Pharmacies across Orange County and beyond are opening their doors to Marshall B. Ketchum’s newest establishment, the College of Pharmacy.
After two years of planning and preparing, MBKU’s first Doctor of Pharmacy students began this fall, and local health care providers could not be happier to partner as preceptors. In July, the college was granted Precandidate status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
Since the College of Pharmacy emphasizes contemporary education with specific focuses on team-based learning, interprofessional education and patient-centric care, it has been critical to secure top-notch preceptors to teach PharmD students about all aspects of pharmacy, especially patient-centric care.
“So far we’ve received support from some really excellent pharmacists who share our passion for educating the next generation with our college values of excellence, integrity, innovation, compassion and respect,” says Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs Monica Trivedi, PharmD.
Since early 2016, Dr. Trivedi has done a tremendous job garnering support by local pharmacists for MBKU’s College of Pharmacy. Her vision for experiential learning at MBKU will provide opportunities for students not only to apply their knowledge from the didactic curriculum to pharmacy practice but also to allow students to explore other realms of pharmacy practice.
“The pharmacist of tomorrow is going to be a lot more involved as an active partner in the patient care team,” explains Dr. Trivedi. “We are excited to not only teach our students skills like communication, leadership and critical thinking but build out an experiential program with the help of our preceptors that allows the students to use and grow these skills before they graduate.”
MBKU students will have the opportunity to rotate through both community pharmacy sites like Safeway grocery stores and institutional sites like Anaheim Regional Medical Center.
“Marshall B. Ketchum University’s College of Pharmacy is off to a great start with an impressive faculty and curriculum,” says Division Pharmacy Manager for Safeway, Inc. Rod Patterson. “I feel this school has a solid handle on the changing profession and the needs of the job market that awaits its graduates. I look forward to watching this pharmacy school develop into full accreditation and its students progress to become strong pharmacists.”
“The evolving role of the pharmacist as a health care provider provides new opportunities to make a significant impact in health outcomes for our patients,” says Anaheim Regional Medical Center Director of Pharmacy Martin Torres, PharmD. “Whether to help patients better understand their medications, work in collaboration with other care providers or identify adverse drug events, the need for a pharmacist to optimize patient medication regimens has never been greater. MBKU has put together a curriculum that prepares future pharmacists for this evolving role.”
Since Ketchum University Doctor of Pharmacy students will spend so much time in lab and experiential environments — 50% during the first three years — there is a tremendous opportunity to place them in a diverse array of pharmacy facilities. Dr. Trivedi is intentional about securing sites that offer students this diversity of learning experiences while still upholding excellence in patient care.
“I’m excited to see the support coming together for our students,” remarks Dean of the College of Pharmacy Ed Fisher, PhD, RPh. “The opportunity to make an impact on how pharmacists operate in the health care field of tomorrow is palpable, and we are proud to see these partners come alongside that vision.”