The Beyond Practice Ready campaign will help ensure that students learn the skills and values at the core of their profession while at the same time being able to adapt to a changing workforce. So they are not just practice ready when they graduate. They are BEYOND Practice Ready.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BEYOND PRACTICE READY (BPR)?
Not long after Dr. Dewey began as president, he started meeting with, and hearing from, alumni of the College.
One of the consistent themes that came up during these exchanges was the need for students to be “practice ready.” Put another way, students need to have a greater ability to step into real life situations and solve problems that arise in the everyday practice of pharmacy and related health science fields.
Dr. Dewey realized that ACPHS graduates must not only be able to operate within the profession of today, but they must also be flexible enough to operate in the profession of tomorrow – whatever form that may take. This means learning the skills and values at the core of their profession while at the same time being able to adapt to a changing workforce landscape. In other words, to go “beyond practice ready."
WHAT IS THE CAMPAIGN'S TIMELINE AND FUNDRAISING GOAL?
The silent phase of the BPR campaign began in June 2015. The public phase kicked off in November 2015. The College expects to reach the Campaign's $6 million fundraising goal in approximately one year.
WHAT ROLE WILL THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES PLAY?
Prior to advancing this initiative, the College and its Trustees evaluated the viability of the Campaign and its components, including the opening of the two Student Operated Pharmacies. The Board expressed enthusiastic support to move forward with the Campaign. Trustees Michael Duteau ’92 and Walter Borisenok are serving as members of the Campaign's Steering Committee.
IS THE BEYOND PRACTICE READY CAMPAIGN SOLELY FOCUSED ON DOCTOR OF PHARMACY STUDENTS?
The Campaign's four objectives have been selected to enrich the experiences of all students on campus. Regardless of their area of study, all students will benefit from the construction of the new "active learning" classrooms and, eventually, the expanded continuing education and professional certificate programs. In addition, there will be opportunities for our bachelor's and master's students to be involved in the student operated pharmacies through the provision of additional community and health care services to patients.
WHAT WILL THE BEYOND PRACTICE READY CAMPAIGN SUPPORT?
The four objectives of the Campaign are as follows:
- Lanuch of two student operated neighborhood pharmacies ($3 million)
- Construction of three active learning classrooms ($1.5 million)
- Renovation of the Pharmacy Practice Skills laboratory ($500,000)
- Expansion of professional development and certificate programs ($1 million)
WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF LAUNCHING SUCH A "MINI" CAMPAIGN?
A mini-campaign allows us to focus on high priority items of immediate need and quickly implement the targeted objectives.
HOW WERE THE CAMPAIGN INITIATIVES CHOSEN?
The initiatives arose from strategic discussions between the administration, faculty, staff, students, and Board of Trustees. The highest needs of the College are encapsulated in theStrategic Agenda and the BPR campaign is the first step in supporting that agenda. For the specific initiatives, we sought feedback from alumni, friends of the College, and other stakeholders. The College conducted 16 focus groups to inform and elicit feedback from our constituents on the scope and components of the Campaign. The focus group sessions involved 237 participants who overwhelmingly supported the emphasis on practice-based learning and professional skill building.
WILL FUNDS BE USED NOW OR AFTER THE CAMPAIGN ENDS?
Funds raised will be used both now and after reaching our $6 million campaign goal. Plans include opening the two student operated pharmacies in 2016. The three active learning classrooms and professional development and online certificate components will begin once we reach our fundraising goal.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE STUDENT OPERATED PHARMACIES?
The pharmacies will offer the dual benefit of providing a distinctive and innovative experience for ACPHS students and improving access to pharmacy and healthcare services for members of medically underserved communities.
The pharmacies will allow students to develop and refine their professional skills through specialized services that will include medication therapy management, point of care screening, and counseling. The resulting combination of problem-solving skills, cultural competencies, and adaptability will take ACPHS graduates beyond practice ready.
Over time, we envision the pharmacy emerging as the “face of neighborhood healthcare.” In addition to dispensing medications and providing related services, each pharmacy will be a “collaboratory” where the College plans to partner with local healthcare providers to jointly offer an expanded range of clinical services.
WHAT ARE "ACTIVE LEARNING" CLASSROOMS?
Active learning classrooms are typically smaller, technology-enhanced spaces, much different from traditional lecture halls. Active learning requires student participation in classroom activities that have been carefully structured by teachers. The outcomes include greater student engagement and adaptability in a multitude of programs and settings. The classroom essentially becomes an experiential learning environment as the teacher shifts some control of the teaching to the learners.
HOW WILL THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAM WORK? WHO WILL BENEFIT?
The basic life sciences are developing at an unprecedented pace and technology is impacting every aspect of healthcare. At the same time, the healthcare business model is shifting from fee-for-service to fee-for-value. These changes mean that professional education is more important than it has ever been.
ACPHS seeks to address this issue in two ways. First, as a service to our alumni, we plan to offer FREE continuing professional development (CPD) credits. CPD at ACPHS provides exceptional training for practicing pharmacists as well as other healthcare professionals and scientists. Our quality programs are taught by leaders in their fields, based on innovative research and current with new discoveries that correlate directly with patient care.
Secondly, we will develop hybrid and online certificate programs and short courses in areas that meet emerging workforce needs. These certificate programs will address the need for new skill sets arising during this dynamic period of change in the healthcare system. Certificate programs will be open to alumni and individuals in the workforce as well as our own students, thereby expanding and diversifying the student body beyond our traditional base of students.
WHO ARE YOU LOOKING TO FOR SUPPORT OF THE BEYOND PRACTICE READY CAMPAIGN?
ACPHS is fortunate to have a strong supportive community of alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, corporate partners, trustees, and friends of the College. We are seeking the involvement of our entire community as we craft initiatives that put the student first and create a compelling student experience.
I PREFER TO SUPPORT SCHOLARSHIPS. CAN I STILL CONTRIBUTE TO OTHER INITIATIVES WHILE THE CAMPAIGN IS IN PROGRESS?
Yes. Scholarships are, and will always be, a very important component of our overall fundraising effort. We will continue to raise funds for scholarships through our Annual Fund and through targeted events.
HOW CAN I VOLUNTEER OR GET INVOLVED WITH THE STUDENT OPERATED PHARMACIES?
Each student operated pharmacy will provide a variety of opportunities for interested alumni, students, faculty, staff, corporations, and not-for-profit companies to get involved.
Those seeking to be part of these initiatives should contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at (518) 694-7393 or e-mail bpr@acphs.edu.