What IS an IPPE???

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) adopted new educational standards for 2007. In these new standards, ACPE requires colleges of pharmacy to implement Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) in addition to the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs, a.k.a. “rotations”). ACPE has also defined the number of hours spent in both IPPEs (300 hours) and APPEs (1440 hours). Although most Colleges of Pharmacy already had some sort of introductory pharmacy experiences in their curriculum, the hours have now been more specifically defined by ACPE. ACPE has specified that the 300 introductory hours must involve direct patient care and the majority of these hours will be spent in community and institutional settings. As with APPEs, students cannot be compensated for their 300 hours of IPPEs. Pharmacy schools in Ohio and across the country are modifying their curriculums as necessary to accommodate the most recent guidelines.

Due to the IPPE requirements, the Colleges of Pharmacy will be asking that even more students be granted the opportunity to “rotate” through your site. These additional students may be younger, less experienced and less knowledgeable than in the past. These IPPEs hold great potential. Preceptors and mentors will be challenged to stay current as fresh, young minds expand their knowledge base. Pharmacy networking and recruitment will be at an all time high due to the additional students. But most importantly, the profession will advance. Students learn best by doing, so this extra time required for “on the job” training will serve to produce pharmacy graduates that are more skilled, better prepared and more experienced.

Each preceptor will need to consider how it will handle the additional student requests. Every pharmacist will need to determine how to balance the stress of everyday workflow with the time demands of students. But if you have a passion for pharmacy and the progression of this profession, your help—time, patience and experience—is needed. Colleges and preceptors will need to work together so that Pharmacy Practice experiences—introductory and advanced—can become building blocks for these students.

IPPE FAQs

Question: I was just wondering, can our non-paid IPPE hours count towards our 60 hours of internship required, or are we supposed to do our 300 IPPE hours plus our 60 paid internship hours?

Answer: The 60 hours obtained in POP 303 are included in the 300 IPPE hours.

Question: You mentioned how pharmacy students used to be able to shadow physicians and nurses, but this no longer the case now. Were you referring to the hours of shadowing that we do in POP 1 and 2?

Answer: You can still shadow physicians and nurses in 1st and 2nd year POP. The 80 hours you do for both the Community IPPEs and Institutional IPPEs have to be completed with a pharmacist.

Question: Do I still need to even do my 5 hours in the second year POP sequence?

Answer: You still need to complete the second year POP sequence requirements. In fact, these hours are included in the overall total IPPE hours.

Question: Why can’t we get paid?

Answer: The accrediting body for pharmacy education (ACPE) stipulates that the hours can not be paid. Their feeling is that once you are performing a task for reimbursement the learning will stop. We have discussed this with them and they will not budge. In the state of Ohio, the Ohio Pharmacists Association is working with ACPE to see if they can get this reversed.

Question: Do I still need to 90 hours before I can get a pharmacy intern license?

Answer: Yes, you need to have complete 90 quarter hours before you can apply for your intern license.

Question: What if I’m actually a P4 taking some P3 classes? Do I still need to complete the IPPE requirements?

Answer: You would actually be treated as a P4 and would not need to complete the IPPE requirements.

Question: Do I have to do my hours in Ohio?

Answer: No, they can be done in any state.

Question: I am a P3 and I have to do 80 hours by the end of November 2008. Can I do 40 hours community and 40 hours institutional?

Answer: Yes, the two 80 hour blocks of hours can be mixed and matched, as long as you have 80 total hours in each community and institutional.

Question: I am involved in ASP Operation Diabetes program. I spent 10 hours testing patient’s blood sugar at a local grocery store. Can I count these towards my 80 community IPPE hours?

Answer: Yes, you can because a pharmacist is present and there is direct patient contact and care.

Question: I am a Pharmacy-Law student, what are the requirements for my program?

Answer: Regardless of you area of study you still will need to complete the required 300 hours.

Question: I’m an international student. Do I need a work VISA?

Answer: A work visa would not be required since IPPEs are not paid and because they are part of an academic requirement.

Question: What if I am a few hours short?

Answer: You need to have all the hours completed.

Question: Please define better the 15 hours of Community Outreach Programs.

Answer: These hours are service learning, similar to your community of service that you performed in your 1st and 2nd years. The main difference is that you are able to choose a particular service that you feel a connection to such as Habitat for Humanity, ASP programs in the community, Screenings (Diabetes, Blood pressure), Food Pantry, or even a mission trip.

Question: Can I complete these hours at the pharmacy where I work?

Answer: Yes, just remember you are not to be paid for the 80 hours.

Question: Can I just do 160 hours in one a hospital instead of 80 in a hospital and 80 in a community setting?

Answer: No, ACPE wants every student to have both Community and Institutional pharmacy exposure through the IPPEs.

Question: I’m a P2, when I do my 60 hours next year for POP 303, can I get paid?

Answer: No. The P3s can get paid because we are in a period of transition and they were already told they could be paid.

Question: I’m a P2 and I went on a Habitat trip last spring break, but I was only allowed to count it for five hours. Can I now go back and count it for more hours toward the Community Outreach hours I’ll need to get in my P3 year?

Answer: You cannot go back and count hours. You can only count hours from this point forward.

Question: I’m an international student. Can I do my IPPE hours at home (outside of the U.S.)?

Answer: Yes and No. Yes, if your preceptor has taken the APhA training course and if the practice of pharmacy in your home country is similar to that in the U.S (e.g. Canada). No, if your preceptor has not taken the APhA preceptor training course and if the practice of pharmacy is not similar to that in the U.S.