Plumbing the Pharmacy Pipeline
Career Pathways Programs
to Cultivate Interest
in Pharmacy Careers
Participants
University of Kentucky
Kelly M. Smith, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP, FCCP ksmit1@email.uky.edu

Associate Dean, Academic and Student Affairs
Kristan Vollman, PharmD Candidate
kevoll2@uky.edu
Stephanie Wurth
stephanie.wurth@uky.edu

Director of Admissions and Student Diversity
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Carla White Harris, RPh
carla_whiteharris@unc.edu

Director, Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives
Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy
Avery Spunt, RPh, MEd, FASHP
aspunt@midwestern.edu

Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy
Renee M. DeHart, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP
RMDehart@uams.edu

Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Faculty Development
Session Overview




Pressures to successfully recruit
students to Pharmacy
Continuing innovations in long-term
efforts to prime the pipeline
Case studies from peer institutions
Panel discussion
Pharmacy Student
Recruiting: A Competitive
Sport
Stephanie D. Wurth
Director of Admissions and Student Diversity
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy
Lexington, Kentucky
Recruitment Challenges:
Pharmacy as a Career


Pharmacy as a career option/career
exploration
What the patient sees in the pharmacy
versus what the pharmacist does
Recruitment Challenges:
Competition

Number of pharmacy schools

2000-2010:




Competition for targeted students
Tuition rates


U.S. population rose by 9.7%
Number of pharmacy schools increased by 50% to 120*
Value
Workforce/Economic Trends


Rural versus urban settings
Oversupply of pharmacists has reduced wages by 20%
nationally*
* Mayer, F.S. Drug Topics, 2011.
Recruitment Challenges:
Diversity

Underrepresented populations


University
Colleges of Pharmacy Nationally



Less than 37% of PharmD graduates are underrepresented
minorities - more than half of those are Asian/Pacific
Islanders*
Healthcare/Faculty/Mentors
Importance of early introduction to pharmacy and
mentors
*Chisholm , M.A. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2004.
Pharmacy Career
Development Programs:
Keeping Score
Kristan Vollman
PharmD Candidate (Class of 2012)
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy
Lexington, Kentucky
Objectives

Environmental scan of US Colleges of
Pharmacy (COP) to determine:


Prevalence
Specific characteristics
Methods


Website of ACPE-accredited college or
sponsoring institution
Search terms used were:







Pharmacy camp
Pharmacy enrichment
Health camp
Pre-health camp
Health career camp
Summer science camp
Programs not pharmacy-specific were excluded
Results

120 ACPE-accredited COPs – September 2010


Target audience


Pharmacy-specific programs: 19 (16%)
High school students (89%)
Application components



Application required: 13 (68%)
At least one letter of recommendation: 11
(58%)
GPA component: 7 (19%)
Results

Program components



Hands-on activities: 14 (74%)
Others: career panel, shadowing, research
Program duration


< 7 days: 10 (52%)
> 1 month: 5 (26%)
Limitations



Website only
Single point in time
“Pipeline” not included in search terms

Target audience
Implications


Further assessment of effectiveness as
recruitment tool
Tool for implementation of pipeline
program
Carolina Pharmacy
Leadership, Excellence and
Development (LEAD) Program
Carla White Harris
Director of Recruitment, Development and
Diversity Initiatives
LEAD 2011 Demographics




Established in 2009
Model for inclusive excellence
Exploratory and preparatory program
Develop innovative recruitment strategy for
fostering diversity
“Conversing with my peers, I discovered, each student was searching for the directional
pathway for admission to pharmacy school and longing to quench the fear and
curiosity of what it would be like to attend the program in the future. Thank you and
the staff (Office of Recruitment, Development and Diversity Initiatives), who quenched
our thirst and offered a pathway.”
LEAD 2011 Description



Held annually over a two day period, for
high school and college students
Selection process based on leadership
potential, academic performance, and
community engagement
Exposure to a host of contemporary,
relevant and interactive activities focused
on enhancing leadership and fostering
professional development
“Overall, the event was very informative; I have learned a great deal about
pharmacy school admission, professionalism, and the different types of
pharmacy professions.”
Resources



Corporate sponsorship
Team approach
Facilities
“I would like to thank Carla White Harris and the entire office of recruitment
development and diversity initiatives for allowing me the opportunity to be involved
in such a beautiful and well organized and informative program.”
Impact
“The day event was inspiring and motivational being surrounded with
such knowledgeable students, faculty and staff.”
Impact
Profile of Admitted Applicants
Year of
Caucasian African
Native
Hispanic Asian/Pacific Total
PharmD
American American American Islander
Minority
Program
Entry
Fall 2009 70%
3%
0%
3%
15%
21%
Fall 2010 68%
8%
<1%
< 1%
17%
25%
Fall 2011 64%
9%
2%
3%
15%
29%
Lessons Learned



High levels of school and community
engagement significantly increases the ability
to expand outreach to prospective students
A strong commitment through administrative
leadership, attitudes and beliefs of students,
faculty, alumni, and innovative program
development must be in place to provide the
foundation necessary to guide a results
oriented process
A dynamic and well-developed program
ensures a sustained recruitment effort
“Prior to attending the program, I was unclear of exactly what opportunities the pharmacy
degree had to offer but the program gave me significant knowledge and understanding of
the many areas in which a pharmacist could be involved with society.”
Career Explorers Program
Avery Spunt
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
Midwestern University
Genesis




Response to national pharmacist and
pharmacy technician shortage in 1999.
First program offered in 2000 with the
partnership of Walgreens.
Expanded in 2001 with the additional
partner of Jewel-Osco
Expanded in 2009 to included hospital
component with support of federal grant.
Original Purpose




Increase the number of students
applying to pharmacy schools
Increase the number of students
applying to MWU CCP
Increase the number of trained
pharmacy technicians in the Chicago
land area
Increase the number of pharmacists in
the U.S.
Description






Six week summer program
Monday-Friday, 6-8 hours per day
Integrated campus-based learning activities and
experiential learning at a community or hospital
pharmacy
College faculty and community and hospital
preceptors
One faculty serves as Program Manager with the
support of two student teaching assistants
Students receive stipend for completing
program
Eligibility





Completed junior or senior year in high
school
16 years or older
Minimum cumulative grade point
average of 3.0 or in top 30% of class
Good verbal communication skills
Applicant pool has grown from 80 in
2000 to 192 in 2011
Support



Annual funding from Walgreens and
Jewel-Osco to support student stipends
and operations, including student TA
salaries
College in-kind support for faculty
University support for in-direct costs
Assessment




603 CEP alumni by the end of summer 2011
Regular assessments and evaluations are
conducted within the program to measure
learning and skill development
Estimated 88% retain their interest in
pharmacy based on telephone interviews
Track the number of students who are
offered and accept pharmacy technician
jobs.
Lessons Learned





Marketing to high school guidance
counselors is key.
Curriculum is reviewed annually.
Faculty need to teach to high school level.
Great learning opportunity for student
Teaching Assistants
Promotes the entire University and all its
programs
UAMS College of Pharmacy
PCAT Prep Summer Program
Renee M. DeHart, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP
Associate Dean for Student Affairs and
Faculty Development
rmdehart@uams.edu
Stimulus for the program


Lack of comprehensive test preparation
opportunities viewed as a potential
barrier for URM students’ successful
application to the College of Pharmacy
(COP)
Long-standing one-day PCAT prep
workshop by the National Pharmacists
Association of Arkansas (NPAA) at a local
HBCU
Stimulus (Cont’d): Baseline
Number
Mean composite
PCAT score
# (%) meeting
our minimum
required PCAT
score
URM applicants
47
45
35 (74.5%)
Non-URM
applicants
235
65
218 (92.8%)
Purpose




The UAMS College of Pharmacy’s mission to
improve the health of culturally diverse
populations
NPAA’s desire to provide equal opportunity
for PCAT preparation
The UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs’
(CDA) effort to recruit and retain URM
students
Partnership of these 3 groups with support
from Walgreens to establish our program
Description

Eligibility Requirements




Academic Requirements




URM and/or Pell Grant eligible
U of A residency/citizenship standards
Preference for prior COP applicants
2.5 GPA (increased to 2.7 in 2010)
Completion of Chemistry I/II and
Organic I w/ labs with at least C or
better
At least 20 on ACT or PCAT (added 2010)
Timeline


Application Cycle: April/May
Program Cycle: May-Aug


2009: All sessions in Little Rock
2010: Sessions offered at other locations
and online
Session
Topic
1
Admissions &
Financial planning
2
Time Management,
Professionalism
3
Interview
Preparation
4-18
19
Kaplan Sessions
Networking
Reception
Support Resources



Fiscal: Walgreens, UAMS COP
Personnel: CDA staff, NPAA & SNPhA
members, COP faculty & staff
Space: meetings rooms with computer
access
Assessment
Year
Average
Average postAverage
baseline PCAT course PCAT
GPA
(range)
(range)
Students
admitted to
UAMS COP
2009 (n=14)
2.96
20.5 (3-47)
28.5 (4-74)
2
2010 (n=7)
3.25
36.2 (22-53)
53.6 (29-73)
3
2011 (n=7)
3.29
24.4 (21-26)
Pending
Pending
2009: 9 had score increases; 2 had decreases (3 without both scores available)
2010: 5 had score increases (2 without both scores available)
Eligibility changes:
2009: GPA > 2.5 and Org Chem I w/ grade of C or higher
2010: GPA > 2.7, Org Chem I w/ grade of C or higher, and composite PCAT > 20
Take Home



Collaboration among several
stakeholders is key
Eligibility criteria should be carefully
evaluated
Methods to enable full participation
should be considered with care
Acknowledgments






Walgreens Corporation
Stephanie F. Gardner, UAMS COP Dean
Vivian Flowers, UAMS CDA Director of
Diversity Recruitment
Otis Tyler, UAMS CDA Assistant Dean for
Diversity
NPPA leadership and members
Student members of SNPhA at UAMS
Panel Discussion
Contact Information
University of Kentucky
Kelly M. Smith, PharmD
ksmit1@email.uky.edu

Associate Dean, Academic and Student Affairs
Kristan Vollman, PharmD Cand.
kevoll2@uky.edu
Stephanie Wurth
stephanie.wurth@uky.edu

Director of Admissions and Student Diversity
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Carla White Harris, RPh
carla_whiteharris@unc.edu

Director, Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives
Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy
Avery Spunt, RPh, MEd, FASHP
aspunt@midwestern.edu

Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy
Renee M. DeHart, PharmD
RMDehart@uams.edu

Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Faculty Development