Experiential Program
Experiential education is hands-on learning that takes place outside of a classroom. The CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Office of Experiential Programs focuses on providing clinical training opportunities for pharmacy students early and throughout the PharmD program. The goal is to ensure that students will have the self-confidence and ability to practice independently upon graduation.
To achieve that goal, students are placed in community pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory care clinics, and other innovative interprofessional pharmacy practice settings in local, national and international locations. Students are supervised by licensed healthcare practitioners, the majority of whom are pharmacists.
Advanced Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (aIPPE)
Third year pharmacy students will complete a full 6-week immersive clinical experience in a practice setting of their choice to prepare them for their fourth and final year.
The Colorado Commitment
Every CU Pharmacy student will have an opportunity to train in rural areas throughout Colorado.
International Opportunities
CU Pharmacy has relationships with healthcare practitioners all over the world. Students will have multiple opportunities to learn how pharmacy is practiced in other countries, and provide advanced level patient care.
Interprofessional Collaboration and Training
Pharmacy students will interact with and be supervised by physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists in a variety of practice settings during the experiential phases of the program.
Exploration of pharmacy practice
The Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) program exposes students to a wide variety of clinical experiences, with the primary focus balanced between community and hospital/health system practices. Students will apply concepts and skills learned in the classroom setting with real patients in various pharmacy practice settings under the supervision of licensed pharmacists.
Community IPPE
When: Summer between P1 and P2 year
Duration: 80 hours completed over two weeks
Where: Community, retail, and independently owned pharmacies throughout Colorado, including metro Denver and rural Colorado. Students may apply to complete CIPPE in their geographic area, although may still need to complete rotations in Colorado if suitable sites elsewhere cannot meet program requirements.
Health-System/Hospital IPPE
When: Summer between P2 and P3 year
Duration: 80 hours completed over two weeks
Where: In line with our Colorado Commitment, all students complete their hospital/health system IPPE in Colorado where our preceptor relationships and shared missions are strongest. Students with hardships may apply to perform hospital/health system IPPEs in their geographic location, although may still need to complete rotations in Colorado if suitable sites elsewhere cannot meet program requirements.
In addition, students participate in virtual lab settings to prepare them for IPPEs
Application of acquired knowledge and skills
The Advanced IPPE (aIPPE) allows the student to engage in clinical practice under the supervision of a preceptor during an extended and concentrated six-week experience, mimicking the experience of a fourth-year clinical rotation. Students choose the practice setting in which to complete the experience.
When: P3 Spring; 6-weeks, January-February
Where: Various practice settings including community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and ambulatory care clinics. Students may apply to complete aIPPE in their geographic area, although may still need to complete rotations in Colorado if suitable sites elsewhere cannot meet program requirements.
Delivery of direct patient care
The Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) program consists of a variety of extended pharmacy practice experiences throughout the fourth year. In contrast to the IPPE program, the APPE program allows the student to apply both the professional and technical skills needed to practice pharmaceutical care independently upon graduation.When: May-May during P4 Year
Duration: Seven, 6-week APPEs
Where: Various practice settings include 1 community pharmacy, 2 hospital/health-system pharmacies, and 1 ambulatory care clinic, and 3 electives (including industry, research, legislative, and education rotations) as well as international and other unique experiences. Elective APPEs may occur in a variety of locations. In line with our Colorado Commitment, students complete the remaining four APPEs in Colorado where our preceptor relationships and shared missions are strongest. Students may apply to complete these four APPEs in their geographic area, although may still need to complete rotations in Colorado if suitable sites elsewhere cannot meet program requirements.
Rotations are an important part of the PharmD curriculum and include real-life clinical experiences. Working under the supervision of preceptors, pharmacy students rotate through hospitals, pharmacies, and specialty clinics throughout the state. Pharmacy students receive essential on-the-job training and experience and are exposed to a variety of fields.
Prepared for the Real World
Dr. Madeline Quigley, a former Division I cross-country runner and CU Pharmacy graduate, balanced her love for the outdoors with rigorous pharmacy training. Now a PGY1 ambulatory care resident at UNC, she credits CU Pharmacy’s hands-on experiences, including an inpatient internship, for preparing her for her top-choice residency.
From Chemistry Lab to Pharmacy School
Dr. Uyen Dinh, a 2024 CU Pharmacy graduate, overcame language barriers as a first-generation student and discovered her passion for nuclear pharmacy through hands-on experience. Now a nuclear pharmacist at Cardinal Health, she achieved her dream alongside her best friend, Yuna Jung, who also graduated in 2024.
Professionals Behind Every PharmD
The Experiential Programs, encompassing over 33% of the PharmD curriculum, rely on over 2,400 preceptors worldwide to provide students with hands-on training in diverse pharmacy settings. These preceptors mentor students, enhancing their confidence, clinical skills, and understanding of the vital role pharmacists play in patient care.
The Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences gives back to Colorado by ensuring that rural areas of the state have access to healthcare and health professionals. Through our “Colorado Commitment”, students are given the opportunity to complete pharmacy rotations in underserved communities throughout the state. In these unique practice settings, students will become part of the community itself, experiencing the challenges and rewards of the expanded scope of practice required of rural pharmacists, many of whom serve as their community’s primary point of access to healthcare.
Through a partnership with the Colorado Area Health Education Center, the school is able to provide complimentary housing while students complete rural rotations.
Whether placed in the high plains or the high country, students will experience the beauty of Colorado firsthand, in places such as Alamosa, Aspen, Fort Collins, Fort Morgan, Durango, Grand Junction, Lamar, Montrose, Pueblo, Steamboat Springs, Telluride, and Vail—just to name a few! Colorado has so much to offer, and our program encourages you to get out and experience it all while giving back to our special state.
The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences recognizes the value of a global education. Academic learning experiences abroad expose students to pharmacy practice in a different cultural context and provide opportunities to experience healthcare from an international perspective.
When: During the P4 APPE year
Duration: 6-weeks
In addition to the established international partner sites listed here, students can work with the Office of Experiential Programs to establish a new site. Contact the Office of Experiential Programs for more information.
