Program overview

Program length: 35 weeks (six rotation blocks), starting annually in September
Class size: 12 students a year
Location: Rochester, Minnesota

The Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotation helps develop students' skills to provide pharmaceutical care to a variety of patients.

While interacting with health care professionals, residents, other students, patients, and their caregivers to optimize drug therapy outcomes, you will learn to communicate effectively and demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills. APPEs are available in both the acute and ambulatory care practice settings.

The rotation includes all the elements that create an exceptional education experience:

• A challenging, high-quality curriculum
• State-of-the-art diagnostic, therapeutic, and research facilities
• A diverse patient population
• An environment based on teamwork and mutual support

Application process

Prerequisites

To be eligible for the rotation, you must be:

• Enrolled in the doctor of pharmacy program at one of our affiliated institutions: Creighton University, Drake University, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, or University of Minnesota
• Licensed as a pharmacy intern in Minnesota

At this time, we are unable to accommodate requests for new APPE affiliation agreements.

How to apply

Students who attend an affiliated institution must request to their experiential program director to complete an APPE at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota. Your experiential program director will coordinate scheduling based on APPE availability provided by Mayo Clinic. Assignment to a specific acute or ambulatory practice site is based on preceptor availability.

Individuals assigned to an APPE at Mayo Clinic will be contacted by the Mayo Clinic Department of Pharmacy Services and provided instructions on how to complete the online application process.

The application and all supporting documentation, including a national background check, must be received at least eight weeks prior to the start of the APPE rotation.

Students are responsible for any fees associated with background checks or immunizations required by Mayo Clinic.

Tuition and financial aid

There are no tuition or program costs charged to the student for participating in APPE rotations at Mayo Clinic. No stipend is provided.

Students are responsible for providing living accommodations and transportation.

Curriculum

As an APPE student at Mayo Clinic, you devote much of your time to comprehensive clinical training in direct patient care services.

During your APPE at Mayo Clinic, you participate as an integral member of a multidisciplinary patient care team in one of Mayo Clinic's patient care areas.

Through collaboration with your patient care team, you develop individualized pharmacotherapeutic care plans for patients to optimize drug therapy outcomes. Students are expected to utilize effective communication skills and demonstrate interpersonal skills.

During your APPE, you also enhance your skills in:

• Developing problem lists
• Defining therapeutic goals
• Developing therapeutic plans
• Monitoring drug therapy outcomes
• Providing drug information and education
• Assessing and practicing evidence-based medicine

Schedule

For the majority of the APPE, your learning schedule includes eight-hour days, five days a week. Evening and weekend hours may be part of your APPE.

Preceptors and faculty

APPE preceptors provide direct patient care in virtually every specialty area and are actively involved in student teaching and other scholarly activities. The preceptors come from diverse backgrounds and share numerous years of experience, clinical knowledge and research interests. You have direct access to these and many more preceptors and mentors to optimize the learning experience.

More than 70 pharmacists at Mayo Clinic are certified by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties in various practice areas. More than 80 pharmacists serve as preceptors for our APPEs and PGY-1 and PGY-2 residency programs.