UBC's Entry-to-Practice PharmD program currently offers two types of practice pharmacy experiences: Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE). In addition, the Office of Experiential Education supports practicum experiences for the UBC Flexible PharmD program and the Structured Practical Training (SPT) for the UBC Continuing Pharmacy Professional Development (CPPD) Canadian Pharmacy Practice Program (CP3).
To learn which program and practicum opportunity is best suited to your practice site, please contact our office. A member of our team will get in touch to help you determine the best match. When we connect with you to talk about your site, we will also walk you through the practice site and practice educator registration processes.
Experiential Site Eligibility
For a site to participate in the experiential education program as an experiential site, the following criteria must be met:
- Practice sites are licensed and in good standing with the College of Pharmacists of BC (CPBC) or their respective regulatory body
- All registrants at the practice site are in good standing with the CPBC or their respective regulatory body
- The experiential site has a current UBC Student Placement Agreement (SPA) in place
- The experiential site actively encourages and exhibits high-quality patient- and/or client-centered care and best practices
- The practice site provides access to intra- and interprofessional learning experiences
- The experiential site has the necessary human resources (e.g., staffing) and organizational framework that permits appropriate preceptorship and supervision of students
- The experiential site provides sufficient opportunities for students to meet practicum requirements (e.g., patient care interactions, adequate prescription volume, etc.)
- All staff at the experiential site are supportive of student placements and are committed to creating a supportive learning environment for students
- The experiential site has adequate space, equipment, and resources (including access to references and technology) to facilitate student learning
- The experiential site can accommodate student learning in accordance with the OEE’s attendance policy. For all practicums other than PHRM 270, this is 40 hours a week, typically divided as eight-hour days for five days a week, not including breaks. For PHRM 270, this is, at minimum, 20 service-learning hours within the scheduled block dates
- The experiential site agrees to participate in quality assurance site visits and related activities as initiated by the OEE
Experiential Partner Eligibility
For an individual to participate in the experiential education program as an experiential partner, the following criteria must be met:
- Practice educators must be registered and in good standing with the CPBC or their respective regulatory body and must not have had a disciplinary finding nor currently be the subject of a disciplinary hearing
- Practice educators must not have any limit or condition that prohibits them from supervising or precepting pharmacy students and/or international pharmacy graduates
- Experiential partners have completed the required onboarding and training prior to the beginning of their scheduled practicum
- Practice educators have a minimum of six months experience within their practice area or setting
Responsibilities of an Experiential Partner
The OEE strives to identify experiential partners who are committed to teaching and supporting our students and will serve as positive role models. Experiential partner responsibilities include:
- Facilitating student learning and providing opportunities for course activities, including repeat opportunities to demonstrate particular skills/knowledge where needed
- Reviewing and being familiar with the required learning objectives and practicum course activities
- Ensuring adequate individualized student instruction, guidance and supervision at the site
- Observing, assessing and documenting student performance and providing ongoing and timely constructive feedback
- Providing a positive, safe, inclusive, non-discriminatory experience for students free from harmful behaviors such as bullying and harassment
The following qualities and values are sought in our experiential partners:
- Interest in precepting and engaging with students
- Mentorship and professionalism
- Empathy and care for patients and/or clients
- Striving towards exceptional coaching and teaching skills
- Seeking and being receptive to constructive feedback from students and the Faculty
Feedback
The OEE collects formal feedback from students at the end of each practicum and from experiential partners through a survey distributed annually. Both experiential partners and students are encouraged to provide informal feedback to the OEE at any time. All received feedback is noted and reviewed by the OEE and utilized to inform necessary changes to the experiential education program.
Practice educators have access to feedback completed by students on the Student Evaluation of Practice Educator and Practice Site online via E*Value.
Experiential partners may be contacted for further information regarding feedback received. Required follow up with a site is determined on a case-by-case basis and documented.
Quality Assurance Site Visits
The OEE endeavors to reach out and engage with as many of our experiential sites as possible. Sites selected for visitation are contacted by the OEE to arrange the site visit and are provided with email confirmation details along with information on what to expect during the visit.
The site visit should take approximately 45 to 60 minutes and is intended to be an opportunity for our OEE team to meet with experiential partners, take a short tour of the site, ask questions to gain a better understanding of our students’ experience at the site and collect any feedback from the site regarding our program.
Once the site visit is completed, the OEE will reach out to the site once again to follow up on any questions and concerns along with a feedback survey to gain a better understanding of the site's experience with the site visit. All the information collected will be used to help the OEE better enhance the quality of the practicum experiences it provides to both students and sites.