Do All Pharmacy Programs Offer Experiential Education?

Explore the Spectrum of Hands-On Learning in Pharmacy Education

What Is Experiential Learning?

Experiential education places emphasis on learning via methods that go beyond the traditional classroom. It is used as a way to increase engagement, which enhances retention, application and motivation. Experiential learning often involves the use of hands-on or practical approaches meant to put you into situations that reflect real-world experiences. These interactive environments and scenarios help:

• Apply classroom knowledge to real life
• Provide the chance to observe skilled professionals in their field
• Promote retention, reflection and critical thinking 
• Improve the enjoyment of learning
• Create a positive mindset throughout the educational journey
• Gain experience with real patient situations and interactions 
• Encourage you to see beyond textbook situations 
• Increase motivation to continue studying
• Reduce the dropout rate and increase pass rates on licensure exams
• Ensure preparedness for the workforce 

Part of experiential education is directing the focus of the program and content to meet your needs as a student. This is a shift from the past styles where the delivery of information from instructor to student was primarily passive. Students sat in a room, had lectures recited to them and were disengaged from the information presented. Instead, having an experiential education creates chances for you to put your knowledge into practice, use problem-solving skills to better understand the material and gain a frame of reference that connects book-based knowledge to practical situations. In this vein, you hold a greater responsibility in your own education, which creates an internal drive to learn instead of complying with external enforcement. By tying together traditional classroom education with simultaneous practical application, including labs, clinical rotations and simulations, you take part in constant reinforcement of what they’re learning. 

Experiential learning plays a massive part in the education of future medical professionals. On top of extensive information that has to become second nature, students in the medical field must also be prepared for clinical decision-making, interpersonal communication and practical skills related to the profession. Engagement in real-life situations and environments is a key way to expand your skills and understanding of the pharmacy specialty. The best pharmacy programs in the U.S. include experiential education as part of their curricula to ensure graduates are prepared for the world before walking the stage. 

Experiential Learning Opportunities at Belmont 

As lifelong learners ourselves, Belmont University has included experiential learning throughout our curriculum. Our program has evolved in response to research around effective learning as well as feedback from past cohorts. The Belmont University PharmD program is designed to prepare you to be active learners throughout the program’s four-year duration, enhancing outcomes across the board. You will hit the ground running after graduation with excellent clinical skills, elevated decision-making abilities, effortless interprofessional collaboration and a better understanding of the world. 

Offering one of the best pharmacy programs in the nation, we provide experiential learning through several integrated methods in our PharmD program:

• Practical Experience Curriculum: As part of the coursework, you’ll engage in hands-on experience in a variety of pharmacy settings throughout the four-year program. Our Pharmacy Practice Experience Programs (PPEP) prioritize combining coursework with mentored experience that enhances knowledge and practical skills, ranging from medication handling to professional communication. You’ll take part in a variety of patient simulations that provide the chance to apply what you’ve learned and refine your abilities while building confidence. The program culminates in the Advanced Professional Practice Experience, where you’ll polish your skills in the final transition from student to pharmacist. 
• Interprofessional Focus: Just like in the real world, students in our PharmD degree program will collaborate in interprofessional settings, including Belmont's state-of-the-art Center for Interprofessional Engagement & Simulation. This 60,000 square-foot facility allows pharmacy students like you to train alongside nursing and medical students using high-fidelity simulation labs and virtual reality scenarios to prepare you for the complex health care environments you will work in post-grad. Pharmacists interact on a daily basis with doctors, nurses and any number of other roles, depending on the setting. Interaction with a variety of health care specialties during the PharmD program provides a robust understanding of the medical field beyond the scope of pharmacology and enhances the ability to care for patients more holistically. Exposure to working alongside other medical providers ensures our students enter the profession with experience in the interdisciplinary care that helps patients achieve the best outcomes.
• Integrated Curriculum and Skills Lab: Our PharmD degree recipients go through a blended approach to learning, with a didactic curriculum that is combined with hands-on reinforcement. Alongside traditional classroom learning, you’ll take part in active lab work that parallels the current topics. From preparation of medications to patient interactions, the skills lab puts practical learning at the forefront of education. By merging foundational knowledge from the classroom with experiential opportunities, you will emerge from the program with the necessary competencies to begin your career. 
• Medical Missions: During your studies at Belmont, you will use your growing expertise to make an impact on underserved populations globally. Through your outreach in different communities, you will develop interpersonal skills, compassion and a better visualization of the world. You may have the opportunity to serve on medical missions, where you’ll gain real-life experience while helping improve health equity well beyond our campus in Nashville, TN.

Do All PharmD Programs Have Experiential Learning? 

Experiential learning varies widely between institutions, but PharmD programs should have some built into the curriculum due to the licensure process. In order to qualify for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), all states require a minimum amount of practical experience hours. The exact type and amount varies between states and is outlined within state licensing requirements or practice acts. When looking for the best pharmacy colleges, you’ll find that each PharmD program will have clinical experience requirements as part of its curriculum as a result. 

However, effective experiential learning should go beyond these minimums. For developing the best clinical decision-making skills, interpersonal communication and foundational knowledge, experiential learning must be woven into the fabric of the entire four-year program, not simply included as a minimum. The experienced faculty at Belmont University ensure students are exposed to a variety of learning opportunities to enhance preparedness for real-world situations and create a path to professional success. From the first day, your engagement in the learning process will be at the forefront of your education.

An Experience-Driven PharmD Program

Experiential learning is the difference between simply learning information versus being able to apply that knowledge in clinical practice. It’s what sets students up to be effective, thoughtful and passionate clinicians who enhance the profession. By joining Belmont’s PharmD program, you’ll take part in experiential learning through hands-on experience, authentic scenarios, ongoing skills labs and real-life pharmacy experience. Apply to our PharmD program and be prepared to step into the profession with excellence!