Pre-Pharmacy Lecture Series

Michael DeYoung Notes

Assistant Dean of Pharmacy

University of Southern Nevada

1-10-06

Attendance: 24

I.         About University of Southern Nevada

            A.        Private school. Cost of tuition is $30,000/year.

            B.        Nevada school was first implemented in 1991.

            C.        Temporary facility in South Jordan to be completed by Fall 2006 to accommodate the first class held in Utah.

            D.        Permanent facility, located across the street in the River Park community, to be completed by Fall 2007.

            E.        The pharmacy school is accredited and the University is seeking accreditation.

II.        Program Description:

            A.        Features a 3 year program with classes held almost year around (6 week break in the summer)

            B.        Classes meet M-F 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. and operate on a block system.

            C.        The block system is one in which students learn one subject matter at a time. It is believed this gives teachers more flexibility in working to meet their students needs. Quality education (rather than research) is a high priority of this school.

            D.        Exams are held every other Friday. Students must show adequate competency in each subject by passing each exam with a 90% score or better. If a student fails to achieve this score they get a second chance the following Monday. If the score is still not achieved they get one more chance during the 6 week break in the summer.

            E.        All classes are either pass or fail - No letter grades are assigned.

            F.        Like most pharmacy schools, the curriculum is very challenging and requires good time management.

III.       Admissions and Retention:

            A.        Class size: Nevada site = 140 students/class, Utah site = 50 students/class

            B.        The curriculum for both sites will be exactly the same.

            C.        One application will be sufficient for both schools.

            D.        Due to excess of quality pharmacy students and clinical openings in Utah, Univ. of Southern Nevada does not feel they will be in competition with the Univ. of Utah pharmacy program.

            E.        The pharmacy school has a 5% attrition rate (students not completing the program).

            F.        Over 90% of graduating students pass the state board exams.

            G.        Candidates are ranked on their cumulative GPA, their science GPA and their interview. (PCAT scores, letters of recommendations and pharmacy experience are not required)

            H.        Although a bachelors degree is not required, students having one will have an advantage over those that don’t.

            I.         Interviewers are more concerned about what candidates have learned from their experiences than the duration or nature of their experiences.