PharmD Curriculum

Our curriculum combines classroom learning with experiential activities, focusing on patient-centered outcomes. In their first year, students learn patient assessment, clinical, and counseling skills in the Pharmacy Simulation and Clinical Skills Laboratory. They further develop these skills through experiential activities in their second, third, and fourth years. Students complete introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences at leading medical and teaching hospitals, as well as in various pharmacy practice settings across Georgia and the country. Unique to Mercer’s Pharm.D. Program are four exceptional fourth-year opportunities: Advanced Clinical Track, Global Medical Missions, Indian Health Service, and International Pharmacy.

Mercer’s “spiral” learning style introduces broad concepts initially and then delves into more complex topics, emphasizing the skills needed for pharmacy care.

We have added Comprehensive Patient-Centered Care courses to the P1-P3 years to prepare students for managing patients with complex conditions. The Integrated Patient Care sequence provides a broad foundation in pharmacy practice. Our Specialty Pharmacy Practice course in the P3 year covers the management and pharmacotherapy of advanced pharmacy practice areas.

Our courses align with what students encounter in their rotations:

Infectious disease and endocrine topics have been moved to the P2 year to reflect their prevalence in community pharmacy rotations. The more complex nervous system is covered in the P3 year, preparing students for advanced rotations in the P4 year.
Introductory Law teaches P1 students the essentials before their initial rotations. Advanced Law in the P3 year explores complex aspects of pharmacy law through case-based scenarios, preparing students for advanced rotations in the P4 year.
Each Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience now lasts three weeks, giving students more time to learn about pharmacy operations.

The College of Pharmacy uses PioneerRx Pharmacy Software to provide students with hands-on experience using the most widely installed software for independent pharmacies. This training enhances their clinical and functional skills in a real-world environment.

Click here for the full course list.

PHA 329. Pharmacy Fundamentals (3 hours)
This course facilitates the transition from pre-pharmacy coursework to the professional program. It bridges foundational science and math concepts with pharmacy applications. Topics from several disciplines will be examined, including anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, biostatistics, organic chemistry and mathematical fundamentals.

PHA 334. Foundations of Pharmacology and Immunology (5 hours)
This course provides a foundation for the principles of drug action and explores the physiological importance of the autonomic nervous system and immune system in drug responses.

PHA 335. Healthcare Delivery and Population Health (3 hours)
This course is designed to introduce students to the U.S. healthcare delivery system and the roles that pharmacy and pharmacists play in healthcare and explores the impact of research, government, and policy on health and healthcare.

PHA 336. Self-Care (3 hours)
The course will assist students in developing the knowledge and problem-solving skills needed to determine whether self-care treatment and monitoring are necessary or appropriate.

PHA 339: Biochemistry for Health Care Professionals (3 hours)
This course is designed to provide a foundation for understanding of biochemical processes related to human health and disease. Through this course, students will understand major metabolic processes essential to the human body, including protein structure and function, cellular energy utilization and metabolism, as well as the roles of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids on cellular function.

PHA 363. Professional Development and Engagement I (1 hour)
This course is the first of a six-course series that fosters professionalism, an understanding of the pharmacy profession, and team and career development.

Total Hours: 18

PHA 337. Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics (4 hours)
This course covers the conceptual and mathematical aspects of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. These concepts provide the foundation for safe and effective therapeutic management in patients.

PHA 338. Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry (4 hours)
This course covers the concepts that are fundamental to the study of pharmaceutical sciences. These fundamentals will allow the student pharmacist to integrate physical, chemical and biological concepts into various practice functions. The course provides knowledge of the pharmaceutical principles involved in the formulation, design, compounding, and evaluation of various dosage forms.

PHA 338L. Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry Lab (1 hour)
This course acquaints the student pharmacist with basic compounding skills and techniques related to pharmaceutical dosage forms. The course also involves the study of related mathematical skills.

PHA 361. Integrated Patient Care I (4 hours)
This is the first course in a series of six and is a combination of lectures, activities, assignments, and skills development intended to introduce the student pharmacist to the pharmacist’s role in caring for patients in a community setting. Course content is integrated with courses in the P1 first-semester curriculum. Assessment of fundamental knowledge and skills important to pharmacy practice and patient care will occur.

PHA 364. Professional Development and Engagement II (1 hour)
This course is the second of a six-course series that fosters professionalism, an understanding of the pharmacy profession, and team and career development.

PHA 373. Introductory Law (2 hours)
This course introduces student pharmacists to the legal basis of pharmacy practice in traditional pharmacy settings. The course will emphasize the pharmacist’s responsibility to care for patients and to respect patients as autonomous individuals.

PHA 375. Comprehensive Patient-Centered Care I (2 hours)
This course is the first of a three-course series. It is a student-centered learning course modeled after the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP) that integrates clinical knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to pharmacy practice.

Total Hours: 18

Satisfactory completion of all First Professional Year coursework and Professional Engagement Program requirements is necessary for progression to the Second Professional Year.

**PHA 447. Health and Wellness Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (1 hour)
This course is an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) that students will compete in either their second or third professional year. During this course, practical concepts related to pharmaceutical care and the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP) are reinforced through the provision of basic care and education for community-based patients.

*PHA 487. Community Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (2 hours)
This course will provide a structured, practical professional experience in community-based pharmacy practice. Students are assigned a 120-hour practice experience after the completion of their first professional year. Through utilization of competency-based objectives, students gain a greater appreciation for the profession of pharmacy and develop professional attitudes, judgment and technical skills needed to function in the community setting. Students observe/discuss the role of the community-based pharmacist and actively participate in daily operations that focus on the distributive and clinical aspects of practice.

Total Hours: 0-3

Satisfactory completion of all Second Professional Year coursework, Comprehensive Progression Assessment, and Professional Engagement Program requirements is necessary for progression to the Third Professional Year.
*Student enrolls in this course once, either summer semester or fall inter-term of the professional year
**Student enrolls in this course once during either the second or third professional year (summer semester, fall inter-term, or spring semester)

PHA 463. Cardiovascular and Renal Pharmacotherapy I (4 hours)
This integrated course is the first in a two-course series that explores the relationship between anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and therapeutics of cardiovascular and renal disorders, with a focus on disease states that are cardiovascular and renal disease risk factors.

PHA 464. Cardiovascular and Renal Pharmacotherapy II (3 hours)
This integrated course is the second in a two-course series that explores the relationship between anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and therapeutics of cardiovascular and renal disorders, with a focus on disease states that are a complication of underlying cardiovascular and renal risk factors.

PHA 467. Endocrine Pharmacotherapy (5 hours)
This course explores the relationship between epidemiology, physiology, pathophysiology, medical chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics of endocrine disorders.

PHA 491. Integrated Patient Care IIB (4 hours)
This is the third course in a series of six courses. Through the integration of clinical knowledge gained with practical skills development, students are prepared to effectively function as a pharmacy extern within an institutional practice.

*PHA 487. Community Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (2 hours)
This course will provide a structured, practical professional experience in community-based pharmacy practice. Students are assigned a 120-hour practice experience after completing their first professional year. Through utilization of competency-based objectives, students gain a greater appreciation for the profession of pharmacy and develop professional attitudes, judgment and technical skills needed to function in the community setting. Students observe/discuss the role of the community-based pharmacist and actively participate in daily operations that focus on the distributive and clinical aspects of practice.

Elective (2 hours)

Total Hours: 18-20

PHA 468. Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy (6 hours)
This course explores the relationship between epidemiology, physiology, pathophysiology and the therapeutics of various infectious diseases and the medical chemistry, pharmacology and clinical uses of common anti-infectives.

PHA 469. Pulmonary and Integument Pharmacotherapy (4 hours)
This course integrates the anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and patient assessment aspects of pulmonary, dermatological, and eye/ear/oral disorders with the relevant medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacotherapy of the prescription and nonprescription medications used to treat and prevent these disorders.

PHA 492. Integrated Patient Care III (3 hours)
This is the fourth course in a series of six courses. Through the integration of clinical knowledge gained with the development of practical skills, students are prepared to function effectively as a pharmacy extern within an institutional practice.

PHA 493. Professional Development and Engagement III (1 hour)
This course is the third of a six-course series that fosters professionalism and an understanding of the pharmacy profession, as well as team and career development.

PHA 495. Comprehensive Patient-Centered Care II (2 hours)
This course is the second of a three-course series. This course is a student-centered learning course modeled after the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP) that integrates clinical knowledge, skills and competencies relevant to pharmacy practice.

Elective (2 hours)

Total Hours: 18-19

**Student enrolls in this course once during either the second or third professional year (summer semester, fall inter-term, or spring semester)

PHA 587. Institutional Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (2 hours)
This course will provide a structured, practical professional experience in institutional-based pharmacy practice. Students are assigned a 120-hour practice experience after completing their second professional year. Through utilization of competency-based objectives, students gain a greater appreciation for the pharmacy profession and develop the professional attitudes, judgment, and technical skills needed to function in an institutional setting. Students observe/ discuss the role of the health-system pharmacist and actively participate in daily operations that focus on the distributive and clinical aspects of practice.

Total Hours: 2-3

**Student enrolls in this course once during either the second or third professional year (summer semester, fall inter-term, or spring semester)

PHA 537. Gastrointestinal and Musculoskeletal Pharmacotherapy (5 hours)
This course explores the relationship between the epidemiology, physiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, medical chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics of musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal disorders.

PHA 547. Nervous System Pharmacotherapy (6 hours)
This course explores the relationship between epidemiology, physiology, pathophysiology, medical chemistry, pharmacology and therapeutics of neurologic and psychiatric disorders.

PHA 573. Advanced Law (2 hours)
This course will introduce student pharmacists to the legal basis of pharmacy practice in non-traditional pharmacy settings. The course will emphasize the pharmacist’s responsibility to care for patients and to respect patients as autonomous individuals.

PHA 591. Integrated Patient Care IVb (3 hours)
This is the fifth course in a series of six. Through the integration of clinical knowledge gained with practical skills development, students are prepared to effectively function as a pharmacy extern within advanced practices (e.g. acute care, ambulatory care)

Elective (2 hours)

Total Hours: 18-19

**Student enrolls in this course once during either the second or third professional year (summer semester, fall inter-term, or spring semester)

PHA 539. Oncology, Toxicology, and Drug-Induced Disorders Pharmacotherapy (4 hours)
This course explores the relationship between epidemiology, physiology, pathophysiology, medical chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics of hematology/oncology disorders, toxicology, and drug-induced disorders.

PHA 596. Professional Development and Engagement IVb (2 hours)
This course is the sixth of a six-course series that fosters professionalism, an understanding of the pharmacy profession, as well as team and career development.

PHA 597. Comprehensive Patient-Centered Care III (4 hours)
This is the last course of a three-course series. This course is a student-centered learning course modeled after the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP) that integrates clinical knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to pharmacy practice.

PHA 598. Pharmacy Management (3 hours)
This course will introduce students to: basic management principles and methods, develop and manage different pharmacy practice settings, and entrepreneurial, social, and economic aspects of practice. This course will discuss these topics and apply them to a variety of pharmacy practice models, including community, institutional, ambulatory care, specialty, and novel practice sites.

Two Electives (2 hours each)

**Student enrolls in this course once during either the second or third professional year (summer semester, fall inter-term, or spring semester)

PHA 505. Community Pharmacy Ownership (2 hours)
A course designed to provide the student with the information necessary to become a community pharmacy owner either through the establishment of a new pharmacy or the purchase of an existing pharmacy practice. The knowledge necessary for efficient and profitable management in layout and design, location analysis, evaluation of third-party plans, and promotion are emphasized as well as the financial aspects of the development and implementation of innovative clinical services in the community setting. The course includes case studies and group projects in addition to didactic classes. If you are a non-Mercer student who wants to take this course, click here for more information and to apply.

PHA 509. Introduction to Teaching (2 hours)
Prerequisites: consent of instructor and a GPA of 3.5 or better is required. A course designed to stimulate interest of pharmacy students in a career in teaching. Through facilitating small groups of students, discussing readings from the literature, and assisting faculty in a variety of teaching activities, the student is better able to evaluate the possibility of a career in teaching. (This course may be taken up to two times for credit.)

PHA 510 Professional Development Best Sellers (2 hours)
This self-directed course is focused on helping learners to introduce leadership, professionalism, and wellness concepts using best-selling books. By selecting their own books from a list, students are able to design their own learning outcomes and focus on their personal areas of interest.

PHA 516. Advanced Community Practice (2 hours)
This course is intended to prepare the student for a successful career in community pharmacy practice. This course focuses on practical knowledge needed to be effective in community practice including patient management, workforce development, preceptor development, customer service, inventory control, and opportunities for growth. By course completion, the student will obtain knowledge needed to successfully manage and operate a community pharmacy.

PHA 519. Contemporary Pharmacy Topics (2 hours)
This course develops the student’s critical thinking and appreciation of timely pharmacy-related topics. These topics expand students’ knowledge of pharmacy and increase awareness of the opportunities available for pharmacists. The topics are introduced with a didactic lecture followed by a diverse array of active learning activities (patient cases, debates, literature evaluation, etc.). The topics facilitate the growth of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

PHA 520. Veterinary Pharmacy (2 hours)
This course provides an overview of the pharmacotherapeutics of common diseases and conditions of companion and selected food-producing animals. Legal and regulatory issues associated with veterinary drug dispensing will also be addressed.

PHA 522. Drug Development and Regulatory Affairs (2 hours)
This course reviews basic concepts related to the discovery, pre-clinical, and clinical phases of prescription drug development and regulatory affairs from the perspective of the pharmaceutical industry.

PHA 524. Pharmaceutical Industry Medical Affairs (2 hours)
This course introduces students to the skills and competencies necessary for practice in pharmaceutical industry medical affairs. This will include basic understanding of clinical and economic literature evaluation, promotional review, medical writing, field-based medical affairs, health economics and outcomes research, market access, and leadership.

PHA 527. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (2 hours)
This course provides the student with a working knowledge of the preparation, stability and formulation of different protein and peptide drugs such as antisense agents, transgenic therapeutics and gene therapy. Current FDA-approved biotechnology drugs such as human insulin, growth hormones and interferons will be discussed.

PHA 529. Contemporary Compounding (2 hours)
This course involves learning the concepts of contemporary compounding practice. This course will include a discussion of the regulations governing compounding, USP and scientific/professional organization recommendations for compounding, and mechanisms for evaluation and analysis of the quality of a compounded formulation. The course will use discussions, problem-solving cases and skill-building laboratories to help the student learn the contemporary compounding process.

PHA 531. Medical Ethics for Health Care Professionals (2 hours)
This course prepares students in the health professions for dealing with ethical dilemmas through an analysis of classic and current cases, identification of ethical issues involved, application of ethical principles, development of a personal position, and consideration of counterarguments.

PHA 532. Computer-Assisted Drug Design (2 hours)
This elective course is for Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate students and second or third-professional year Pharmacy students. This survey course introduces students to the methods, applications, and limitations of computational chemistry in drug discovery.

PHA 541 Personal Finances (2 hours)
This course is designed to both introduce and develop a student’s knowledge regarding multiple aspects of personal finance. Topics to be covered include: budget development, dealing with debt, purchasing decisions, net worth, and retirement planning.

PHA 548. Project Development (2 hours)
Prerequisites: consent of instructor and a GPA of 2.5 or better is required. This course is designed to acquaint the student with the techniques involved in the development of a project in either the basic or clinical sciences. A project will be assigned to the student and the student will be expected to perform literature reviews and other work deemed necessary by the faculty instructor to produce an acceptable final written report. (This course may be taken up to two times for credit.)

PHA 548A. Project Development (1 hour)
This section of Project Development is limited to students participating in Mercer on Mission.

PHA 549. Introduction to Research (2 hours)
Prerequisites: consent of instructor and a GPA of 2.5 or better is required. This course is designed to acquaint the student with current techniques utilized in basic and clinical research. A problem will be assigned by the instructor and the student will be expected to do the library and laboratory or clinical work required to prepare a report. (This course may be taken up to three times for credit.)

PHA 558. Critical Care Pharmacotherapy (2 hours)
This course provides an introduction to critical care pharmacotherapy for students interested in the institutional setting in which acute care issues are more commonly encountered. The course will include a discussion of the role of the pharmacist, evidence-based principles in pharmacotherapy, and controversial issues in critical care medicine.

PHA 560. Substance Abuse (2 hours)
This course is designed to give the student an introduction to the area of substance abuse and dependency. It is intended that upon completion of this course the student will have an appreciation for the terminology and diagnostic criteria appropriate to this specialty, a clear understanding of the drugs involved, their effects, and be able to explain pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.

PHA 562. Natural Medicines and Self Care (2 hours)
This course is designed to give the interested student additional knowledge and skills on
health promotion in order to be a better-educated pharmacist and consumer. The primary focus will be on the scientific basis of alternative medicine therapies in the prevention and treatment of acute and chronic illness. A secondary focus will be on the prevention and detection of heart disease, cancer, and mental illness, including the impact of lifestyle changes on disease management. The use of diagnostic tests, utilized to screen disease and monitor patient response to selected drug therapy, will also be discussed.

PHA 564. Geriatric Pharmacy (2 hours)
This course will allow the opportunity for the discovery of the importance of drug-related problems in geriatric patients. Major topics include the psychosocial aspects of aging; the impact of physiologic changes on pharmacotherapy problems in the aging patient; issues and strategies for managing medication therapy in geriatric patients; and roles of the pharmacist in providing pharmaceutical care to geriatric patients at various levels of care.

PHA 565. Drug Misadventures (2 hours)
This course is designed to provide a deeper understanding of serious drug misadventures including: adverse drug reactions, medication errors, drug interactions, and drug allergies. Emphasis is on problem-solving and the identification of preventative measures.

PHA 566. Women’s Health (2 hours)
This course is designed to enable the student to develop an understanding of issues of
importance in women’s health, including health promotion and prevention, health problems with a higher prevalence or a different presentation in women than men, and women’s health policy and research. Problems unique to women’s health and therapy important in the pharmacist’s provision of pharmaceutical care to female patients will be emphasized. The topics discussed will be those relevant to women’s health that are not covered in required courses or those that are not covered in detail in required courses. Student participation is an integral part of the course.

PHA 569. Diabetes Care (2 hours)
This course is designed to provide students with additional education in the care of patients with diabetes. The course’s primary objective is to increase students’ aptitude and confidence in providing medication therapy management to patients with diabetes while reinforcing the knowledge of drug therapy that was taught in the endocrine curriculum.

PHA 571. Pediatric Pharmacotherapy (2 hours)
This course will provide students with an understanding of the healthcare needs of the pediatric patient. In addition, the students will develop knowledge and skills to provide pharmaceutical care to pediatric patients in both ambulatory and inpatient settings. The course will focus on developmental stages of growth, common pediatric disease states, pediatric practice specialties, and specific pharmacotherapeutic considerations unique to pediatric patients. The course will be taught through a combination of lectures, case discussions, presentation, and active learning components.

PHA 572. Spanish for Pharmacists (2 hours)
This course is designed to give the student, who is a non-Spanish speaker, a solid basis in verbal communication in a pharmacy setting with patients who speak mostly or all Spanish. By speaking Spanish, students will be better equipped to provide pharmaceutical care to their Spanish-speaking patients. The primary focus of the course will be pharmacy-specific terms, phrases and communication skills with a secondary emphasis on elementary and practical Spanish. In addition, the course will educate students about health beliefs and practices in Hispanic cultures.

PHA 574. Interacting with Spanish-Speaking Patients (2 hours)
This course is designed to provide professional Spanish communication skills for students of pharmacy. This is a 2-credit hour course where students will develop and refine their communicative proficiency in the use of the Spanish language in pharmacy/clinical settings with predominantly Spanish-speaking patients. Students will participate in language tasks through listening, reading, writing, and conversation activities involving the provision of pharmacy care to Spanish-speaking patients. These activities will focus on the most common chronic disease conditions (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, asthma, COPD, dyslipidemia, depression). This course is open to students that have successfully completed PHA 572 Spanish for Pharmacists, or who are proficient in Spanish.

PHA 579. Global Health for Pharmacists (2 hours)
This course is designed to increase the student’s knowledge of and sensitivity to people of diverse cultural backgrounds and their needs for healthcare services. Social, political, cultural, religious, and economic factors will be evaluated in demonstrating how healthcare practitioners may contribute to the promotion of healthy living through the provision of healthcare services to underserved populations on a global level.

PHA 582. Managed Care Pharmacy (2 hours)
This course is intended to develop the student’s critical thinking, basic principles and applications of managed care pharmacy practice. The topics will be introduced with didactic lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and active learning activities. This course will provide an overview of managed care pharmacy and an understanding of how managed care pharmacy impacts the healthcare system. By course completion, the student will obtain knowledge of managed care pharmacy that can be a valuable preparation for experiential education and career opportunities in a variety of practice settings, including a managed care organization, hospital administration, and community pharmacy management.

PHA 583. Advanced Leadership (2 hours)
This course is designed to build upon the foundational concepts and skills in leadership and advocacy learned in the required curriculum. Students will develop an advanced understanding of the components that make leadership successful and their personal strengths as a leader through classroom, reflection, and experiential activities.

PHA 584. The Evidence and Experience of Wellbeing (2 hours)
This course introduces the available evidence associated with achieving, maintaining, and promoting a sense of well-being. The course further explores individual well-being as well as implications for practice and the health and well-being of others. This course is open to students who have successfully completed the Nervous System Pharmacotherapy course.

PHA 588. Antimicrobial Stewardship: The Clinical Approach (2 hours)
This course utilizes a case-based approach in the evaluation and pharmacotherapeutic management of infectious diseases commonly encountered in the institutional setting. This course is open to P3 students only or students that have successfully completed the Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy module.

PHA 589. Institutional Nutritional Support (2 hours)
This course explores nutrition and nutritional disorders encountered in inpatient clinical practice including malnutrition, fluid and electrolytes imbalances, acid-base disorders, parenteral nutrition, and enteral nutrition. This course is open to P3 students only or students that have successfully completed the Gastrointestinal and Musculoskeletal Pharmacotherapy module.

Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs)

Students are required to complete eight advanced pharmacy practice experiences during the fourth professional year. Students must have satisfactorily completed all required and elective courses in the professional curriculum to be eligible for fourth-year standing and to start the advanced experience sequence. APPEs are preferentially assigned to students on normal academic progression. Students who interrupt their normal academic progression will be assigned to experiential sites as they become available. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Chairperson of the Pharmacy Practice Department.

Four (4) APPEs are required in the areas of Community Pharmacy, Institutional Pharmacy, Adult Medicine, and Ambulatory Care. Four (4) practice experiences are electives, of which two (2) must have a patient-care component. Each APPE is five weeks in length. Pharmacy Review I-III (PHA 620-622) are taken concurrently with APPEs.

Students are surveyed during the third professional year to determine elective preferences and eligibility for assignment. Students may repeat a course one time to fulfill an elective requirement. Assignments are made through an online program that randomly assigns students based on site availability.

During APPEs, students will gain competency in the following areas: problem-oriented drug monitoring, therapeutic drug monitoring, medication histories, managing a patient’s drug therapy, identification, resolution and prevention of drug-related problems, drug information/retrieval skills, application of knowledge of diseases and drug therapy to pharmaceutical care, consulting and counseling with health care professionals and patients, education of health care professionals, communication and presentation skills and professional conduct.

College policy requires all students have proper records of required immunizations and health screenings and proof of current health insurance prior to any assignment to a patient care setting. Students also are subject to background checks and drug screenings as required by their assigned experiential sites’ policies.

APPE Rotations

APPE 1. Community Pharmacy Practice (5 hours)
APPE 2. Institutional Pharmacy Practice (5 hours)
APPE 3. Adult Medicine (5 hours)
APPE 4. Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Practice (5 hours)
APPE 5. Elective I (5 hours)
APPE 6. Elective II (5 hours)
APPE 7. Elective III (5 hours)
APPE 8. Elective IV (5 hours)
PHA 620. Pharmacy Review I (1 hour)
PHA 621. Pharmacy Review II (1 hour)
PHA 622. Pharmacy Review III (1 hour)

Total Hours: 43

APPEs can occur in any order, 8 out of 9 blocks

The majority of Mercer’s APPEs are completed within metropolitan Atlanta, Chattanooga, Columbus, Macon, and Savannah. Mercer pharmacy students, however, may be required to complete part of their APPEs at other locations based on site availability. A complete list of sites is available in the Experiential Education Office. Site availability is subject to change.

Pharmacy students can also consider participating in one of the following APPE programs: Advanced Clinical Track, Global Medical Missions, Indian Health Service, or International Pharmacy. A list of the current sites utilized for these programs is available in the Experiential Education Office.

Advanced Clinical Track Program

The goal of the Advanced Clinical Track Program is to provide a challenging combination of APPEs that will aid in preparing students who plan on completing postgraduate residency training. Students who participate in the program will have the opportunity to have a more intensive APPE schedule, one-on-one faculty mentoring, and research experience that will focus on advancing fourth-year students as future clinicians and clinical researchers. Current practice sites for the ACT program are available from the Office of Experiential Education.

Indian Health Service Program

Pharmacy students may elect to complete a five-week ambulatory medicine practice experience with the Indian Health Service (IHS). Students will be involved in patient counseling, calculation of individualized drug doses for clinic and hospital patients, management of stabilized chronic disease patients by drug therapy protocols, and work as members of the healthcare team with IHS pharmacists, physicians, and nurses. Current practice sites for the Indian Health Service program are available from the Office of Experiential Education.

International Pharmacy Program

This program is designed to provide an elective five-week pharmacy practice experience in one of the approved foreign pharmacy sites. Pharmacy students will study the health care system of the host country to determine the differences in pharmacy practice, governmental influences and education, compared to the United States. These objectives also allow a student to gain personal experience and growth from living and practicing in another country, as well as insight into healthcare issues and problems abroad. Assignment to an international pharmacy practice experience is competitive. Current practice sites for the International Pharmacy program are available from the Office of Experiential Education.

Global Medical Missions

This pharmacy practice experience is designed to introduce the student to the practice of pharmacy within a medical missions-related setting. Through this experience, the student will participate in pharmacy-related activities as a means for global outreach, service and personal growth. Current practice sites for the Global Medical Missions Experience are available from the Office of Experiential Education.

APPE Courses/Rotations

PHA 602. Anticoagulation (5 hours)
This experience is designed to give the student the opportunity to provide patient care services related to the use of various anticoagulation therapies in the inpatient setting. During this experience, the student will develop a pharmacotherapeutic care plan for patients receiving anticoagulation therapies, and learn to participate in a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

PHA 611. Specialty Pharmacy Practice (5 hours)
This experience is designed to provide the student with an overview of the clinical and administrative functions in a Specialty Pharmacy environment. These pharmacies are generally closed-door pharmacies that dispense specialty medications that are high-cost and require clinical monitoring and/or administration. Specialty pharmacies typically focus on the treatment of ongoing, chronic medical conditions. Working with the clinical pharmacy team, the student will collaborate with members of the healthcare team to optimize medication therapies and provide assistance with insurance prior authorizations and/or prescription financial assistance programs. Additionally, students will work with the clinical team to provide patient education and enhance patient compliance.

PHA 612. Transplant Pharmacy (5 hours)
This experience is designed to give the student the opportunity to provide patient care services related to the use of various immunosuppressive therapies in the inpatient setting. During this experience, the student will develop a pharmacotherapeutic care plan for patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies, develop the skills necessary to provide monitoring and counseling for patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies, and learn to participate in a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

PHA 619. Transitions of Care (5 hours)
This experience is designed to expose the student to the importance of the pharmacists’ role in the transition of care of a patient in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. This practice experience is designed to give the student an understanding of the importance of medication reconciliation, direct patient care and ambulatory follow-up across all settings. Through this experience, the student will develop skills necessary to participate in and provide leadership for the medication reconciliation process, enhance written and verbal communication skills and learn to participate within a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

PHA 620. Pharmacy Review I (1 hour)
This course is designed to provide a guided and structured comprehensive review for the fourth-year student pharmacist. This course utilizes textbooks, other online pharmacy law materials, and assessments. Course format uses a self-study component. This course addresses areas of federal pharmacy law.

PHA 621. Pharmacy Review II (1 hour)
This course is designed to provide a guided and structured comprehensive review for the fourth-year student pharmacist. This course utilizes a textbook, online video library, individual and cumulative chapter assessments, and cumulative exams. Course format uses a self-study component. This course addresses areas of pharmacotherapy, calculations, systems management, and various health concepts.

PHA 622. Pharmacy Review III (1 hour)
This course is designed to provide a guided and structured comprehensive review for thefourth-year student pharmacist. This course utilizes a textbook, online video library, individual and cumulative chapter assessments, and cumulative exams. Course format uses a self-study component and live, in-person seminars. This course addresses areas of pharmacotherapy, calculations, systems management, and population and public health concepts.

PHA 669. Pain Management/Palliative Care (5 hours)
This practice experience will enable the student to develop proficiency in the knowledge of pain management and other targeted symptoms commonly seen during end-of-life situations.

PHA 670. Medicine (5 hours)
This required practice experience is designed to give the student a basic understanding of disease states encountered in internal medicine. This course will stress the application of therapeutics in patient care and require the student to develop skills in taking medication histories, monitoring patients, providing drug information, and patient education. This pharmacy practice experience is also designed to expose the student to the team concept of health care.

PHA 671. Cardiology (5 hours)
A practice experience designed to enable the student to acquire skills in the knowledge regarding basic principles of specific cardiovascular disorders, their treatment and care.

PHA 672. Critical Care (5 hours)
This hospital-based experience is designed to enable the student to acquire skills and knowledge regarding basic principles of specific critical care disease states and their treatment.

PHA 674. Hematology/Oncology (5 hours)
This experience will enable the student to develop proficiency in the knowledge of neoplastic disease and rational therapy with oncological agents.

PHA 675. Infectious Diseases (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to enable the student to acquire skills and knowledge regarding basic pharmacotherapy of specific infectious diseases.

PHA 676. Neonatology (5 hours)
This hospital-based practice experience is designed to enable the student to acquire proficiency and knowledge regarding basic principles of drug therapy in neonates.

PHA 677. Pediatrics (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to enable the student to acquire skills and knowledge regarding basic principles of pharmacotherapy for common childhood diseases.

PHA 678. Psychiatry (5 hours)
This pharmacy practice experience is designed to give the student in-depth exposure to the area of mental health. The student will work with other members of the health care team to monitor drug therapy of patients with psychiatric diseases or drug abuse problems.

PHA 679. Surgery (5 hours)
This hospital-based experience is designed to enable the student to acquire proficiency in the basic principles of surgery and drugs used in surgical procedures.

PHA 680. Ambulatory Care (5 hours)
This required practice experience will provide the student with the necessary assessment skills to implement and monitor cost effective drug therapy for safety and efficacy in the primary care and/or specialty clinic patient care environment.

PHA 681. Advanced Community (5 hours)
This experience is designed to expose the student to a variety of patient-oriented services in community pharmacy practice and engage the student in service activities that will meet a community need, foster long-term civic and professional responsibility, and develop a sense of caring for others. These services may include: (1) patient counseling on appropriate drug use, home diagnostic test kits, and durable medical equipment; (2) monitoring drug therapy for safety and efficacy; (3) providing drug information to health care professionals and preceptors; (4) participating in health screenings and immunization clinics; and (5) providing education to the community through health fairs. This experience is also designed to give the student further experience in documenting pharmaceutical care interventions in community pharmacy practice.

PHA 684. General Clinical (5 hours)
This practice experience will expose the student to the broad-based daily duties often required of a clinical pharmacy coordinator in a hospital. The student will gain experience in at least four of the following six areas: Drug Information, Drug Usage Evaluation, Quality Assurance, Formulary Management, Pharmacokinetics, and Metabolic Support. Due to the nature of the above practice areas, the student will also gain experience in general internal medicine.

PHA 687. Home Health Care (5 hours)
This practice experience specializes in home infusion therapy. The student will gain experience working with pharmacists and nurses to care for the home patient. The student will be involved in preparation and monitoring of parenteral and enteral nutrition, antibiotics, cancer chemotherapy, specialty compounded drugs, and home health aides.

PHA 691. Nutritional Support (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to provide the student with the opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and practical experience in basic nutritional principles, nutritional assessment, and management of the patient requiring enteral and/or total parenteral nutrition.

PHA 692. Pharmacokinetics (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to give the student hands-on experience in the functioning of an established clinical pharmacokinetics practice and information on methods for establishing such a service. The student will assess the utility of population averages in predicting drug concentration and dosages as well as learn to base therapeutic recommendation on measured drug concentration. This clinical application learning experience is directed toward monitoring drug therapy based on patient response rather than the mere manipulation of numbers. Expertise in calculations is expected from previous coursework. The student may also have the opportunity to be involved in evaluating and monitoring patients for pharmacokinetic research.

PHA 698. Emergency Medicine (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to give the student exposure to managing and monitoring emergency department patients.

PHA 699. Advanced Institutional (5 hours)
This experience is designed to expose the student to broad-based daily duties often required of an institutional-based pharmacist including but not limited to dispensatory functions of a pharmacist in the hospital setting, medication reconciliation, and participation within a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

Elective APPE Courses/Rotations

PHA 603. Compounding (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to give the student a general understanding of the rationale for and the various techniques used in the extemporaneous compounding of pharmaceutical products.

PHA 605. Pharmacy Informatics and Technology (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to introduce the student to the use of healthcare information technology as a means to improve medication use, enhance patient safety, and advance patient care. Through this experience, students will gain insight into the important role pharmacists play in integrating medication use with various levels of technology.

PHA 606. Regulatory Pharmacy (5 hours)
This practice experience will give the student a general understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a regulatory agency within the profession of pharmacy.

PHA 610. Global Medical Missions (5 hours)
This practice experience will introduce the student to the practice of pharmacy within a medical missions-related setting. Through this experience, the student will participate in pharmacy-related activities as a means for global outreach, service, and personal growth.

PHA 649. Managed Care Pharmacy (5 hours)
This experience is designed to provide the student with the general knowledge and a high level of exposure to a variety of activities conducted by managed care organizations (MCOs). MCOs manage healthcare services in a manner that is designed to effectively meet the needs of its members while incorporating clinical and economic factors.

PHA 651. Leadership in Pharmacy Management (5 hours)
This experience exposes the students to the duties and responsibilities associated with upper-management executives within a pharmacy corporation or business entity. This experience is designed for students interested in pursuing a pharmacy career in upper-management and enhancing their leadership skills. The student will interact with executives in both clinical and business aspects of a company or healthcare system. This experience is specifically designed to give the student experience in practice issues, employee management, human resource services, recruiting, staffing and employee development needs, policy and advocacy, public relations, and in understanding the importance of professionalism and operational standards. Preference given to students enrolled in the Pharm.D./MBA program.

PHA 652. Medication Safety (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to expose the student to the duties and responsibilities associated with the recognition, prevention and reporting of medication errors. This APPE is designed to provide students with both direct and indirect patient care. Students will work to provide improved medication safety throughout the health care facility.

PHA 653. Obstetrics/Gynecology (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to expose students to the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacist practicing on a high-risk perinatal and labor/delivery service.

PHA 660. Medication Therapy Management (5 hours)
This course will be an experience-based rotation to help the student become an active participant in the management and provision of a managed care Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program. Emphasis will be placed on learning basic MTM principles while the student learns how to provide these services to patients.

PHA 662. Industrial Pharmacy Medical and Professional Services (5 hours)
This practice experience is specifically designed to give the student experience in conducting medical and professional service activities and is designed for those students who believe they may want to pursue a career in this area.

PHA 668. Pharmacy Association Management (5 hours)
This experience is designed to broaden the student’s knowledge and understanding of Pharmacy Association Management. It is structured to provide experiences in national and state practice issues, education, member services, student development, policy and advocacy, and public relations. This experience can be completed at one of several sites.

PHA 682. Academic Administration (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to stimulate the interest of pharmacy students in academia and provide the student with an understanding of the function and process of the academy. Through interviews with faculty, readings in the literature, participation in academic and administrative meetings, development of teaching materials with pharmacy faculty chosen as preceptors in the students’ area of interest, the exploration of teaching methodologies and several “hands on” projects, the student is better able to evaluate the possibility of a career in academia as well as assume a position in academia. Students interested in participating in the Academic Administration practice experience must have a GPA of 3.0 or better.

PHA 683. Drug Information (5 hours)
This practice experience will expose the student to various drug information activities such as: researching drug information questions, developing patient education materials and preparing pharmacy newsletters. Students may utilize Internet resources, abstracting services, professional journals, online bulletin boards, subscription disk, online information retrieval services, and textbooks during this experience to enhance their verbal and written communication skills.

PHA 685. Geriatrics–Long Term Care (5 hours)
The practice experience in Geriatrics is designed to provide the student with an in-depth experience in the provision of pharmaceutical care to older patients and those requiring long-term care services. The student will also be exposed to additional aspects of consultant pharmacy practice for institutionalized long-term care and subacute patients.

PHA 686. Health Outcomes Management (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to provide the student with a basic understanding of health outcomes (clinical, economic, humanistic) focusing on pharmacoeconomics and health care quality assessment. Didactic and practical experience in these core areas will expose the student to a variety of competencies utilized in a health outcomes research and consulting firm. The practice environment involves working directly with a number of managed care organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical providers, pharmacy benefit managers and various other health care providers. The student will be exposed to and/or directly involved with the many steps in conducting quality focused, outcomes-based research— from proposal development to analysis and manuscript preparation.

PHA 689. International Pharmacy (5 hours)
This practice experience is designed to broaden the student’s knowledge about health care, pharmacy practice, and education specifically in another health care system. The students will spend five weeks in one of the approved sites for the international program. This practice experience will vary according to the specialty (hospital, community, industry, or government). Assignment is competitive.

PHA 690. Nuclear Pharmacy (5 hours)
This experience introduces the student to the practice of Nuclear Pharmacy and Nuclear Medicine. The nuclear pharmacy experience will concentrate on pharmaceutical care and radiopharmaceutical compounding, quality assurance, health physics and regulatory compliance. This experience will offer the student the opportunity to communicate with the nuclear medicine personnel and participate in the clinical use of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. The student will also gain experience in the area of health physics as it is practiced in the nuclear pharmacy and hospital.

PHA 693. Poison Control (5 hours)
This practice experience will allow the student to gain practical experience in the regional Poison Control Center (PCC) at Grady Memorial Hospital. The student will respond to questions on intentional and accidental poisonings of drugs, exposures to chemicals, and snake/insect bites from all over the Southeastern United States. The student will recommend antidotes, treatments, and referrals under the supervision of the PCC staff. The clinical experience also consists of weekly work units which concentrate on a particular area of interest related to toxicology and/or poisoning.

PHA 696. Research (5 hours)
The research experience will provide the student with the opportunity to participate in an ongoing research project and develop skills necessary for pursuit of graduate education, fellowship, or a research-oriented career.

PHA 697. Substance Abuse (5 hours)
This experience is designed to expose the student to aspects of drug and alcohol abuse and the treatment most often used in a clinical setting. This experience will enable the student to learn more about the diagnosis, complications, and the management of addictive disease with drug therapy in today’s health care environment.