Rural Pharmacy Program (UIC COP)

[APraxon]

Hey Guys,

I've searched SDN for this question and haven't really found anything (so if you do please just link it here and I'll more than happily check it out there - assuming it is up to date).

So the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has two campuses. One in Chicago and one in Rockford. The Rockford campus provides a program called RPHARM (Rural pharmacy focused education) during the PharmD program. In essence, its a bit more work but provides you with a focus in Rural Pharmacy while still teaching you everything a PharmD would be taught (via specified electives and weekend trips). However, at the same time, i have an in-state-tuition scholarship which lets me pay in-state-tuition even though I'm out of state. This scholarship relies on me keeping a 3.0 GPA. So this is much more opinion based because the amount of RPHARM students that have graduated from UIC COP are minimal. Would you recommend participating in the RPHARM program and risking a more difficult pharmacy education as well as the scholarship or would you take the easy way, and have a better chance of maintaining a greater than 3.0 GPA? Please vote in the poll

If you guys can, please just mention your PharmD GPA (regardless of which school you went to).

Thanks for the help guys, SDN is awesome as always!

Sincerely,
Ravi

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[Ackj]

Well do you want to practice rural pharmacy? I don't know what the difference really is, but I wouldn't go after that if it's not something you're looking to do anyway. Also, weekend trips sound like it might hinder your availability/ability to get a part time tech/intern job, which is usually a huge stepping stone to getting a job after you graduate.

If you do want to practice this "rural pharmacy" and this concentration is a good chance to make connections and get this type of job, and these opportunities would not be available with the plain PharmD program, then it makes sense to go for it.

Don't get too hung up on the $ of it, because you won't know how the scholarship will work out until you're doing the program. If you do the plain PharmD you may find it hard to keep a 3.0, or if you do the rural program you might find it easier than you thought to keep a high gpa. Focus on what you hope to get out of the degree and where you want to practice, since the scholarship isn't guaranteed for either program.

 

[APraxon]

Well the only reason I'm concerned about the $ is because the difference is about $16,000 per year. But I do see myself pursuing Rural Pharmacy. Primarily for two reasons. Its a part of society that is receiving less and less pharmaceutical access by the year, and I also think that at some point in my life I'd like to start a private pharmacy which would have a much better chance of survival in rural areas than it would in urban (due to walgreens/CVS). But at the same time, pharmacies in general in rural areas are not that well off to begin with.

Regardless, thank you for the vote, I'm hoping to make the decision by the end of April.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

Well the only reason I'm concerned about the $ is because the difference is about $16,000 per year. But I do see myself pursuing Rural Pharmacy. Primarily for two reasons. Its a part of society that is receiving less and less pharmaceutical access by the year, and I also think that at some point in my life I'd like to start a private pharmacy which would have a much better chance of survival in rural areas than it would in urban (due to walgreens/CVS). But at the same time, pharmacies in general in rural areas are not that well off to begin with.

Regardless, thank you for the vote, I'm hoping to make the decision by the end of April.

Do you have any work experience in a retail pharmacy, or a rural retail pharmacy for that matter?

If you don't, it may change your mind once you do.

 

[eagles22]

Well the only reason I'm concerned about the $ is because the difference is about $16,000 per year. But I do see myself pursuing Rural Pharmacy. Primarily for two reasons. Its a part of society that is receiving less and less pharmaceutical access by the year, and I also think that at some point in my life I'd like to start a private pharmacy which would have a much better chance of survival in rural areas than it would in urban (due to walgreens/CVS). But at the same time, pharmacies in general in rural areas are not that well off to begin with.

Regardless, thank you for the vote, I'm hoping to make the decision by the end of April.

If Walgreens and cvs aren't in a market, it isn't because they haven't thought about it, it's because there is no money to make there.

 

[Niosh]

I don't know what special education a rural pharmacist needs. I would say skip the program and save the money. If it were a focus on owning your own pharmacy and included all the business aspects not normally included in a PharmD program then I would say yes if that was your interest.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

I don't know what special education a rural pharmacist needs. I would say skip the program and save the money. If it were a focus on owning your own pharmacy and included all the business aspects not normally included in a PharmD program then I would say yes if that was your interest.

+1 ^

A rural pharmacy program sounds like the only program an underqualified PGY-5 could get approved.

 

[lionheart555]

The Rockford students receive lectures through distance learning. Basically a speaker on the Chicago side is projected to the Rockford campus. 90% ish lectures are given from Chicago. Keep that in mind when you make your decision.

Also the student organization resources available to Chicago are limited in Rockford. In some cases a student organization in Chicago does not exist in Rockford.

 

[Niosh]

The Rockford students receive lectures through distance learning. Basically a speaker on the Chicago side is projected to the Rockford campus. 90% ish lectures are given from Chicago. Keep that in mind when you make your decision.

Also the student organization resources available to Chicago are limited in Rockford. In some cases a student organization in Chicago does not exist in Rockford.

Are you saying a Chicago pharmacist is going to give lectures on rural pharmacies?

 

[ldiot]

I would do whatever is cheaper to be honest. New grads aren't fighting over rural pharmacy positions, they are fighting over clinical pharmacy positions in the centers of the biggest cities. Even if you want to work in a rural setting you don't really need to go through this program. Maybe if we knew what the extra electives were it would make the decision more clear, but I'm guessing that they are going to ramble on about undeserved areas/cost barriers which is a waste of time in my opinion. To be clear I personally would prefer to work in a rural area myself but this program just doesn't really seem very beneficial in terms of expanding career opportunities.

 

[Wickett]

You would probably be better off spending those weekends part timing at a pharmacy in a rural area than you would listening to some lectures about rural pharming. There are plenty of places to choose from within a couple hours radius of Chicago. Regardless, I work in a more rural/underserved area and it honestly isn't that much different from when I worked in a major city. Retail is retail.

 

[lionheart555]

Are you saying a Chicago pharmacist is going to give lectures on rural pharmacies?

I'll be honest I am not 100% familiar with the rural pharm program but for general curriculum, yes most of the pharmacists lecturing are on the Chicago side. Every now and then they will go to Rockford. If I had to guess, I would say though most of your rural pharm courses will be once a week at most. Definitely not the majority of what you will be studying. I'll try and collect more info for you.

Here is some information on their webpage in case you didn't see it yet.

RPHARM Concentration | College of Pharmacy | University of Illinois at Chicago

 

[ldiot]

What is the technical definition of a "rural" pharmacy? Is there a population threshold or something? I think rural is a good option; there's some things you just can't do in those city limits

 

[RMR25]

I think UIC is a pretty good school, but the RPHARM program is a joke. What exactly are you supposed to learn that is extra?

Especially like Niosh is saying, a bunch of professors from Chicago are going to lecture you on rural pharmacy? Rockford is a large population center, so you are only going to be exposed to rural sites if you go somewhere several hours away on rotations. And I'm not even sure how many sites the school has set up that are rural.

I think that RPHARM was just a reason for UIC to expand and have a satellite location. Rural pharmacy maybe a little different than others, but mainly just for critical access hospitals I would think. I'm in a rural area where you might only have 1 hospital for a whole county and it could be a 45 minute drive for people to get there. I actually know a few friends that work at small hospitals and they are the only pharmacist there (except maybe 1 prn person). So you kind of have to be a jack of all trades to manage everything. Retail is retail though. Patient interactions are going to be different but that is something you learn after graduation.

 

[MountainPharmD]

If Walgreens and cvs aren't in a market, it isn't because they haven't thought about it, it's because there is no money to make there.

You couldn't be any more wrong. In my opinion rural pharmacy will be a gold mine for independent pharmacists in the next 5 years. The areas that CVS, Walgreens and the other big chains ignore will be the best areas to set up shop. I don't think you need to do a rural pharmacy residency. Retail pharmacy is retail pharmacy.

 

[MountainPharmD]

I am sure there is an official definition somewhere.

From a pharmacy contracting standpoint a rural pharmacy is 10 to 15 miles from the nearest contracted pharmacy. There is a PBM that defines a rural pharmacy as greater than 15 miles from a chain pharmacy.