College of Pharmacy

Mission
We prepare pharmacists and scientists who improve health, serve others, lead change and advance discovery.

Vision
To lead the nation in the preparation of practice-ready professionals who advance healthcare for everyone.

Values
We value our family members, faculty, staff, students and alumni through collaboration, community, diversity, excellence, faith, integrity and service.

Experience counts, and you’ll get plenty of it by venturing out into the region with our award-winning community engagement programs. You’ll come to understand how pharmacists fill health care gaps in rural communities through preventative programs like mobile clinics, health risk assessments, health education and primary care services. By the time you graduate, you’ll have already made a difference. And that’s just the beginning. Learn more.

PharmD:
As the Raabe College of Pharmacy continues to meet the high standards of pharmaceutical education, the college’s experiential programs, which encompass approximately one third of the student’s total curriculum, allow for expansion and direct application of knowledge and skills. The Office of Experiential Education provides a variety of quality opportunities for students in both Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). The experiential portion of the curriculum is possible because of preceptors who are enthusiastic about educating future pharmacists. Many preceptors are alumni of the Raabe College. Preceptors provide valuable perspective to students, and often serve as mentors to young student pharmacists as they prepare to enter the profession.  If you are interested in becoming a preceptor please contact: experiential@onu.edu

PMBS:
Four years of laboratory and research experience anchor this cutting edge degree. You'll spend an entire semester working in a professional scientific research facility getting real-world experience and learning about the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries.  

For more information, contact Dr. Soph Chrissobolis, program director (419-772-3954 or s-chrissobolis@onu.edu)

Today’s pharmacists and scientists need to communicate and collaborate effectively and think outside the box. ONU’s world-class laboratory and learning spaces optimize this type of learning.
 
• Giant Eagle Student Lounge
• Grunder Collaborative Learning Lab
• Turner Student Organization Room
• Pharmacy Skills Center and Simulation Lab
• Seven research labs
• Wheeler Pharmacy Services Center
• ONU HealthWise Pharmacy and Mobile Clinic
• Drug and Health Information Center

Graduate outcomes
On-time graduation rate, NAPLEX passage rate for graduates, MPJE passage rate for graduates, Residencies (percentage of graduates entering PGY1 residency).

Accreditation
The Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy degree is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
135 S. LaSalle St.
Suite 4100
Chicago, IL 60603-4810
Phone: 312-664-3575
Fax: 312-664-4652
www.acpe-accredit.org

The Higher Learning Commission
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-263-0456
Fax: 312-263-7462
www.hlcommission.org

The Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy has been fully accredited by ACPE. The next onsite evaluation of the College of Pharmacy is scheduled for 2031-32.

- Accreditation Standards and Guidelines
- Student Complaint Policy and Procedure

GRADUATION RATES

NAPLEX PASSAGE RATES FOR 2019-24 GRADUATES

Five year average (2020-2024) 86.3%

View the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) data to see how Ohio Northern University's NAPLEX pass rates compare to other schools.

MPJE PASSAGE RATES FOR 2016-23 GRADUATES 

MPJE Passage Rate

Five year average (2020-2024) 78.8%
 

RESIDENCIES (% OF GRADUATES ENTERING PGY1 RESIDENCY):

Caring for the health needs of rural and underserved populations is a specialty in itself. These patients face different health issues than people in cities and towns and to best serve them, rural health care provider should receive specialized training and hands-o experience working with these populations.

The Rural and Underserved Health Scholars Program will prepare you for rural practice by providing opportunities to develop your leadership skills, gain patient care experience and learn research techniques necessary to understand the unique needs of rural and underserved populations.

Upon completion of this multi-year certificate training program, you will be ready to face the challenges of rural practice by complementing your degree with a specialized skill set.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Seminars – learn about various topics related to rural health, such rural health care and project development.

• Patient experiences – care for patients in rural settings and shadow health care providers who practice in rural settings.

• Research experience – design, implement and evaluate research related to rural and underserved patient populations, in collaboration with faculty members.

• Leadership experience – utilize our tools and guidance to solidify strong leadership skills necessary to enact change in rural and underserved communities.

• Service opportunities – develop and implement service-learning opportunities to address needs and opportunities in a rural, underserved community.

For application questions, please contact Emily Eddy or Michelle Musser. 

In the ever-changing world of pharmacy, and with the evolving role of pharmacists as primary care providers and health educators, our duty to the citizens in our community has changed to meet the demands of patients. Since 2010, the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy has provided health and wellness resources to the community through the outreach efforts of ONU HealthWise, a multidisciplinary team of ONU faculty, students and interdisciplinary health care specialists under the supervision of licensed professionals. Learn more.

With more than a dozen professional, honorary and student government organizations on campus devoted to the pharmacy profession, getting involved outside the classroom is distinctly ONU. By participating in student organizations, you’ll develop leadership skills and a teamwork mindset. You’ll also build your network with pharmacists around the country, and have the chance to travel, attend and present at professional and scientific conferences.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

ACADEMY OF MANAGED CARE PHARMACY (AMCP)

• AMCP’s vision is managed care pharmacy improving health care for all by empowering its members to serve society using sound medication management principles and strategies to improve health care for all.  Managed care pharmacy principles are based upon the use of scientific evidence to achieve healthy outcomes while making the best use of money spent on medications and their management.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENTISTS (AAPS)

• AAPS is dedicated to the development of pharmaceutical scientists and research.  Their mission is to improve campus awareness of the pharmaceutical industry and faciltiate student involvement in research projects at ONU.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PSYCHIATRIC PHARMACISTS (AAPP)-FORMLY CPNP

• The primary purpose of this group is to raise awareness about mental health and substance abuse not only on campus, but also in Ada and the surrounding communities. AAPP meets monthly to hear from speakers who are experienced pharmacists, psychologists, and trained educators from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). AAPP also has teamed with other pharmacy organizations on campus to plan an annual mental health week each April.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CONSULTANT PHARMACISTS (ASCP)

• ASCP's mission is to promote healthy aging by empowering pharmacists and students with education, resources, and innovative opportunities. Our organization conducts outreach with community partners including Vancrest of Ada, Senior Citizens Services in Lima, and more. Outreach opportunities work directly with the older adult population and emphasize non-pharmacological strategies for management of arthritis, dementia and Parkinson’s Disease. Student chapter membership is only $20 per year which includes local and national membership. Internships, Residencies, and Rotations are available to ASCP members. National web site

APHA ACADEMY OF STUDENTS OF PHARMACY (APHA-ASP)

• The American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) is the national professional organization for all pharmacists. The pharmacy student is represented in APhA through the Academy of Students of Pharmacy (ASP), hence the more common designation at ONU is to refer to this membership as being in ASP. In addition, membership in APhA, while a student at ONU, will also include membership in the Ohio Pharmacists Association. Membership is open to all students enrolled in the College of Pharmacy. The organization has regular biweekly meetings and sponsors speakers and health professional programs such as blood pressure screening and poison prevention awareness. The APhA publishes a monthly journal under the title of American Pharmacy. National web site

CHRISTIAN PHARMACISTS FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL (CPFI)

• Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International (CPFI) is a worldwide, interdenominational ministry of individuals working in all areas of pharmaceutical service and practice. We welcome all Christian pharmacy majors – if you are someone who has a lot of interest in the world of pharmacy then CPFI is for you! CPFI hosts multiple speakers each semester, who share their pharmacy experiences in order to promote growth in members as Christians, pharmacists, and people. National web site

INDUSTRY PHARMACIST ORGANIZATION (IPHO0

• IPhO operates to enhance student pharmacists' understanding of industry, help them evaluate career opportunities, and prepare them to pursue an industry-focused career.  Some activities include raising awareness of the diverse roles that industry pharmacists fulfill, creating opportunities for student pharmacists to connect with industry pharmacists, and providing opportunities to particpate in industry-focused scholarly activities.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY DISPENSING ASSOCIATION (NCODA)

• The National Community Oncology Dispensing Association, Inc. (NCODA) is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization, founded to strengthen oncology organizations with medically integrated dispensing (MID) services. NCODA is addressing the growing need for MID cancer clinics to improve operations at the pharmacy level in order to deliver quality and sustainable value to all stakeholders involved in the care of cancer patients receiving oral therapy.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY PHARMACIST ASSOCIATION (NCPA)

• The NCPA is the National Community Pharmacist Association representing independent pharmacy practice. NCPA offers its members valuable information on the business and practice of independent pharmacy, the latest developments in legislation and regulations affecting pharmacy practice, practical tools that can be used in everyday practice, and an opportunity to expand their network of pharmacy colleagues. Student membership is open to all students enrolled in the College of Pharmacy. The organization has monthly meetings, often including invited speakers. NCPA Student Chapters give back to their communities through community service. Members are encouraged to participate in NCPA on the national level in addition to the student chapter. National web site

ONU HERB CLUB

• The primary purpose of the club is to teach members and the community about the proper use of medicinal plants. The club meets twice monthly. One meeting is devoted to the discussion of a specific medicinal plant and its various activities, which includes information as to how much is known and how extensive the research has been to study that plant’s activity. The second monthly meeting is a project meeting in which members learn how to grow a plant and how to prepare that plant for a particular use (such as making a poultice for placing on a surface wound). The ONU Herb Club also helps maintain of the University’s four campus herb gardens. 

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE COALITION

• The purpose of this ONU student PMC chapter is to foster the development and awareness of personalized medicine both educationally and professionally. The organization consists of six sections based on the PMC document “The Case for Personalized Medicine”: technology, regulatory policy, payment, health information technology, genetic non-discrimination and medical education.  

PHARMACY COUNCIL

• Pharmacy Student Council is a group of elected students who represent their various classes within the College of Pharmacy and also includes a pharmacy senator serving on the University Student Senate. The council serves as a liaison between the students and administrations, faculty, and staff concerning issues which affect the College of Pharmacy. It also serves as a unifying council of the various pharmacy organizations. It elects or appoints all student members serving on college committees, such as the Curriculum Committee. The council has sponsored the Pharmacy High School Day on campus for the past several years, a drug fair during Pharmacy Week, the graduating students composite picture, and the Annual Pharmacy Picnic.

STUDENT NATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION (SNPHA)

• SNPhA is an educational service association of pharmacy students who are concerned about pharmacy and healthcare related issues, and the poor minority representation in pharmacy and other health-related professions. The purpose of SNPhA is to plan, organize, coordinate and execute programs geared toward the improvement for the health, educational, and social environment of the community The National Pharmaceutical Association is the parent organization for SNPhA. SNPhA has the following initiatives : HIV/AIDS Initiative - “Remember the Ribbon”, Power to End Stroke, Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative – “KEEP SAKE,” Clinical Skills Competition, Legislation/Voting/Immigration Initiative, Operation Immunization, Clinical Disease Initiative, and Diabetes Initiative. National web site or Local chapter site

STUDENT SOCIETY OF HEALTH-SYSTEM PHARMACISTS (SSHP)

• SSHP is the largest national Pharmacy student organization in the United States and its mission seeks to provide ONU students opportunities to learn about careers for Pharmacists in Health-System Practice.  As Pharmacists expand their scope of practice to become specialists at hospitals and outpatient clinics in a variety of fields such as Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Cardiology, Womens Health etc., SSHP connects its members to healthcare leaders to build connections.  Our SSHP chapter also offers a plethora of scholarships for its members to offset the cost of tuition and attending professional meetings.  We pride ourselves as an organization who helps prepare our members for a pathway into Residency after graduation by inviting Resident Program Directors on-campus to discuss the matching process and share more about their programs.  We also encourage student advocacy to reshape Pharmacy practice with numerous legislative experiences.  To learn more about our state and national affiliate organizations, click the links to learn more! 

HONORARIES AND GREEK

KAPPA EPSILON

• Kappa Epsilon is a professional pharmacy fraternity that strives to unite both men and women in the profession of pharmacy and stimulate a desire for high scholastic achievement. KE is a fraternity with strong bonds across the nation with the motto that "KE is for Life". Additionally, Kappa Epsilon promotes our philanthropies, Breast and Ovarian cancer, through various fundraisers, events, and service learning opportunities across campus. National web site

KAPPA PSI

• Kappa Psi conducts a fraternal organization mutually beneficial for members in the advancement of the profession of pharmacy – educationally, fraternally, and socially; striving to instill industry, sobriety, fellowship, and high ideals and to foster scholarship and pharmaceutical research. ONU chapter web site  National web site

PHI DELTA CHI

• The Phi Delta Chi Professional Pharmacy Fraternity returned to Ohio Northern University in Fall 2020.  Phi Delta Chi was founded 1883 at University of Michigan and was originally founded at ONU in 1955.  Their goal is to provide a lifelong home for pharmacists inspiring brotherhood, leadership, service, and scholarship.  Their philanthropy is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. National Website

PHI LAMBDA SIGMA

• Phi Lambda Sigma is an honor society for pharmacy students. Members must be chosen by their peers and must exhibit leadership. National web site

RHO CHI

• Rho Chi is a national pharmacy honor society. It is open to all undergraduates in the upper 20% of their class, with at least a B average, and who have completed at least 70% of the scholastic work applicable toward a pharmacy degree. National web site

If you are interested in research, you’ll discover opportunities to work side-by-side with ONU professors in a variety of venues, including laboratory, epidemiologic, public health and clinic research projects. Many ONU pharmacy students serve as authors on scientific papers and present research findings at regional and national conferences. High-impact learning experiences like these are distinctly ONU. 

In conjunction with the ONU HealthWise program, Ohio Northern University offers a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency. The residency program provides pharmacy graduates that match into the programs with the unique opportunity to work in an extremely innovative health care setting. In the program, residents work with an interdisciplinary team of pharmacists, nurses, exercise physiologists and nutritionists that serve Hardin County citizens and employees and students of Ohio Northern University. To learn more, click here. 
 

I. Observation Skills 

All candidates for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Raabe College of Pharmacy must be able to observe: 

• Lectures; 
• Recitation/Seminar presentations; 
• Experiments; 
• Practice-based activities; and 
• Patients at varied distances from the candidate. 

II. Communication Skills 

All candidates for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Raabe College of Pharmacy must be able to: 

• Effectively and efficiently communicate in oral and written English; 
• Effectively communicate with patients, caregivers and all members of the health care team; 
• Communicate with compassion and empathy; 
• Communicate efficiently with instructors and peers as well as recognizing and employing non-verbal communication cues; 
• Understand the role of professional communication within the field of pharmacy; and 
• Rapidly elicit information from patients using sensitive and effective communication including information from non-verbal cues. 

III. Motor Skills 

All candidates for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Raabe College of Pharmacy must have sufficient sensory and motor skills including exteroceptive sense (touch, pain, and temperature), proprioceptive sense (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis, and vibratory), and motor function as well as functional use of the senses of equilibrium needed for diagnostic skills to: 

• Provide adequate patient care and assessment utilizing diagnostic equipment and procedures, 
• Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid, and other functions required for an emergency response in a timely manner; 
• Provide injections for immunization; 
• Utilize compounding techniques and equipment; 
• Safely and effectively prepare and handle sterile products and perform aseptic techniques; 
• Dispense pharmaceutical compounds and monitor their effects in a patient. 

IV. Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities 

All candidates for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Raabe College of Pharmacy must be able to: 

• Solve problems using varied skills, including: 

1. Measurement 
2. Mathematical calculations 
3. Reasoning 
4. Analysis 
5. Synthesis 
6. Evaluation 

• Incorporate new and changing information obtained during an exercise or patient encounter and modify plans to take that information into account; 
• Identify and communicate the limits of one’s knowledge, when appropriate; 
• Consistently, quickly and accurately integrate all information received by whatever sense(s) employed; 
• Learn, integrate, analyze, and synthesize data; and 
• Perform the above abilities in a reasonable amount of time consistent with the task at-hand. 

V. Behavioral Attributes 

All candidates for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Raabe College of Pharmacy must be able to: 

• Read, understand and abide by the Professional Code of Conduct put forth by the Raabe College of Pharmacy; 
• Exercise good judgments in all situations, including but not limited to online communications; 
• Learn to competently function in stressful situations, be flexible and adapt to change; 
• Possess integrity, passion, empathy, concern and interpersonal skills; 
• Exhibit ethical decision making and behavior; 
• Create mature and effective relationships with patients; and 
• Have good moral character, decent values and principled judgment meet the ethical standards set forth by the pharmacy profession 

At the beginning of each year, students in the College of Pharmacy are provided a copy of the current College of Pharmacy Student Handbook.  The handbook includes policies and procedures specific to students in the College of Pharmacy.  If you are interested in a copy, please email pharmacy@onu.edu.

Meet Christopher Westrick, PharmD ‘11, @ Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

“Patients are referred to me for chronic disease education and management for conditions like diabetes, smoking cessation, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and anticoagulation. I can start, stop, or change medicines, and order and evaluate pertinent laboratory values. After a patient establishes with me, I typically see them about once per month until their condition improves, at which point the visits become more spaced out.”

What’s to love: “Helping patients understand their disease states and watching them improve. I have patients tell me ‘nobody has taken time to explain that to me before.’”

Skills needed: communication, relationship building, resourcefulness, willingness to fight for patient rights.

Meet Kara Sosinski, PharmD ‘18, @ Cleveland Clinic

“I optimize electronic health records and pharmacy automation. Typical projects include adding alerts, building scoring systems, tracking inventory, creating medication lists and pars for dispensing cabinets, and regulating cartfills and dispense locations. I work alongside managers, nurses and pharmacists who make requests or are affected by new functionality to ensure that the changes are not disruptive but provide maximum benefit.”

What’s to love: “The teamwork required to complete large projects that affect the entire health system. It’s interesting to receive improvement requests daily and brainstorm ways to make others’ workflow smoother.”

Skills needed: critical thinking, organization, ability to work independently, time management.

Meet Ashley Duty, PharmD ‘12, @ Children’s Mercy Kansas City

“I manage 23 pharmacists working in hematology/oncology and general medicine/surgery for a children’s hospital. I also coordinate our sterile compounding operations. Most drug manufacturers do not make things ready-to-use for pediatrics. Pediatric pharmacists must become experts in choosing the right concentration and dosage form for their patients and making those manipulations. We care for babies who weigh only four pounds up to teenagers who are adult sized.”

What’s to love: “The people who work in pediatrics are compassionate and focused on the care and healing of children.”

Skills needed: empathy, detailed-oriented, strong knowledge of drug information.

Meet Kellie Musch, PharmD ’15, @ OhioHealth Columbus

“I oversee all pharmacy services at seven freestanding emergency departments. My team of pharmacists and technicians supports pharmacy operations with order verification, dispensing, compounding, checking and delivery. Additionally, we work with nurses, advanced care providers and physicians to recommend drug therapy, assist with emergency response, perform medication reconciliation and to independently manage post-discharge culture review to make sure the ‘bug matches the drug.’”

What’s to love:  “Making a positive impact on a patient’s life by choosing the right drug for his or her disease, organ function, weight, and age.”

Skills needed: motivation, adaptability, drive, organization, time management.

Recent Achievement: installed as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) New Practitioners Forum Executive Committee Chair where she leads a forum of 7000+ members with 119 New Practitioner Forum Leaders and 4 executive committee members.  

Meet Michael Cox, PharmD ‘00, @ DayOne Pharmaceuticals

“I am the medical lead on the development of new drugs for children with cancer. I work with clinical research teams at hospitals throughout the world to design and conduct trials, and also with regulatory authorities like the Food and Drug Administration to lead drugs through the approval process. Every day is different as I work with bench top researchers to develop new drugs based on newly discovered targets in the cancer genome, and also with academic collaborators to publish and present data at global scientific conferences.”

What’s to love: “It’s great to hear how our drugs are changing outcomes for children diagnosed with cancer. While there are setbacks and failures, we learn from those and try again. We never sit and wait, we forge the path forward.”

Skills needed: perseverance, adaptability, innovation, desire to never stop learning.

Meet Kelsey Rife, PharmD ‘12, @ VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, Cleveland

“As clinical program manager, I oversee our pharmacy intern program, chair our Residency Advisory Committee, and serve as a liaison to pharmacy schools on the coordination of training at our facility. I also maintain a clinical practice in gastroenterology/hepatology that is expanding from hepatitis to include the management of post-transplant, inflammatory bowel disease, and other chronic liver disease patients.”

What’s to love: “The diversity and flexibility of my position. I’ve had the chance to lead many novel process improvement projects that have measurable outcomes, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our day-to-day work.”

Skills needed: leadership, organization, time management, communication.

Meet Alison Haas, PharmD ‘12, @ Jackson Center Pharmacy & Wellness Center

“I own and operate an independent community pharmacy. My husband and I started the pharmacy from scratch in a small Ohio town that had been without a pharmacy for five years. On a daily basis, I counsel patients, fill prescriptions, and run pharmacy operations with tasks like bookkeeping, inventory management and payroll. We also offer customers many enhanced services such as adherence packaging, medication synchronization, and immunizations.”

What’s to love: “Nothing can match the opportunity to take care of the friends and neighbors who live in my small community. The relationships I develop with my patients is by far the most rewarding aspect of what I do.”

Skills needed: entrepreneurial spirit, business skills, communication, relationship-building.