Care And Respect for the Elderly (CARE) Program
CARE, a service learning program, was implemented in fall 1999. All first
year pharmacy students are required to participate in this academic yearlong
program.
The purpose of the program is to provide student participants the opportunity to improve the quality of life of elderly patients, and learn more about the elderly in order to provide pharmaceutical care to this population in the future.
Each student is assigned to an assisted-living facility, and subsequently assigned to one or two residents in the facility. Students visit “their” resident(s) a minimum of six times each semester to provide social support, improve their communication skills, and observe visible symptoms of disease states, and side effects of medications. Students also observe at least one scheduled “Med Pass” to multiple residents, and attend multiple one-hour discussion sessions during the academic year either as a group of the whole or in groups of 10. At the conclusion of the spring semester, each student is required to give a case presentation on their assigned resident using a modified SOAP format. P-2 and P-3 student facilitators and faculty evaluate student performance during the discussion sessions.
Students are required to gain 200 hours of pharmacy practice experience between the end of the first professional year and prior to the beginning of the P4 senior experiential year.
The goal of the Early Practice Experience is to expose students to entry level pharmacy practice through working in a pharmacy practice site. The expected outcome is students who perform at a higher level in their didactic and laboratory work, are better prepared to enter introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences, and who may make a more informed career decision.
Students will complete a minimum of 200 hours in either a community or a hospital pharmacy prior to the start of the P4 senior experiential year. Students are encouraged to gain more than 200 hours of pharmacy practice experience in a variety of practice settings.
Location of IPPEs (P3 year) and APPEs (P4 year) - Experiential Program Regions
All students, excluding University of Texas El Paso and University of Texas Pan American cooperative program students,
are assigned to a region for the P4 senior experiential year. The P4 APPE regions include:
Austin/Temple/Waco
Dallas/Fort Worth
El Paso
Galveston/Houston
Rio Grande Valley
San Antonio
(The college reserves the right to add or delete experiential regions at any time based upon resources.)
The number of positions available in each region varies depending upon contractual arrangements with practice facilities in that region. Since positions are limited in the Austin region, the majority of students are assigned to complete the pharmacy practice experiences
in regions other than Austin/Temple/Waco. Students will be given the opportunity, near the end of the P1 year, to rank all available regions in order of preference. Assignments will be made by a computer generated random number sequencing process that takes into account
student preferences. The timing of this process allows students, once assignments are made, to make housing and other arrangements. Students should consider all region assignments as final.
By virtue of region assignment for the P4 year, students are simultaneously assigned and must relocate to affiliated campuses immediately following the end of the P2 year in May. Students assigned to Austin/Temple/Waco, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Galveston/Houston will remain in Austin. Students assigned to San Antonio will relocate to The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio for the two IPPE courses as well as didactic and laboratory courses during the P3 year. University of Texas El Paso and University of Texas Pan American cooperative program students will return to their home campuses at the same time.
The Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE)
Information coming soon.
The P4 Senior Experiential Program Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE)
Students accumulate the majority of the internship hours required for licensure through the APPE courses which occur during the last year of the curriculum. Additional hours are gained in problem-based, interactive experience courses during the P1-P3 years (IPPEs and others).

Responding to the requirements of a "health care team" concept of patient care services, The University of Texas College of Pharmacy has developed pharmacy practices experiences at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, The University of Texas at El Paso, and at affiliated pharmacies and institutions in Austin, Temple, Waco, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, El Paso, Galveston, Houston, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley.
The Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences during the P4 year provide the UT pharmacy student with intensive involvement in ongoing professional pharmacy services; interaction with fellow students in nursing, medicine, and other disciplines; opportunities to measure one's true capacity for professional achievement in a variety of innovative patient care environments; as well as opportunities to pursue special interests--a truly interesting, exciting and challenging adventure.
A description of some, but not all, of the APPEs offered in each of the regions can be found at https://utdirect.utexas.edu/phirst/rotation_list.WBX (UT EID required).

P4 Students will begin APPEs in early July, and will complete the Pharm.D. program the following May. This program is a full-time practical experience (seven six-week full-time rotations) program during which the student spends the entire length of the P4 year away from campus.
Progression to the P4 APPE courses may take place only if the student has completed all requirements for progression (i.e. successful completion of all required didactic and laboratory coursework prior to the P4 courses. If, for some reason, the student's academic progression changes, it is the student's responsibility to contact an advisor in the Office of Student Affairs to make the necessary changes. Students failing any courses subsequent to the region assignment process but prior to the P3 year will be delayed and may be assigned to a different experiential region depending on availability. Questions regarding progression or region assignments should be directed to the Office of Student Affairs.
.......................The APPEs are intended to ensure that the student gains the best possible professional practice experience. Student activities, assignments, and projects are designed to develop contemporary clinical practitioners able to meet the increasingly complex health care and drug therapy needs of patients.
During the APPEs, a student's schedule may vary with each rotation. A minimum time commitment of 44-50 hours per week is common to all rotations. Thus, it is not recommended that a student plan to have outside employment while in the experiential program. Each student should take this into account when doing his or her financial planning. Financial and other forms of assistance needed during the P4 year (APPEs) should be sought early in the curriculum. Loans and scholarships are available through the Office of Student Financial Services as well as the College of Pharmacy.
Related to the discussion of hours is not only the number involved, but also the need to plan for extended hours during any given APPE rotation. The rotation day may begin as early as 6 a.m. and may last until late evening hours and, in some instances, require overnight or weekend call. Adequate child and other dependent care must be obtained prior to the start of rotations to ensure that interns can be at the rotation site during the hours required.
Requirements to Begin IPPEs and APPEs
Health Insurance is required of all students in the P3 and P4 years to cover treatment for injuries they may sustain and diseases they may contract while in these courses. The Student Health Insurance Plan offers optional low-cost insurance for students who are not covered by other programs, and covers students in all internship regions. Information about the plan is available from University Health Services and the website www.studentresources.com. Other options for health insurance may include coverage on a parent's or spouse's existing policy.
Please see www.utexas.edu/pharmacy/general/experiential/student/immunization.html for a current listing.
The college-endorsed student liability insurance policy DOES NOT cover students practicing as pharmacy technicians, serving as pharmacist-interns outside of the college's program, or graduates continuing their internship status prior to licensure. An extension of this policy can be purchased directly from the provider after college coverage has expired. Additional information is available in the Office of Student Affairs.
Students must comply with the following before progressing to the IPPE and APPE experiential courses:
During the last year of the pharmacy curriculum all pharmacy students make application to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to take the North American Pharmacy Licensure Examination (NAPLEX®) and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJETM), which, if passed, result in licensure. The application fees currently total $540 but are subject to change by the board.
| To request additional information, please send email to: | ||||
|
Jennifer Ridings-Myhra Assistant Dean for Experiential and Professional Affairs |
William McIntyre Associate Dean for Clinical Programs |
Arlyn
Kloesel Shadowing Program Director | ||
| Anda Wynn Administrative Associate |
Sherrie Bendele IPPE Program Coordinatore |
|||
College Information
Mailing Address:
College of Pharmacy
The University of Texas
at Austin
1 University Station
A1900
Austin, TX, USA
78712-0120
Email Address: pharmacy
@www.utexas.edu
Phone:
1-512-471-1737
Alumni Greetings from Kosovo

College of Pharmacy alumni are working around the globe to change the world. The college is always delighted to hear from our graduates and, when possible, to share their stories and photos.