Experiential Education

The Experiential Education Office manages approximately one-third of students' total pharmacy education and is the backbone of the Doctor of Pharmacy program at MUSC. The fundamental goal of the program is to provide students with the structured environment they need to develop their skills as a pharmacist. 

Experiential Education allows students to:

• Practice utilizing professional judgment
• Hone technical skills obtained in the classroom
• Apply practice skills learned through clinical skills lab

Preceptors lead students through their experiential rotations. The preceptor’s role is to encourage critical thinking to solve problems and provide examples of excellence in patient care. Participating as a preceptor demonstrates commitment to the profession of pharmacy.

Pharmacists who are interested in becoming a preceptor for the Palmetto Experiential Education Program (PEEP) should email cop-experiential@musc.edu. The PEEP program streamlines rotation placement in the state of South Carolina through collaboration between the two state Colleges of Pharmacy. 

Students complete rotations after their P1 year in a Community Pharmacy, after their P2 year in a Hospital/Health System or Infusion Center Pharmacy, and during 9 the 12 months of their P4 year in a variety of pharmacy settings. IPPEs are scheduled in 4 week blocks and APPEs are month-long experiences.

Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs)

• Community: The IPPE – Community rotation is completed after the P1 year and serves as an introduction to the practice of pharmacy in the community pharmacy setting. Sites include retail chains, independently owned pharmacies, outpatient pharmacies on health system campuses, and pharmacies on military bases.
• Hospital/Health System: The IPPE – HHS rotation is completed after the P2 year and the student is certified in USP 797. This rotation provides an introduction and overview of inpatient pharmacy practice. Sites include hospitals, health systems, and infusion centers.

Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs)

• Acute/General Medicine: During their P4 year, students must complete two Acute/General Medicine APPEs which provides exposure to a variety of disease states that allows the student to gain experience monitoring drug therapy and to participate in the therapeutic decision-making process. Sites offer a variety of adult and pediatric medicine inpatient services including critical care, emergency medicine, infectious diseases, psychiatry and transplant.
• Ambulatory Care: This rotation involves the student in the daily provision of clinical pharmacy services in the outpatient setting. All students must complete at least one rotation in this category. Responsibilities include providing drug therapy for disease states commonly encountered in the outpatient setting, providing drug regimen reviews, physical assessment and interviewing patients to elicit drug histories, health status, and adherence to therapy. A significant aspect of this rotation pertains to the long-term management of chronically ill patients. Sites include specialty clinics in anticoagulation, HIV, Indian Health Services, and oncology.
• Community Practice: APPE which builds upon the IPPE. Emphasis is placed on patient counseling, immunizations, medication therapy management, and compounding. Students must complete at least one rotation in this area during their APPE year.
• Hospital/Health System Pharmacy: APPE which builds upon the IPPE. Provides exposure to regulatory compliance, administration, informatics, and transitions of care. Students must complete at least one rotation in this area during their APPE year.
• Elective Practices: Elective APPEs provide students with the opportunity to explore pharmacy practice beyond the four core curricular categories (acute/general medicine, ambulatory care, community, and hospital/health system). These elective experiences are typically in non-traditional pharmacy settings and include, but are not limited to, academics, drug information, industry, informatics, managed care, research, and veterinary medicine.