Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences or IPPEs allow students to have an opportunity to spend time in various practice settings and familiarize themselves with the practice of Pharmacy as a whole. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) various outcomes that students should achieve throughout pharmacy school.
The various assignments and evaluations are used as tools to help achievement those outcomes in order to best prepare students for both their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) and practice. Please see course manuals on your home page at e-value.net external website for course outcomes and learning objectives.
IPEE Descriptions
IPPE I: Community Pharmacy
First-year Pharmacy students have their IPPE I in a community pharmacy setting for 2 weeks (90 hours) the summer following the completion of their first year. This gives an opportunity to broaden their understanding of pharmacy, whether for the first time or in different community pharmacy setting. We strive to assign students to sites that may offer them a different experience than their internships.
IPPE II: Clinical and Prescriber
Second-year students have their IPPE II during the academic year. This IPPE allows students to be assigned to a Wilkes University School of Pharmacy faculty member or clinical adjunct preceptor for one portion of their IPPE (24 hours) and to a prescriber (MD, DO, PA, etc) for the other half of the IPPE (20 hours). This is a great experience for the students in terms of inter-professional education and helps to mold their ability to work on a health-care team. During this IPPE students see and participate in many aspects of practice they can bring back and apply to their didactic learning. This allows students to have a well-rounded experience to prepare them for a career in pharmacy.
IPPE III: Institutional (Hospital) Pharmacy
At the conclusion of the P2 year, students complete a two-week (90 hours) rotation in a health-system/hospital pharmacy setting. This introduction to pharmacy practice in the institutional setting is the next progression in the IPPE sequence, and contains assignments unique to this setting as well as ones to build upon the growing knowledge and skill base of our students.
IPPE IV: Clinical Telepharmacy
Third-year students have their IPPE IV at the Geisinger Telepharmacy. This IPPE (24 hours) uses a layered learning model to expose students to how telepharmacy works and allow for them to engage in supervised clinical activities. This allows the students to carry out practical applications of clinical, communication and decision-making skills while allowing for real-world application of the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP). Students work closely with fourth year APPE students who serve as mentors.
IPPE V: Self-Directed IPPE
Over the course of P1-P3 years, students will identify opportunities for service which is related to the profession and practice of pharmacy. This experience consists of 3 components: participation in and development of service-learning projects, reflection and self-directed learning. Students may develop their own experiences or participate in opportunities offered by the School or professional organizations. In a progressive fashion, a total of at least 10 patient-centered care hours must be documented by the end of the P3 year. Some hours may not be directly related to health care. See course manual for guidelines.
IPPE VI and VII: Longitudinal Care
Portions of this course are applied to the overall IPPE hours requirement, as applicable. P3 students will each follow a patient or patients over an extended period of time in a medical or home setting. Pharmaceutical knowledge and skills will be applied in communications, health assessment, monitoring or pharmacotherapy and evaluation of both humanistic and clinical outcomes. Issues of health care, cost access and quality as revealed through each patient’s interaction with health and pharmaceutical care systems will be addressed.