Advancing Clinical Pharmacy Practice Globally Through An Innovative Internationally-Trained Pharm.D. Degree Programme

Introduction: There are increasing calls worldwide for pharmacy education to prepare graduates to provide patient-centred care.Description of Programme: In response, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CU SSPPS) developed the innovative Internationally-Trained Pharm.D. (ITPD) degree programme for international pharmacists. Admitted students complete two years of online didactic coursework in their home country, two live sessions in Colorado, one before and one after didactic coursework is completed, and introductory and advanced experiential rotations in the United States.Evaluation: The ITPD programme addresses the complexity of educating diverse pharmacists to provide and meet the increasing demand of patient-centred care. Since 2014, ongoing evaluation of admission criteria and student performance assesses achievement of programme goals and continuous quality improvements. Results demonstrate student and programme success, and identified need for minor programme improvements.Future Plans: CU SSPPS hopes to expand the ITPD programme to pharmacists in low- or low-middle income countries seeking to utilise pharmacists in clinical roles.