Nothing! It has helped thousands of students graduate and become successful pharmacists. There have been many changes in the educational outcomes, practice opportunities and expectations, and overall in healthcare since the PharmD curriculum was originally developed. This new curriculum is an intentional evolution informed by students, faculty, alumni, and preceptor feedback and updates to accreditation standards as a result in changes to pharmacy practice and expectations of graduates of PharmD programs. We always ask current students for their thoughts on how we could be better and this is one example of how we utilize that feedback. We remain committed to continuously improving all the work we do at TUSP. 

Your curriculum will remain the same as previous classes, but the content has been updated and will be taught in a different order. Your credit hours will decrease slightly from 144 to 141. The biggest change will be the structure of the curriculum.

Our focus is always on training pharmacists for where the profession is going (integrated care teams, evolving practice standards), and this new curriculum was developed with that in mind. We are constantly making updates to our programs to ensure they align with what you need to practice. This is just a larger update than we make on an annual basis.

While current students will not see their formal curriculum change, they will see updates to some of the ways the materials are presented. Many of the best practices for the revised curriculum will be implemented for their classes. For instance, the Pharmacy Lab sequence will be changed so that significant emphasis will be shifted from compounding of sterile and non-sterile products to also include more contemporary pharmacist activities. Additional updates will be implemented throughout their program, just not to the extent as new students. Though improving content delivery, labs, etc. is something we will continue to do for our current students, changing the curriculum for students already enrolled would not be fair to them. Based on where students are in their courses, some work would end up repeated, other topics would be left out. 

Developing and implementing a new curriculum is an intentional and carefully planned process, and the faculty and administration have invested significant time and effort in preparing for this transition. We recognize that being the first cohort may create some uncertainty for students, and we take that responsibility seriously. The curriculum has been intentionally designed to align with current educational standards and the evolving needs of the profession. We have developed detailed plans to monitor student experiences, academic progress, and curriculum effectiveness throughout implementation so that we can identify opportunities for improvement and adjust responsibly. We have also proactively strengthened student support for this transition, including the addition of an Assistant Director for Student Success who will help ensure that students have the resources, guidance, and support they need to succeed. In short, students are not being asked to “figure out” a new curriculum alongside us. They are entering a thoughtfully designed program that has been extensively planned, and we will be closely engaged with them throughout the process to ensure their success.