The dynamics of pharmacy education and of a pharmacy career are continuously evolving. CCSP is in a prime position to respond to the fluid and dynamic structure of pharmacy education. As a brand new school of pharmacy, CCSP recognizes the importance of incorporating these new developments and complexities into its curriculum and responding to society’s growing healthcare needs. Not bogged down in academic tradition, CCSP easily can respond to the exploding field of pharmacy opportunities. We understand that a career in pharmacy can lead to more than 60 different career paths. Local hospitals, pharmacies and healthcare facilities stand ready to provide opportunities in consulting and clinical and disease management.

CCSP will offer a Doctor of Pharmacy, or PharmD. degree; the only recognized degree for the graduating practicing pharmacist. The Doctor of Pharmacy degree curriculum prepares graduates with the professional competencies necessary to enter pharmacy practice. Graduates from CCSP will have completed training in optimal medication therapy for patient safety satisfying the educational requirements for licensure as a pharmacist and meeting the requirements of the school for the degree. In addition, graduates of CCSP will be required to pass two exams in order to become licensed to practice pharmacy in California. The North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) and California Practice Standards and Jurisprudence Exam (CPJE) are required. For an overview of the exam process, please consult www.nabp.net for information on the NAPLEX and www.pharmacy.ca.gov for information on the CPJE.

The school integrates teaching and learning methods that are shown through curricular assessments to produces graduates who become competent pharmacists. CCSP staff works to ensure the achievement of the stated outcomes, fostering the development and maturation of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The program is designed to meet the diverse learning needs of the students, enabling students to transition from dependent to active, self-directed, lifelong learners.

CCSP will provide a rich academic environment that goes beyond the core curriculum and standard clinical rotations. Topics of local, regional, national, and international importance to the practice of pharmacy will be presented, discussed and debated by the students, faculty and visiting lecturers. The focus will not only be for the graduating students to pass their board exams, but to have a much greater appreciation of how the skills of the pharmacist can lead to a marked improvement in the global infrastructure of healthcare delivery.

The modified block program is currently the model that CCSP plans to implement to teach the curriculum to its students. This will be a 3-year program that differs from the traditional way of educating students of pharmacy. Instead of offering four to six different subjects that a student confronts at one time during a semester or quarter, the modified block program is arranged so a student concentrates on only one subject at a time. Classes will meet every day of the work week for a defined period of time. The student will take mastery tests of the material covered on a weekly and course basis. A student must achieve a pass grade to move on to the next topic in the sequence. This method relies heavily on the group and on interactive learning. It also improves a student’s ability to converse about topics that are covered.

CCSP’s Academic Plan is currently under development. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) has stated guidelines that CCSP’s Academic Plan will follow. Rigorous coursework combined with practice techniques ensures that each student will develop the technical skills, communication skills, professional judgment and clinical competency required of professional pharmacists.