Therapeutics..

[DrWrong]

Hey guys, I don't usually post a thread, but this has been worrying me for a while. At FAMU, in order to meet ACPE standards, has recently changed their curriculum. What has been worrying me is the fact that they recently combined Medicinal, Pharmacology and Therapeutics into one class called "Principles of Drug Action" and it is taken in the P-2 year.

Do you guys think this is too early to be taking therapeutics?

Previous to the change, therapeutics was taken as a single class in the P-3 year for two semesters. I kind of feel like i'm being cheated by not having therapeutics as a single class where we focus on just treating a disease state/related medical condition.

The only class I currently see that could be a continuation of Therapeutics is "MTM 1 and 2" in the P-3 year.


Just in case you guys would like something to base your answer off of:

http://pharmacy.famu.edu/bluepill.php?sect=includes/clinical/pharmDCurriculum

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[WVUPharm2007]

At WVU, you start therapeuics/pathophys in the second year and its taught over 4 semesters.

 

[DrWrong]

At WVU, you start therapeuics/pathophys in the second year and its taught over 4 semesters.

Hmmm, Yeah that is my concern. I am just wondering if it is sufficient that we only have 2 semesters of therapeutics? At least that is how it appears on the online curriculum.


Edit: We took patho int he P-1 year along with anotomy and physiology. Anatomy is now a prereq to the program, though.

 

[njac]

My school was 2 semesters of therapeutics, but the new curriculum has increased it to 3.

 

[DrWrong]

My school was 2 semesters of therapeutics, but the new curriculum has increased it to 3.

In which year did you take the class? P-2 or P-3?

 

[njac]

P3

 

[DrWrong]

P3

Interesting. Do you think students that take it during the P-2 year are at a disadvantage?

 

[Transformer]

Interesting. Do you think students that take it during the P-2 year are at a disadvantage?

I'm attending a 2+2 program. We have 1 semester of Intro to Therapeutics, Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry and 2 semesters of Pharmacotherapeutics.

Since our class room learning is compacted into 2 years, I'm having second thoughts about working part time while in school.

 

[njac]

No clue. But some very good schools do it that way, and seem to have success with it.

 

[DrWrong]

I'm attending a 2+2 program. We have 1 semester of Intro to Therapeutics, Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry and 2 semesters of Pharmacotherapeutics.

Since our class room learning is compacted into 2 years, I'm having second thoughts about working part time while in school.

Hmmm, I wasn't even aware of a 2 + 2 school. What are the additional 2 years for? Don't feel bad, I just picked up a research job where I'm overworked and under paid ;-).

But let's not get too off topic lol.

 

[DrWrong]

No clue. But some very good schools do it that way, and seem to have success with it.

Thank you for your input

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I think the med school way is the best to be honest. The pace of pharmacy school is too slow. It should be two years, no summers, then two years of rotations. I would have cared and learned more under that model. They would have had to have cut the fat and eliminated the filler classes and the extra year of rotations would have been excellent.

Unfortunately, finding quality rotations is impossible for many schools, so that's a pipe dream.

 

[Transformer]

Hmmm, I wasn't even aware of a 2 + 2 school. What are the additional 2 years for? Don't feel bad, I just picked up a research job where I'm overworked and under paid ;-).

But let's not get too off topic lol.

2 years of Classroom learning + 2 years of Rotations = 2+2 Program

(Note: We start our IPE or IPPEs after our 1st semester; 1 month in January and 1 month in the summer)

From what I hear, rotation is where a lot of the learned knowledge is solidified through real life applications. An extra year of rotation can potentially give me a good feel of which pharmacy setting or specialty I like to get into after pharmacy school.

 

[DrWrong]

I think the med school way is the best to be honest. The pace of pharmacy school is too slow. It should be two years, no summers, then two years of rotations. I would have cared and learned more under tht model. They would have had to have cut the fat and eliminated the filler classes and the extra year of rotations would have been excellent.

Unfortunately, finding quality rotations is impossible for many schools, so that's a pipe dream.

You and your Socratic ways xD. Because I haven't completed pharmacy school yet, I don't find myself worth of forming an opinion, But i'm sure in 3 years I'll definitely agree with you.

 

[DrWrong]

2 years of Classroom learning + 2 years of Rotations = 2+2 Program

(Note: We start our IPE or IPPEs after our 1st semester; 1 month in January and 1 month in the summer)

From what I hear, rotation is where a lot of the learned knowledge is solidified through real life applications. An extra year of rotation can potentially give me a good feel of which pharmacy setting or specialty I like to get into after pharmacy school.

What Pharmacy school do you attend?

 

[Transformer]

What Pharmacy school do you attend?

I will attend Touro College of pharmacy, located in New York City.
http://www.touro.edu/pharmacy/


Our affiliate school, Touro University, located in Northern California has a similar 2 + 2 Program.
http://www.tu.edu/departments.php?id=39

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

I think the med school way is the best to be honest. The pace of pharmacy school is too slow. It should be two years, no summers, then two years of rotations. I would have cared and learned more under that model. They would have had to have cut the fat and eliminated the filler classes and the extra year of rotations would have been excellent.

Unfortunately, finding quality rotations is impossible for many schools, so that's a pipe dream.

I think I would like 2 years in class and 2 years on rotations. I learn better from seeing and doing than sitting in a classroom.

 

[Sparda29]

I think the med school way is the best to be honest. The pace of pharmacy school is too slow. It should be two years, no summers, then two years of rotations. I would have cared and learned more under that model. They would have had to have cut the fat and eliminated the filler classes and the extra year of rotations would have been excellent.

Unfortunately, finding quality rotations is impossible for many schools, so that's a pipe dream.

No summers? Are you kidding me? I'm dying here at Touro because this year 2/3 summer months are for rotations, I have 2 weeks of freedom left before the madness starts again.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

No summers? Are you kidding me? I'm dying here at Touro because this year 2/3 summer months are for rotations, I have 2 weeks of freedom left before the madness starts again.

I haven't had a week off since last July. It'll prepare you for the real world.

I do have like 130 hours of vacation though...what to do with them, what to do with them...

 

[njac]

Before I started rotations I agreed with WVU. But looking back. Even though I specifically built myself a "difficult" rotation schedule, most of them were a joke. Now maybe that is because I had already worked in a hospital, I don't know.

 

[MindOverMatter]

My school combined Therapeutics with Pharmacology and Med Chem into one giant course, and we have 4 semesters of that with different focuses (Cardio, HEENT, GI/Hepatic/Renal, Endocrine/Musculoskeletal, ID, Neurologic/Psychiatric, Hematology/Oncology, and Special Topics).

It's been working so far, but this school changes it's curriculum almost weekly, so we'll see if this holds.

 

[DrWrong]

That's about the same as my school, MindOverMatter.


Last night as I went to bed I remembered that, although we only take the PDA class during the P2 year it's a 6 CREDIT HOUR class so maybe we won't really be missing out on anything.


That 2 hour lecture is going to be a BIATCH though