About the School of PharmacyLoma Linda University School of Pharmacy admitted its first class in the Fall quarter of 2002. The specific objective of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program is to educate pharmacists in a Seventh-day Adventist Christian setting. Graduates will be able to provide high quality pharmacy care as fully participating members of health-care teams committed to whole-person care.
The four-year program leads to the Pharm.D. degree and is the first offering of the professional doctorate in pharmacy degree program by a Seventh-day Adventist institution of higher learning. Priority is given to those students who are on track to complete a bachelor's degree in biological, chemical or related sciences (see full list of prerequisites and admissions information).
The School of Pharmacy administrative offices and Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science are located in West Hall. The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences is located in Chan Shun Pavilion where faculty are close to research facilities. A wide variety of experiential education sites are available for students. These include the exceptional resources of the LLU Medical Center and the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center as well as a number of other locations in the surrounding area.
LLU's School of Pharmacy is fully accredited by Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program. ACPE is the sole accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit professional degree programs in pharmacy. The curriculum has been developed in accordance with the standards and guidelines of ACPE. ACPE is located at 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60602-5109. They can be contacted at (312) 664-3575, (800) 533-3606; Fax (312) 664-4652, or at their web site: www.acpe-accredit.org.
The mission of the Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy is to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ by:
The School of Pharmacy is committed to the education of pharmacists of the highest ethical and professional standards to deliver competent and compassionate pharmaceutical care. A diverse and dynamic educational environment produces students who are practitioners, health professionals, and providers of humanitarian service to a global community. Graduates will be dedicated to lifelong learning, developing new knowledge, advancing standards of practice, and integrating physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions of health.
The goals of Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy are to:
By the conclusion of the doctor of pharmacy curriculum, all graduates will be able to do each of the following:
Each course in the curriculum will provide students with learning opportunities to adequately prepare them to achieve these outcomes. Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy prides itself on developing practitioners that have high-level technical skills and who are committed to the principles of whole person care, including the spiritual, physical, relational, and intellectual domains.
While pharmacists continue to provide traditional services as dispensers of prescriptions and advisors on over-the-counter medications, their roles have expanded significantly in the last 25 to 30 years. Pharmacists working in community, ambulatory, long-term care, and hospital settings are increasingly called to work in close concert with physicians, nurses, and other health professionals as important members of the health-care team. Other pharmacists work within pharmaceutical industry, insurance, law, home health, nuclear, public health, and numerous other aspects of the health-care industry. Pharmacist-led research teams are also instrumental in data gathering and drug development and evaluation.
The pharmacist's specialized knowledge of drug actions, interactions, toxicities, alternative treatments, drug level monitoring, and costs are important factors when critical decisions are made concerning patient therapy. This can be especially important in critically ill patients requiring complex treatment regimens or when patients utilize several independent practitioners.
Pharmacists also serve as educators to their health-care colleagues through their abilities to evaluate the medical literature, put new "claims" into perspective, and communicate that information. The patient is also a key recipient of such educational activities as pharmacists counsel them on proper medication dosing, side effects, and toxicities. Increasingly, pharmacists are also involved in disease prevention and health-care enhancement activities.
The pharmacist is often the most accessible member of the health-care team and will frequently be the first person with whom a patient will confer on a health question. They are also likely to be the final professional providing information and advice on medication use and other interventions. It is, therefore, vitally important that today's training of pharmacists for tomorrow can be accomplished in a high-level health-care facility such as exists at Loma Linda University.
Last Revised: Tue, Apr 29, 2008
