FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Miami, Florida, July 11, 2017—Larkin University (LU) College of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program was elevated to Candidate status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). The college had previously earned Precandidate status in June 2016.
The ACPE accredits Doctor of Pharmacy programs offered by Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy in the United States. For a Doctor of Pharmacy program offered by a new College or School of Pharmacy, ACPE accreditation involves three steps: Precandidate status, Candidate status, and Accredited status. The granting of Candidate status denotes that a developmental program that is expected to mature in accord with stated plans and within a defined time. Reasonable assurances are expected to be provided that the program may become accredited as programmatic experiences are gained, generally, by the time the first class has graduated. Graduates of a class designated as having Candidate status have the same rights and privileges as graduates of an accredited program, which means they can take licensure examinations upon graduation. Candidate status was awarded during the June 2017, meeting of the ACPE Board of Directors based upon a comprehensive on-site evaluation conducted in April 2017.
“Granting of the Candidate status for our Doctor of Pharmacy program is a testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment of our Deans, Faculty and Staff. The Larkin Family is fortunate to count on such a talented group of individuals and we could not be prouder,” said Jack Michel, M.D., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Larkin University.
The College of Pharmacy’s mission is to develop an academic community engaged in teaching, research, scholarship and service that prepares pharmacists for compassionate, evidence-based and interprofessional practice in diverse settings. As stated by Dean Gary M. Levin, Pharm.D., BCPP, FCCP, “My goal was to put together an innovative and forward-thinking team to develop not just another college of pharmacy, but a unique one that would embrace diversity and social justice, interprofessional education, and an integrated curriculum. Instead of teaching many courses at one time, we have integrated topics into discrete two-week blocks that utilize many active learning strategies so that students are not just provided information, but they apply the information every day as this helps in long-term retention. This also allows students to focus on one major set of concepts at a time, instead of trying to be successful in six courses at a time as is the case in most colleges of pharmacy. By using this approach and taking advantage of the summer months, we can deliver a Doctor of Pharmacy program in three years instead of the traditional four years, and maintain at least 25% more contact time with our students. We are very excited to be the first College of Pharmacy in the region to adopt this approach.”
Larkin University is grateful to the students and preceptors who participated in the site visit and met with the accreditation team. The students were a great representation of the inaugural class with their high level of professionalism. Without the support of our preceptors, not only during the site visit but in assisting to educate our students, we could not be successful.
The Larkin University College of Pharmacy is the 7th College of Pharmacy in the State of Florida and the first in Miami-Dade County.
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Media Contact
Kristina Gaddy Mulpura
305-284-7770
Email: kgaddy@larkinhospital.com
www.larkinhospital.com
About Larkin University: Founded in 2013, Larkin University is a private not-for-profit academic institution that offers graduate degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy. The Universityaffords an expanding campus in North Miami, Florida comprised of student centered staff, state of the art teaching facilities, and an intellectual environment to assure optimal learning. The College of Pharmacy offers a graduate Doctor of Pharmacy degree at a non-prohibitive tuition cost, and the College of Biomedical Sciences offers a post-baccalaureate Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree designed for students committed to enhancing their credentials for admission to graduate programs in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and other health care fields. For more information please visit: www.ularkin.org. For additional information about Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) please visit: https://www.acpe-accredit.org/.