Educational Outcomes for the Doctor of Pharmacy Program
Pharm.D. Program Mission
The mission of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program is to prepare graduates to become excellent generalist practitioners who demonstrate the essential knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and behaviors to promote holistic patient wellness. To accomplish this mission, the school provides an exceptional educational environment and prepares students to deliver the highest quality direct patient care as an interprofessional team member.
Educational Outcomes
Knowledge
- Scientific thinking: The graduate is able to seek, analyze, integrate and apply foundational knowledge of medications and pharmacy practice (biomedical; pharmaceutical; social, behavioral, and administrative; and clinical sciences; drug classes; and digital health).
Skills
- Problem-solving process: The graduate is able to use problem solving and critical thinking skills, along with an innovative mindset, to address challenges and to promote positive change.
- Communication: The graduate is able to actively engage, listen and communicate verbally, nonverbally and in writing, when educating or interacting with an individual, group or organization.
- Cultural and structural humility: The graduate is able to mitigate health disparities by considering, recognizing and navigating cultural and structural factors (e.g., social determinants of health, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) to improve access and health outcomes.
- Person-centered care: The graduate is able to provide whole person care and comprehensive medication management to individuals as the medication specialist using the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process.
- Advocacy: The graduate is able to promote the best interests of patients and/or the pharmacy profession within health care settings and at the community, state or national level.
- Medication-use process stewardship: The graduate is able to optimize patient health care outcomes using human, financial, technological and physical resources to improve the safety, efficacy and environmental impact of medication use systems.
- Interprofessional collaboration: The graduate is able to actively engage and contribute as a health care team member by demonstrating core interprofessional competencies.
- Population health and wellness: The graduate is able to assess factors that influence the health and wellness of a population and develop strategies to address those factors.
- Leadership: The graduate is able to demonstrate the ability to influence and support the achievement of shared goals, regardless of one’s role.
Attitudes
- Self-awareness: The graduate is able to examine, reflect on and address personal and professional attributes (e.g., knowledge, metacognition, skills, abilities, beliefs, biases, motivation, help-seeking strategies and emotional intelligence) that could enhance or limit growth, development and professional identity formation.
- Professionalism: The graduate is able to exhibit professional attitudes, behaviors and values consistent with the VCU School of Pharmacy attributes of professionalism that embody a commitment to building and maintaining trust given to the profession by patients, other health care providers and society.