Pharmacy students

Professional Policies

The University of Connecticut and the School of Pharmacy have academic regulations that all pharmacy students must follow. By accepting admission, students assume responsibility for knowing and complying with the regulations and procedures set forth by the University. Make sure to review the University academic regulations and student code of conduct, in addition to the below policies that are specific to Professional students.

Academic and Technical Standards for Admission, Progression and Graduation

Introduction

Earning a Pharm.D. degree requires mastery of a coherent body of knowledge and skills. Pharmacy students must acquire substantial competence in the principles and facts of all of the curriculum’s required basic sciences, must understand and appreciate the principles and practice of all of the basic fields of pharmaceutical care, and must be able to relate appropriately to patients, ancillary personnel and to other health care professionals. In training pharmacy students, the School of Pharmacy must evaluate not only their scholastic accomplishments, but also must consider students’ current ability to safely apply their knowledge and skills to effectively interact with patients and others in educational and healthcare settings. In accordance with university policy, and state and federal laws, the university does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on the basis of that individual’s disability. Upon request of the student, the university will make good faith efforts in providing reasonable accommodation as required by law. The following technical standards, although not exhaustive, describe the basic non-academic qualifications required in addition to academic achievements, which the School of Pharmacy considers essential for admission and successful progression and completion of the educational objectives of its curriculum.

The School of Pharmacy engages in an interactive process with applicants and students with disabilities and complies with all state and federal laws regarding reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If a student intends to request accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or applicable Connecticut law, that student may seek assistance through the University’s Center for Students with Disabilities prior to enrollment in the School of Pharmacy or promptly at any time thereafter when the need for a reasonable accommodation becomes apparent. The School of Pharmacy adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards of the Pharmacy profession. In doing so, the School of Pharmacy reserves the right to deny admission to candidates or to discharge students who, upon completion of the interactive process, cannot meet these Technical Standards and would be deemed to pose a threat to patients and others in the educational and/or clinical environment.

Observation

Through the use of visual, auditory and somatic senses, pharmacy students must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences, medical illustrations and models, and evaluation of microbiological cultures and microscopic studies of microorganisms and tissues in normal and pathological states. Pharmacy students must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. They must be able to directly and accurately see a patient’s physical condition, obtain a patient history and perform appropriate physical assessments and to correctly integrate the information derived from these observations to develop an accurate medication therapy management plan. Students must also possess the ability to prepare medications for dispensing to patients and observe the activities of technical staff operating under their supervision in accordance with state and federal laws.

Behavioral and Social Attributes

Because the pharmacy profession is governed by ethical principles and by state and federal laws, pharmacy students must have the capacity to learn, understand, and adhere to these values and laws. They should be able to relate to colleagues, staff and patients with honesty, integrity, nondiscrimination, compassion, and dedication. Pharmacy students should also be able to understand and use the power, special privileges, and trust inherent in a healthcare professional-patient relationship, and to avoid abuse of this power. Pharmacy students should demonstrate the capacity to critically examine and deliberate effectively about the social and ethical questions that define pharmacy and the pharmacist’s role. They must be able to identify personal reactions and responses, recognize multiple points of view, and integrate these appropriately into clinical decision-making. The study and practice of pharmacy often involves taxing workloads and stressful situations; pharmacy students must have the physical and emotional stamina to maintain a high level of function in the face of such didactic and experiential working conditions. Pharmacy students must be of sufficient emotional health to utilize fully their intellectual ability, to exercise good judgment, to complete patient care responsibilities promptly, and to relate to patients, families, and colleagues with courtesy, compassion, maturity, and dignity. The ability to participate collaboratively and flexibly as a professional team member is essential. Additionally, pharmacy students must be able to modify behavior in response to constructive criticism. They must be open to examining personal attitudes, perceptions, and stereotypes (which may negatively affect patient care and professional relationships). Pharmacy students must, at all times, exhibit behavior and intellectual functioning in accordance with acceptable professional standards.

Intellect

Pharmacy students must possess a range of intellectual skills that allow them to master the broad and complex body of knowledge that comprises a pharmacy education. Therefore, students must have a learning style that is effective and efficient. The ultimate goal of a pharmacist is often to solve difficult problems and make recommendations for therapeutic decisions. Pharmacy students must, therefore, be able to memorize, perform scientific measurement and calculation, and ultimately evaluate biomedical literature. Reasoning abilities must be sophisticated enough to analyze and synthesize information from a wide variety of sources. It is expected that pharmacy students be able to learn effectively through a variety of modalities including, but not limited to classroom instruction, small group discussion, individual study of materials, preparation and presentation of written and oral reports, use of computer-based information technology and experiential activities.

Communication

Pharmacy students must be able to ask probing questions, to receive answers perceptively, to record information about patients, and to advise patients and other health care professionals. They must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with patients, their families, and with other members of the health care team. This includes verbal and non-verbal communications such as interpretation of facial expressions, affects, and body language. Mastery of both written and spoken English is required.

Psychomotor Skills

Pharmacy students must possess the visual, auditory, tactile, and motor abilities to allow them to sufficiently gather data from written reference material, and oral presentations, by observing demonstrations and experiments, studying various types of medical illustrations, viewing a patient and their environment, by observing clinical procedures performed by others, by reading digital or analog representations of physiologic phenomena, and by performing a basic physical examination of a patient.

Licensure

Once accepted, all pharmacy students must be able to satisfy the qualifications for licensure as a Pharmacy Intern with the State of Connecticut. You will receive an “Application for Pharmacy Intern” at P1 Orientation; only matriculated students are eligible for this intern license. If you would like to review the application, it is available on the Commission of Pharmacy website. A Connecticut Pharmacy Intern license is required to fulfill the requirements for a pharmacy degree.

Conclusion

The School of Pharmacy engages in an interactive process with applicants and students with disabilities and complies with all state and federal laws regarding reasonable accommodation. The School of Pharmacy adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards of the Pharmacy profession. In doing so, the School of Pharmacy reserves the right deny admission to candidates or to discharge students who, upon completion of the interactive process, cannot meet these Technical Standards and would be deemed to pose a threat to patients and others in the educational and therapeutic environment.

Grading Policy

Each course coordinator of any PHAR or PHRX course reserves the right to establish a course-specific grading policy for earning a letter grade in that course. Faculty are not obligated to follow the traditional rubric of 90-100 (A), 80-90 (B), 70-80 (C), etc. At the beginning of every course, faculty should discuss the course content and goals as well as the grading policy, which should also be available in the course syllabus.

Missed Exams & Finals Policies

Semester Exams

Assessment of student learning is a key benchmark in the teaching and learning cycle. Students are expected to complete required assessments (exams, quizzes, and assignments) as scheduled. Students must notify the course coordinator AND the Associate Dean for Student Affairs any time they are unable to complete a required assessment at the scheduled time. Whether these requested postponements are accepted is at the discretion of the course coordinator and if deemed unacceptable, students may receive a zero for required assessment or be required to complete a make-up assessment that is characteristically different than that taken by their peers in format or length. In addition, the faculty member may also penalize the student with an unaccepted absence from a required assessment through a mandatory grade reduction for that assessment. Even approved absences may result in a make-up assessment of a different length and/or in a different format that is under the discretion of the course coordinator.

Students arriving late for a quiz or examination may not be allowed to begin if another student has completed it and already left the room. Course coordinators do not have to allow students arriving late to a quiz or exam to have additional time and can cut them off at the scheduled end of the class period.

Students may make a request to the instructor and Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs by email to complete required assessments with an excused absence. Requests should be made as early as possible prior to the anticipated absence and students should take the initiative to make up missed work in a timely fashion and at the convenience of the instructor. There is no guarantee that all requests will be granted. No accommodation should adversely impact the learning objectives of the course.

Examples of excused absences include but are not limited to:

  • Attendance of professional meetings.
  • NCAA athletics ONLY (club sports are not eligible)
  • Illness/surgery
  • Death in a family
  • Religious holidays. *
  • Military service.
  • Other activities in support of the scholarly and/or co-curricular development of the student and under the aegis of a faculty member.

*Students should know when a religious holiday occurs during the semester and should anticipate and plan in advance for any scheduling conflicts (such as with exams and assignments) related to religious observance. Planning in advance means approaching the faculty involved about the conflict and what, if any, accommodations can be made.

Final Exams

Final exams cannot be missed or made up. Should an extraordinary event occur (e.g., exam conflict, military service) and a student needs to reschedule a final exam, it must be done through the associate dean for admissions and student affairs.

If there is a conflict (same day, same time) between a final in a pharmacy course and a final in a non-pharmacy course, the final in the pharmacy course may be rescheduled.

Parking Policy

The School of Pharmacy will not validate garage parking receipts for PharmD students.

Professional Conduct Policy

Cell Phone Use

The School of Pharmacy is committed to providing an environment that is conducive to learning and study. When in class, the library, or in study group rooms, cellphones should be on silent mode. Cellphones should never be used in class or in the library. Lobby areas may be used to make brief phone calls. If you need to have an extended phone conversation, please go to the elevator lobbies. If you wish to report cell phone misuse or disturbances, please contact the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs.

CELLPHONES AND SMART WATCHES ARE NOT ALLOWED IN EXAMS.

Conduct in the Classroom

Students should be considerate of others in the class as well as of teaching faculty and graduate assistants. There should be no talking to one another in class. Coming to class late is unacceptable. Should an emergency necessitate late arrival, students should sit in the back of the classroom.

Email Accounts

All University of Connecticut students are automatically assigned email accounts through the university. Students are responsible for checking this account for messages daily. You may have your messages forwarded from your University account to any other email address you may have established.

Email Etiquette

  • Remember that the emails you send are a permanent record. Don’t email anything you wouldn’t want released to others.
  • Don’t email in anger. Take some time to cool off and review your message again before sending it.
  • Use descriptive subject headings to make your message clear.
  • Remember that email etiquette reflects your professionalism; address faculty/staff with appropriate salutation (Dr./Professor/Mr./Mrs./Ms.) and end appropriately.
  • Good grammar and accurate spelling will always make a good impression. AVOID ALL CAPS.
  • If your email begins to become lengthy, it might indicate a need for a meeting.
  • If your message is urgent, consider phone and voicemail as well.
  • Check your email daily and respond in a timely fashion when requested.

Attendance Policy

The professional program at the UConn School of Pharmacy has been developed by faculty and staff to provide students with the information and experiences necessary to become practicing pharmacy professionals. It is expected that students will attend educational opportunities provided for them as a part of the curriculum. Individual faculty may consider attendance mandatory for certain education experiences. Students will be informed, in writing, where policy requires class attendance.

Room Reservation & Event Policies

Room Reservations

To organize an event the School of Pharmacy, submit the Student Organization Event & Space Request Form. Spaces are available for use by reservation only. Submission of this form does not grant the use of the facility in question at the time put forth. Based on availability, a decision will be made promptly regarding the space, and the person listed as the contact will be notified of either approval or disapproval. While most requests are gladly granted, the reservation of space is based upon the availability of the location as well as the entitlement of the School of Pharmacy to verify the proper use of its facilities. Please allow at least five business days for a response.

Furniture and AV

It is the responsibility of the reserving organization to supply furniture for the event (e.g., tables and chairs, catering tables, etc.) Space must be cleared immediately at the conclusion of the event and the total usage time requested should include the time when rental furniture remains in the space. The Morosko Student Lounge has furniture including 6, 4'x4' high tables with rolling chairs, sofas, end tables, and rugs. This furniture may be used; however, the room must be returned to its original configuration. A limited number of 6-foot rectangular tables, 5-foot round tables, and folding chairs are available from the School of Pharmacy. The reserving organization agrees to assume responsibility for the set-up, take down, and care of these items. In addition, the reserving organization agrees to pay charges to repair damage or replace items if necessary.

Food and Beverages

Food and beverages are permitted only in designated areas. All food and beverages must be removed at the conclusion of the event. The designated contact person must assume responsibility for both set-up and clean up. A fee will be charged for follow-up custodial care if necessary. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited. The organization must abide by all UConn policies regarding the service of food and beverages.

Event Promotion

Once an event is approved and space is assigned, submit the event on the School of Pharmacy event calendar. In addition to the School of Pharmacy calendar, additional calendars may be selected including Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacy Alumni Association, Continuing Education, and Experiential Education which are administered by the School of Pharmacy. UConn also has a master calendar (if applicable), and many departments and groups have their own calendar. Events posted on the school calendar will be included on signage displayed in the building and may be advertised on the school's social media sites or newsletters.

Emergency Closing Procedure

Events in the Pharmacy-Biology Building are subject to the University of Connecticut’s emergency closing procedures. If the university is closed, the event cannot occur, and the School of Pharmacy is not liable for any damage.

Logo Usage

The Director of Marketing and Communications is the brand ambassador for the School of Pharmacy and must approval all logo usage and design must be pre-approved by this person.

More information is available at UConn’s brand website.

PHRX 3099: Independent Study/Research Policies

Students wishing to complete a PHRX 3099: Independent Study or Research course must complete a Student Enrollment Request Form (SERF) through the Registrar's Office. PHRX 3099s must be approved by the appropriate Advisor, Department Head, and Dean's Designee in the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs should the course put you over 21 credits in a semester.

Students must enter the correct information into the SERF for it to be approved. Incorrect forms will be denied.

Steps for a Successful SERF

  • Communication and agreement with the appropriate faculty and/or staff member to arrange for the PHRX 3099 prior to completing the form.
  • Look up the appropriate section of PHRX 3099 for the SERF. This information can be obtained by going to the Dynamic Class Search in Student Admin, searching for PHRX 3099, and locating the appropriate instructor. Each instructor will have two sections, an Honors and non-Honors section. Only Honors students should use the Honors section. Clicking on the course number will allow you to determine if it is an Honors or non-Honors section:
    Screenshot of Student Admin Dynamic Course Search.
  • Undergraduate students (Pre-Professionals, P1s, and P2s who have not earned a BS in Pharmacy Studies) should choose the career undergraduate in the BS in Pharmacy Studies. PharmD students (P3 and P4) should choose PharmD.
  • PHRX 3099 is an undergraduate course, and should be labeled undergraduate regardless of the level of the student.
  • Students who are doing a PHRX 3099 through a specific program in service to the School of Pharmacy (Ambassadors, Peer Advisors) can put Lyn or Megan as the advisor. Research-focused PHRX 3099s must go through your faculty advisor unless otherwise directed.

Technology Policies

Laptop and Tablet Technology Requirements

All pharmacy students are required to have a laptop or tablet that meets the minimum standards required for use of ExamSoft and MyDispense; this software will be used throughout the didactic part of the program (the first three professional years).

Policy on Recording Lectures 

Students must ask permission from the instructor or teaching assistant to record lectures (audio or video) for either personal use and/or distribution to other members of the class. Failure to receive permission constitutes a violation of the University Student Code:

“Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, providing or receiving assistance in a manner not authorized by the instructor in the creation of work to be submitted for academic evaluation (e.g., papers, projects, and examinations...).”

If an instructor grants permission, recordings can be provided only to members of the class and at no charge.

Calculator Policy

Students are required to use the School of Pharmacy calculators during exams.

Transfer Credit & Course Waiver Policies

Students looking to transfer in credits should review the general University policies and procedures for undergraduate courses on the Undergraduate Admissions website.

Professional Program Prerequisites

All courses awarded transfer credit must be approved by the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs before they may be used to satisfy professional program prerequisites.

General Education Courses

Transfer courses may be used for general education requirements. Students who wish to request the use of a course that does not have prior approval should contact the staff advisor. Students with a prior bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution are waived out of general education requirements per University policy.

Professional Program Course Substitutions

Students admitted to the UConn School of Pharmacy from other colleges or schools of pharmacy may be eligible for advanced standing and waivers for professional program courses. Students will work with the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs and abide by all policies and procedures for professional transfer students. All professional program course waivers must be approved by the School of Pharmacy Curriculum & Curricular Assessment Committee.

Professional Program Experiential Education Transfer Policy

Transfer of experiential education hours from another college or school of pharmacy will be evaluated individually by the Director of Experiential Education.