Overview
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) recognizes that students’ professional development extends beyond formal classroom and clinical experiences. The Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s curriculum is intentionally designed to fully address ACPE’s required educational outcomes, ensuring students develop the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and attitudes necessary for contemporary pharmacy practice.
Because the curriculum itself comprehensively addresses ACPE Standards 2025, there is no formal co-curricular requirement. However, students are encouraged to engage in professional and extracurricular activities that further support their growth in key competency areas. These activities can enhance learning, provide opportunities for self-reflection, and strengthen professional identity formation.
ACPE Standards 2025: Key Competency Constructs
The curriculum ensures that students achieve competency in the 12 key areas defined by ACPE Standard 2, including:
- Scientific Thinking (Learner): Seek, analyze, integrate, and apply foundational knowledge in pharmacy practice, biomedical sciences, and digital health.
- Problem-Solving Process (Problem-Solver): Utilize critical thinking and innovation to identify and implement effective solutions.
- Communication (Communicator): Engage in active listening and communicate effectively in verbal, nonverbal, and written formats across diverse audiences.
- Cultural and Structural Humility (Ally): Address health disparities by recognizing and navigating social determinants of health and structural inequities.
- Person-Centered Care (Provider): Deliver comprehensive medication management and whole-person care using the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP).
- Advocacy (Advocate): Promote patient and professional interests within healthcare and at community, state, or national levels.
- Medication-Use Process Stewardship (Steward): Optimize medication use systems for safety, efficacy, resource utilization, and environmental impact.
- Interprofessional Collaboration (Collaborator): Actively engage in interprofessional teams and contribute to patient-centered care.
- Population Health and Wellness (Promoter): Assess health determinants and develop strategies to improve health outcomes at the community and population level.
- Leadership (Leader): Influence and support shared goals, regardless of position or formal authority.
- Self-Awareness (Self-Aware): Continuously reflect on personal and professional attributes to enhance growth and professional identity formation.
- Professionalism (Professional): Demonstrate ethical behavior, accountability, and integrity consistent with the pharmacy profession’s trust.
Integration with the Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s WE CARE Values
While meeting ACPE accreditation requirements is essential, the Eshelman School of Pharmacy also expects students to embody the School’s unique WE CARE values, which represent:
Welcoming | Equity | Commitment | Accountability | Respect | Excellence
Students should demonstrate these values across all educational experiences, including the didactic, experiential, and extracurricular activities. While formal co-curricular activities are not required, students are encouraged to participate in professional organizations, service learning, leadership opportunities, and community engagement to reinforce their learning and professional development.
Tracking and Continuous Quality Improvement
The School will continue to assess student progress through curricular and experiential activities to ensure compliance with ACPE Standards 2025 and to support individual professional growth. The Director of Curriculum Services will monitor student progress, evaluate learning outcomes, and ensure continuous quality improvement efforts.
This approach ensures that graduates are APPE-ready, practice-ready, and team-ready, equipped to function as medication specialists, professionals, leaders, collaborators, and communicators—all essential for success in modern pharmacy practice.