Professional Competencies

Competencies for Pharmacy Students

Upon graduation, students will be able to:

• Provide comprehensive patient-centered care by designing, implementing, evaluating and continually refining pharmacy care plans based on best pharmacotherapy practices that incorporate health literacy, cultural competence, and psychosocial and socioeconomic factors to optimize patient outcomes.
• Provide evidence-based care to populations through disease management programs and protocols that are derived from analysis of epidemiologic and pharmacoeconomic data, medication use criteria, medication use review and risk reduction strategies.
• Promote public health through health literacy, health improvement, wellness and disease prevention strategies.
• Enhance the quality of population care by participating in the development of medication use and health promotion policies and by contributing to the accessibility and utilization of effective health care services.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively both verbally and in writing to engender a team approach to health care. 
• Access, analyze and interpret relevant resources to provide comprehensive drug information to patients and health care providers on the safe and effective use of medications.
• Perform duties in accordance with legal, ethical and professional standards, and accept personal responsibility and accountability for one’s actions.
• Maintain professional competence by identifying and evaluating emerging issues, trends, products and services that may impact patient and population outcomes, management of resources and medication use systems, disease prevention services and public health policy. 
• Utilize and manage human, physical, medical, informational and technological resources to ensure accurate, safe, efficient and cost-effective drug distribution, medication use, and patient care.
• Engage with and manage medication use systems to assure patient safety by applying patient- and population-specific data, quality assurance strategies and research processes to optimize patient outcomes and minimize medication-related adverse events and errors.