Pharmacy undergraduate programs: Development of an adaptive curriculum for student success

OBJECTIVES: Applicants for graduate work in Pharmacy on paper appear competitive, but upon entering a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program many students struggle with course work, course load, and pharmacologic topics in their first-year studies. In addition to math and science, undergraduate candidates need to have skills that enable them to be adaptable and creative learners. The Pharmacy Undergraduate Program (PUP) at the University of Southern California (USC) has been attentive to these educational needs. In this manuscript we will show how our program has been successful in generating well-prepared and successful candidates for graduate programs (pharmaceutical, clinical, medical, and other) and employment in pharmaceutical fields. METHODS: A review of current student enrollments (N = 121), graduated student annual survey data (N = 50), student research data (N = 68), and ongoing course surveys have been used to detail information related to PUP. RESULTS: Students who have graduated from PUP have been successful post-graduation. Graduates of PUP have gone on to PharmD programs 44% (22/50); medical school 16% (8/50); PhD programs 24% (12/50); full-time employment 6% (3/50); internship/volunteer positions 10% (5/50); taken a gap year 4% (2/50); and MS/MA program 2% (1/50). CONCLUSIONS: PUP has been successful in helping the admission of our students into graduate degree programs related to pharmaceutical sciences and medicine. This success can be attributed to the dynamic nature of the course offerings and the creativity of the teaching faculty, which leads to students being well-prepared to tackle the rigors of their graduate studies after leaving the program.