build upon the principles explored contemporaneously
within the other course sequences.
Professionalization Sequence. The
professionalization sequence will mold the pharmacy student into a professional
pharmacist. Initially, the student will electronically network with a
pharmacist-mentor, one-on-one. In the second semester, a real patient will be
added to the electronic discussions. In this manner, the student will learn the
human side of medicine. Within the professionalization sequence, the student’s
team (6-7 students in all) will develop a healthcare related community outreach
project. In the second year, the student will learn how to evaluate medical
studies formally presented as well as those chronicled in the medical
literature. Also in the second year of the curriculum, discussions of
psychosocial aspects of illness and health including gender and cultural
implications are developed. In the fifth semester, the student will consider
patient-centered issues of ethical decision making related to business,
professional, and biomedical dilemmas and challenges. In the sixth semester, the
student will develop formal presentation skills in the practice issues seminar
course.
Population Pharmacotherapy Sequence.
Within the problem management sequence, a special set of courses related to
special populations entails course work in pediatrics, geriatrics, pain
management, women’s health, and men’s health.
Practice Experience Sequence.
There are practice experiences throughout the curriculum, at each level of the
curriculum. In the first year, the student will network with a pharmacist mentor
and a real patient. Additionally, the student will participate in the early
pharmacy practice experience in a community pharmacy setting. In the second
year, the student will begin basic practice skills in an hospital or outpatient
pharmacy setting. In the third year, the student will learn basic clinical
skills in clinic, ambulatory care, primary care, and institutional settings. The
entire fourth year is devoted to 48 weeks of full-time rotations in advanced
community practice, advanced institutional practice, ambulatory care practice,
long-term care practice, and acute care practice settings. There are also ample
opportunities for three special elective rotations, each six weeks in length, to
complement the clinical experience learning program.
