Standards For Technical Requirements of the Pharmacy Curriculum

Pharmacy students must possess skills and abilities that allow them to complete the curriculum and practice the profession of pharmacy. Hampton University’s School of Pharmacy has an ethical responsibility for the safety of patients for whom the student will contact as a student and for whom the graduate will serve during his/her career. Patient safety is the guiding principle under which the School establishes requirements for physical, cognitive, and emotional capabilities of matriculating students and graduates. The technical standards include: observational communications, motor, intellectual-conceptual (integrative and qualitative) behavioral and social skills and abilities.

The University is committed to enabling students with disabilities to complete the course of study by providing reasonable accommodations. However, some accommodations cannot be made because they are unreasonable and ultimately jeopardize patient safety. For example: The use of a trained intermediary is not acceptable because of the inherent use of the observation and selections skills of the intermediary to judge and assess rather than those of the pharmacy student.

The major points are further delineated below

Observation

The student must be able to visually observe and interpret presented information. This will necessitate the functional use of vision, hearing and somatic senses.

Communication

 The student must be able to communicate effectively and appropriately with patients, caregivers, faculty/staff and members of the health care team. These skills include the appropriate use of spoken and written English: hearing, reading, and interpreting at a level adequate for the timely delivery of information.

Motor

The student must have sufficient motor function and skills necessary to perform task in the training and practice of pharmacy. Examples of such task may include the compounding of medicinal products, administration of drugs or the provision of basic cardiac life support. Such actions require the coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses.

Students should perform a critical self-analysis to ascertain the degree of compliance with the technical requirements. Evidence of non-compliance should be communicated to the Office of Student Affairs of the School of Pharmacy immediately.

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