I didn't know there was an online pharmacy school

[pooker]

http://spahp2.creighton.edu/distance-ed/home.aspx

I found this interesting, and decided to share it with you guys. Apparently they are regionally accredited, but I cannot help and wonder how this actually works.

I always thought pharmacy school was hands on. This is more confusing to me than online science classes with labs. Do you think this will cause any saturation in the field?

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[medicalCPA]

For how the distance program at Creighton actually works go here:
http://spahp2.creighton.edu/admission/Pharmacy/Pharmacy_Distance.htm

Life would be easier if you actually took the time to do a little research first.

 

[pharmwannebe2]

http://spahp2.creighton.edu/distance-ed/home.aspx

I found this interesting, and decided to share it with you guys. Apparently they are regionally accredited, but I cannot help and wonder how this actually works.

I always thought pharmacy school was hands on. This is more confusing to me than online science classes with labs. Do you think this will cause any saturation in the field?

1. there is already saturation in the field.
2. florida has a similar program.

 

[Moni526]

I don't like the idea of pharmacy school online; I barely even like regular online classes. I feel they are dishonest because you don't really know who is taking the classes for you. I would hope at this point in a student's career they would take it seriously and do it themselves, but you never know.

 

[Endospore]

Creighton online pharmacy program is one of the best in the nation. Students entering have a much higher GPA and PCAT and excel in their schooling. They are also fully accreditated. Their way of study is no different than the University of Minnesota which is the top 3rd pharmacy school in the nation in that Duluth students have the majority of their lectures online. Creighton has found that two weeks of intensive labs in the summer just as effective as those who do it weekly during the school year. Do I sound biased? Yes, because I have an open-mind and have researched the program. A student with barely a 3.0 and lower would not be accepted in the program due to the work load, yet those who excel in their prereq's complete the degree with a high rate of success. Also, testing is done at local college testing centers. It would be easier to cheat in a traditional setting than it would online.

FYI - Florida is not similar. Their degree is only for PharmD to those who received a BS in pharmacy before the degree was standardized several decades ago. Creighton is a full 4.5 year program complete with local mentors and experiential experience.

 

[dreezy10]

Creighton online pharmacy program is one of the best in the nation. Students entering have a much higher GPA and PCAT and excel in their schooling. They are also fully accreditated. Their way of study is no different than the University of Minnesota which is the top 3rd pharmacy school in the nation in that Duluth students have the majority of their lectures online. Creighton has found that two weeks of intensive labs in the summer just as effective as those who do it weekly during the school year. Do I sound biased? Yes, because I have an open-mind and have researched the program. A student with barely a 3.0 and lower would not be accepted in the program due to the work load, yet those who excel in their prereq's complete the degree with a high rate of success. Also, testing is done at local college testing centers. It would be easier to cheat in a traditional setting than it would online.

FYI - Florida is not similar. Their degree is only for PharmD to those who received a BS in pharmacy before the degree was standardized several decades ago. Creighton is a full 4.5 year program complete with local mentors and experiential experience.

well said endospore

also, this online version caters to non traditional students, those with families, who would like to be close to them, and parents who have very ill children.

one lady at my school got into this program, and she is brilliant and has the potential to be an excellent pharmacist, this works well for her and she can be with her son who is a paraplegic and still work on her educaiton.

the online program doesn't fit me as a person, but it does fit other individuals and is truly innovative and effective at producing good pharmacist.

 

[Endospore]

By the way, I was joking when I called you cocky. I think it is amazing how well you have done.

 

[CK8652]

Online Pharm D, huh? How long has this program been running? Are shared-accreditation programs scrutinized as much as a new school of pharmacy? This kind of depresses me...

 

[Passion4Sci]

Online Pharm D, huh? How long has this program been running? Are shared-accreditation programs scrutinized as much as a new school of pharmacy? This kind of depresses me...

You should really look at the link above. It's not a University of Phoenix kind of deal.

Most of pharmacy school is sitting in lectures and getting slides read to you. The actual hands-on IPPE type stuff is still taken care of by you, the student, at hospitals/clinics close to you. Creighton arranges all of that for you. Additionally, you're required to fly to Nebraska for exams every X amount of time.

I don't see anything wrong with it. I had a Creighton intern at our hospital for a month on a rotation and she was great.

 

[CK8652]

I guess where I'm kind of going with this is that if Creighton can do it, any of the accredited schools can do it. Whose to say all the online programs will accept such caliber of student? What's to stop an online program from spreading out enrollment of 500+ across the country? I can't imagine a 2.75 GPA and a 60 PCAT excelling in an online environment. If something like this were to happen, I could see it cheapening Pharm D.

Am I the only one that hears the "Get your nursing degree online at XXX college" on the radio and thinks "omg..."? Maybe this is because the vast majority of online courses I have taken were an easy A, or I didn't learn half as much as the in-person counterpart (I took A&P I in person and A&P II online, I feel I got MUCH MORE out of A&P I)

I don't know, maybe I'm wrong or not "open-minded" but I can just see this going so wrong.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Creighton online pharmacy program is one of the best in the nation. Students entering have a much higher GPA and PCAT and excel in their schooling. They are also fully accreditated. Their way of study is no different than the University of Minnesota which is the top 3rd pharmacy school in the nation in that Duluth students have the majority of their lectures online. Creighton has found that two weeks of intensive labs in the summer just as effective as those who do it weekly during the school year. Do I sound biased? Yes, because I have an open-mind and have researched the program. A student with barely a 3.0 and lower would not be accepted in the program due to the work load, yet those who excel in their prereq's complete the degree with a high rate of success. Also, testing is done at local college testing centers. It would be easier to cheat in a traditional setting than it would online.

FYI - Florida is not similar. Their degree is only for PharmD to those who received a BS in pharmacy before the degree was standardized several decades ago. Creighton is a full 4.5 year program complete with local mentors and experiential experience.

I think what they meant by the Florida thing is the "distance" campuses in St Pete, Orlando, and Jacksonville... which are for entry level, first time pharmacy students. It is not the same however because you are actually required to live in those cities, attend labs, etc... there are student organizations and an actual campus you attend.

 

[weetzie00]

I guess where I'm kind of going with this is that if Creighton can do it, any of the accredited schools can do it. Whose to say all the online programs will accept such caliber of student? What's to stop an online program from spreading out enrollment of 500+ across the country? I can't imagine a 2.75 GPA and a 60 PCAT excelling in an online environment. If something like this were to happen, I could see it cheapening Pharm D.

Am I the only one that hears the "Get your nursing degree online at XXX college" on the radio and thinks "omg..."? Maybe this is because the vast majority of online courses I have taken were an easy A, or I didn't learn half as much as the in-person counterpart (I took A&P I in person and A&P II online, I feel I got MUCH MORE out of A&P I)

I don't know, maybe I'm wrong or not "open-minded" but I can just see this going so wrong.

I don't think that will happen. As was mentioned above, the web-based pathway is much more competitive because they need to take in students they believe will be able to handle that kind of discipline. They are required to take the same classes, participate in rotations, and attend labs (I think for them, they have to show up to campus for a couple weeks in the summer for that). If online schools start popping up accepting sub-par applicants, I doubt they would be able to keep up with the demand of the curriculum if they didn't do well as an undergrad. NAPLEX passing rates would suck and that would reflect horribly on the school. No school will be willing to do that.

UMB has a distance-learning pathway (Shady Grove campus). It's not at all like Creighton, but those students view lectures from home on their schedule, but have to attend labs and exams on campus a couple days a week. I'm sure other schools probably have something like that.

 

[CUninja]

Creighton's campus program has been going for 105 years now, distance program is turning 10 years old this year. I am a P2 campus student and the distance P2's take all the same exams as we do.

They are required to be proctored during exams and the school has to sign off on the proctor before they can take the exams.

If the worry is about the labs, the labs are no different, distance students do the same thing we do, except in the summertime.

The pass rate for campus + distance on the NAPLEX last year was 100%.

In fact, one of the electives I've taken here involved a trip to an IHS facility in Arizona. We had two distance students in that class and they were both really nice people. They arrived when we did and did all the same activities.

The fact is that some people will always look at an online program and say "That can't possibly be as good as a traditional program," without doing the appropriate research.

 

[ajh88]

Well said CUninja.

I'll jump in simply because I'm a distance P3 and it just wouldn't feel right if I didn't. The fact is (as someone else already mentioned) that Creighton has been doing this for a decade now. If it were that easy, other schools already would have hopped on that bandwagon. The start up and infrastructure to support this program is incredible. Plus, getting all the professors on-board must have been challenging (I think they are all used to it by now).

Just because something is "new" to you doesn't mean it hasn't been around for awhile. I might feel differently if my pharmacy school classes were run the same was as the pre-req CC classes I took online, but I can assure you, that is NOT the case. Distance education isn't for everyone, I'll be the first to agree, but I think it is quite presumptuous to assume that it must be inferior somehow to traditional learning environments.

Of course I'm biased, but as I've said many times before, I think Creighton is a fantastic school and I have been impressed from day one with the quality of education I feel I am getting there, even though I'm not PHYSICALLY there.

 

[custudent13]

the skeptics might think it's interesting to know that the distance students at creighton usually have higher averages than us campus students. this should prove that the program definitely works, and works well.

 

[Passion4Sci]

And they don't have to live in Nebraska, which is a big plus.

 

[rxlea]

I would have considered Creighton if it wasn't for the religious affiliation.

 

[VenusSao]

And they don't have to live in Nebraska, which is a big plus.

LOL, Passion, why are you so against Omaha and Nebraska? What did your wife tell you? I went there for the interview, and I think it was alright. People were friendly and kind. Well, of course the town can't be compared to the bay area, but it has stuff we need.

Creighton is GREAT! I love it. I was very skeptical about the program too, but no more. You probably don't feel it at every school you interview at(I didn't), but I definitely feel Creighton will go above and beyond to help you succeed. Staff and faculty are super nice; they care.

 

[CK8652]

I personally would think of it as a great business model to have 1000 online students at my XYZ school of pharmacy. I'd take almost anyone, pcat 50+, gpa 3.0+, anywhere in the country. Make the curriculum tough, maybe fail out half the students after they've paid me my 30k/yr tuition, with little overhead cost to me. Therefore, curriculum is good and we're making tons of cash by having massive amounts of students. Sounds like a good scheme to me!

 

[Passion4Sci]

LOL, Passion, why are you so against Omaha and Nebraska? What did your wife tell you? I went there for the interview, and I think it was alright. People were friendly and kind. Well, of course the town can't be compared to the bay area, but it has stuff we need.

Creighton is GREAT! I love it. I was very skeptical about the program too, but no more. You probably don't feel it at every school you interview at(I didn't), but I definitely feel Creighton will go above and beyond to help you succeed. Staff and faculty are super nice; they care.

Well, she told me how terrible it was and then we go there every other year to visit her family and it's confirmed. And like you said, compared to the Bay Area, it sucks (In fact, compared to most places, it sucks, even Aurora Colorado has more to do).

The people are O.K., but the weather sucks, the recreation sucks, the "mall" is pitiful and let's not even start talking about the perpetual road work, LOL.

For a pharmacy student, though, you're right... it has everything you need. A lot of coffee shops! =]

 

[Endospore]

I personally would think of it as a great business model to have 1000 online students at my XYZ school of pharmacy. I'd take almost anyone, pcat 50+, gpa 3.0+, anywhere in the country. Make the curriculum tough, maybe fail out half the students after they've paid me my 30k/yr tuition, with little overhead cost to me. Therefore, curriculum is good and we're making tons of cash by having massive amounts of students. Sounds like a good scheme to me!

Try knowing what you talk about before sticking your foot in your mouth.

Try 72 students online, fully accreditated, 100% Naplex, high entrance GPA. Creighton Distance is not for dummies.

 

[CK8652]

Try knowing what you talk about before sticking your foot in your mouth.

Try 72 students online, fully accreditated, 100% Naplex, high entrance GPA. Creighton Distance is not for dummies.

Try reading all the posts before you stick your foot in your mouth, doofus.

 

[CUninja]

Well, she told me how terrible it was and then we go there every other year to visit her family and it's confirmed. And like you said, compared to the Bay Area, it sucks (In fact, compared to most places, it sucks, even Aurora Colorado has more to do).

The people are O.K., but the weather sucks, the recreation sucks, the "mall" is pitiful and let's not even start talking about the perpetual road work, LOL.

For a pharmacy student, though, you're right... it has everything you need. A lot of coffee shops! =]

Agree with you on most of this...you do know that there are other malls here apart from Crossroads (that abortion of a mall is not worth mentioning.)

The city is getting a lot nicer IMHO...but recreation sucks here and I'm somebody that likes being out in the middle of nowhere. But there are many good reasons that most of us want to leave when we are done here. Creighton can't control where their school is though.

The weather...great in the summer...the winters, however, are awful.