Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

This is content from the Catalog 2019–2020 back issue. Please visit the current catalog for current information.

Dean: Carolyn Ma, Pharm.D., BCOP, CHTP/I

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: Lara Gomez, Pharm.D.

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences: Dianqing Sun, Ph.D.

Department of Pharmacy Practice: Roy Goo, Pharm.D.

UH Hilo
The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP)
34 Rainbow Drive, Hilo, HI 96720
Email: pharmacy@hawaii.edu
Tel: (808) 933-2909 Website: pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu

Program Description

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo's Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP) is a four-year educational and experiential program through which students pursue the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. The Pharm.D. program prepares the student for entry into the pharmacy profession. During the four years at DKICP, students will complete a total of 137 semester hours of credit; 88 hours in required courses, 4 credit hours in elective professional courses, and 45 credit hours in clinical/experiential education.

Mission

The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo DKICP is the traditional mission of academic healthcare—education, research, and service with emphasis on patient care. More specifically, our mission is:

  • To educate pharmacy practitioners and leaders.
  • To serve as a catalyst for innovations and discoveries in pharmaceutical science and practice for the promotion of health and wellbeing.
  • To provide community service, including quality patient care

Program Goals

The DKICP mission is predicated on four overarching goals:

  • Implement academic curricula that lead to a flagship Pharm.D. program, which produces graduates committed to serving people via science-based practice.
  • Accountability to the Institute of Medicine’s core competencies for the health professional workforce.
  • Conduct research that advances pharmaceutical sciences and makes a difference for humanity inclusive of effects on global health.
  • Cultivate culturally competent, intellectually inquisitive, self-directed, caring pharmacists who are critical thinkers, problem solvers and life-long learners in a changing healthcare environment.

Student Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the four year PharmD program a graduate will be able to:

  1. Think critically and solve problems effectively.
  2. Communicate effectively with patients and other health care providers in all matters related to providing pharmaceutical care.
  3. Make ethical decisions concerning pharmaceutical care.
  4. Demonstrate professional and social responsibility.
  5. Engage in self-directed learning.
  6. Manage all aspects of pharmacy related activities.
  7. Promote public health and provide drug information and education to patients and other health care providers.

Values

A values framework underpins the DKICP mission and vision in its commitment to building a culture of quality and excellence in pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical sciences via enactment of five values:

  • Ethics underlies responsibility and accountability to standards in ensuring safe, quality, healthy environments for education, conducting research, providing pharmaceutical healthcare services, and sustaining livelihood. The DKICP thrives upon ethical decision-making and morality.
  • Community is cultivated through spaces of collaborations and places of meaning, respect, openness, freedom and creativity. The DKICP is rooted in humanism.
  • Diversity among people, cultures, theories, practices, institutions permeate 2lst century healthcare. The DKICP embraces and celebrates diversity, with a niche in cultural diversity.
  • Scholarship is the passion and outcomes of academic and professional life. The quest of the DKICP for quality and excellence affirms scholarly pursuits.
  • Life-long learning is the pathway to stimulating pharmacy practice on a continuum of development and advancing pharmacy as a science and profession. The DKICP is nurtured via the continuum of lifelong education.

Vision

The vision of the DKICP at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is to drive improvement in the quality of healthcare in Hawaiʻi and throughout the Pacific Basin. We are achieving this vision by focusing on Hawaiʻi’s unique cultural, physical, and geographic features, by employing world-class faculty, and by graduating exceptional professionals.

Prospects for Graduates

Graduates of the Pharm.D. program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will be able to seek employment as pharmacists in a variety of professional settings. Their professional duties may include, but are not limited to, distribution of drugs prescribed by physicians and other health care practitioners, providing information about prescriptions and their use to their patients and customers, advising health care professionals on the prescription and interaction of drug therapies, compounding, pharmaceutical research, hiring and supervision of staff, business operations of pharmacies, administering of vaccinations, etc. The job outlook for pharmacists remains strong nationwide and in Hawaiʻi. There is currently a shortage of community, clinical and research pharmacists. It is expected that the field of pharmacy will grow at a “faster than average” rate over the next decade (Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Pharmacists). In order to practice as a registered pharmacist (R.Ph.), state licensure is required.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for consideration, students must complete the following:

  • Completion of the prerequisite courses including:
Required Pre-Requisite Courses Credits
General Biology I and II with Labs 8
Microbiology with Lab 4
General Chemistry I and II with Labs 8
Organic Chemistry I and II with Labs 8
Human Anatomy & Physiology I and II with Labs 8
Calculus 3
English (including 3 credits composition) 6
Humanities 6
A course that includes a world/cultural diversity component 3
Social/Behavioral Sciences 6
Economics 3
Communications (with a public speaking component) 3
Total 66

Please Note: The most current listings of prerequisite courses can be found on the DKICP website. Prerequisites are subject to change. International applicants must also complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of coursework in the United States at any regionally-accredited college or University. Of the 30 required hours, 15 semester hours must be allocated to non-remedial science courses.

  • Completion of the PCAT is recommended, not required for applying to the DKICP. Select PCAT Code 104 to send score to PharmCAS. Do Not send scores directly to UH Hilo. Results of PCAT exams taken prior to 2012 will not be reviewed.
  • Completion and submission of the PharmCAS application including two professional letters of recommendation and applicable fees.
  • Completion and submission of the supplemental application to be requested via email by UH Hilo DKICP.

Meeting the minimum qualification requirements does not guarantee admission. All eligible applications are reviewed by the UH Hilo DKICP Admissions Committee which applies multiple criteria to assess applications and select candidates to be reviewed.

UH Hilo DKICP annually accepts 80-90 students for Fall admissions.

Application Procedure

UH Hilo CoP operates on a competitive, rolling admissions process. Early submission is strongly recommended. Applicants are responsible for tracking the progress of their application and verifying that all necessary documents have been received by the UH Hilo DKICP Office of Student Services. The application review process begins in August 2016 and continues until all seats are filled. Upon receipt of all required application components noted above, the complete file and applicant profile will be reviewed by the UH Hilo DKICP Admissions Committee. At that time, the committee will decide to invite the candidate for an interview, place the candidate on hold for further review, or reject the applicant. Eligible students will be invited for a personal interview and are contacted via email. UH Hilo DKICP conducts closed file interviews. In closed file interviews, the interviewer is not provided with any information about the candidate except for their name. This approach was selected by the Admissions Committee as it helps remove preconceived biases based on students' experiences, grades, test scores, personal statements, etc. Interviews are conducted from December 2016 through May 2017 with additional interviews as needed. Complete applications and interview scores are reviewed by the Admissions Committee for final admission decisions. Accepted students will be notified by email.

Early Decision

DKICP participates in the PharmCAS Early Decision Program which is a binding option for applicants who have decided that a particular pharmacy degree program is their first choice and that they will enroll if accepted. Early Decision applicants may only apply to one pharmacy degree program. Early decision deadline to be determined by PharmCAS (early September of the application cycle). Eligible applicants will be invited to an in-person interview in Hilo during the month of October.

Applicants may be offered early admission, denied admission, or deferred to regular applicant status. If offered admission as an Early Decision applicant, applicants are obligated to accept the offer and they will not be permitted to apply to other PharmCAS institutions. If, however, an applicant is denied admission as an Early Admission applicant or deferred to regular applicant status, they may apply to other PharmCAS institutions for an additional fee.

Curricula

Professional Year 1 Fall Courses (18 credits)

  • PHPP 501 Intr Pharm Prac Experiential I (1)
  • PHPS 504 Pharmaceutical Immunology (3)
  • PHPS 501 Biochemistry - Biomolecules (2)
  • PHPS 505 Pharmaceutics I (3)
  • PHPP 510 Pharmacy Self Care I (2)
  • PHPS 503 Pharmaceutical Calculations (2)
  • PHPS 540 Drug Action - Part I (2)
  • PHPP 528 Pharmacy Comm & Culture (3)

Professional Year 1 Spring Courses (15 credits)

  • PHPP 502 Int Pharm Prac Experiential II (1)
  • PHPP 508 Intro to Biostatistics (2)
  • PHPS 509 Applied Pathophysiology (3)
  • PHPS 502 Biochemistry - Metabolism (2)
  • PHPS 506 Pharmaceutics II (3)
  • PHPS 511 Pharmacokinetics (3)
  • PHPS 541 Drug Action - Part II (2)

Professional Year 2 Fall Courses (17 credits)

  • PHPP 503 Intr Pharm Prac Experien III (1)
  • PHPP 506 Int Pharm Prac Exp - Retail (1)
  • PHPP 514 Evidence-Based Medicine (3)
  • PHPP 515 Integrated Therapeutics I (7)
  • PHPS 511 Pharmacokinetics (3)
  • PHPP 527 Drug Information (2)

Professional Year 2 Spring Courses (17 credits)

  • PHPP 504 Intr Pharm Prac Experien IV (1)
  • PHPP 520 Pharmacy Law and Ethics (3)
  • PHPP 523 Wellness & Disease Prevention (2)
  • PHPP 516 Integrated Therapeutics II (7)
  • PHPP 519 Health Care Systems (2)
  • Elective (2) Choose two credits of electives

Professional Year 3 Fall Courses (16 credits)

  • PHPP 505 Intr Pharm Prac Experiential V (1)
  • PHPP 507 Int Pharm Practice Exp - VII (1)
  • PHPP 522 Pharm Practice Mgmt & Mktng (2)
  • PHPP 517 Integrated Therapeutics III (7)
  • PHPP 525 Complementary Medicine (3)
  • Electives (2). Choose two credits of electives

Professional Year 3 Spring Courses (17 credits)

  • PHPP 509 Intr Pharm Prac Exp - VIII (1)
  • PHPP 524 Pharmacoeconomics (2)
  • PHPP 518 Integrated Therapeutics IV (7)
  • PHPP 521 Applied Pharmaceutical Care (3)
  • PHPS 591 Basic & Applied Toxicology (2)
  • PHPP 533 Pharmacogenomics (2)

Professional Year 4 Courses (37 credits)

Fourth Year (P-4) - Advanced Professional Practice Experiences: 42 weeks

  • PHPP 540 Adv Pharm Prac Exp: Ambulatory (6)
  • PHPP 541 Adv Pharm Prac Exp: Community (6)
  • PHPP 542 Adv Pharm Prac Exp: Medicine (6)
  • PHPP 543 Adv Pharm Pract Exp: Hospital (6)
  • PHPP 547 APPE - NAPLEX/MPJE Preparation (1)
  • PHPP 544 Adv Pharm Pract Exp: Elect I (6)
  • PHPP 545 Adv Pharm Prac Exp: Elect II (6)

Electives - (6 credits)

  • PHPP 546 Adv Pharm Practice Experience (6)

Electives - (3 credits)

  • ECON 430 Quantitative Forecasting (3)
  • MGT 490 Strategic Mgt (3)

Electives - (2 credits)

  • PHPP 550 History of Pharmacy (2)
  • PHPS 550 Genetics in Medicine (2)
  • PHPP 531 Survey, Epidem, Qual Methods (1)
  • PHPP 567 Rural Health Science Intro (2)
  • PHPP 568 Rural Health Science Advanced (2)

Variable (1 or 2 credits)

  • PHPP 555 Intro to Veterinary Medicine (1–2)
  • PHPP 599 Directed Studies (To Be Arranged)
  • PHPS 599 Directed Studies (To Be Arranged)

Electives – (1 credit)

  • PHPP 553 Current Topics in Healthcare (1)
  • PHPP 557 Personal Finance (1)
  • PHPP 554 Zoonotic Diseases (1)
  • PHPP 556 Adv Topics in Hypertension (1)
  • PHPS 553 Radioactivity in Pharmacy (1)
  • PHPP 559 Spanish for Healthcare Profess (1)
  • PHPP 560 Pharmacy Leadership (1)
  • PHPP 564 Advanced Managed Health Care (1)
  • PHPS 554 Herb Med & Hawaiian Med Plants (1)
  • PHPS 555 Geographic (Tropical) Medicine (1)
  • PHPS 559 Environmental Toxicology (1)
  • PHPS 562 Disc & Dev of Blockbuster Drug (1)
  • PHPS 563 Curr Adv in Neuropharmacology (1)
  • PHPS 565 Genetics & Pharm of Malaria (1)
  • PHPS 561 Emerging Trends Drug Discovery (1)
  • PHPS 567 Pharmacogenetics (1)
  • PHPS 568 Antibiotic Mechanisms & Applic (1)
  • PHPS 569 Cancer Prevention (1)
  • PHPS 570 Drugs from the Ocean (1)
  • PHPP 561 Pharmacy and Therapeutics Comp (1)
  • PHPP 530 Basic Research Methods (1)
  • PHPP 531 Survey, Epidem, Qual Methods (1)
  • PHPP 532 Pharmacy Research (1)
  • PHPP 558 Business Admin Overview (1)

Minimum semester hours required for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree:

137 credits.