Professional standards, from the Accreditation Council on Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) Outcomes and the North American Pharmacy Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) Blueprint, are the basis of the School of Pharmacy Program Outcomes. The program’s curricular outcomes are defined at a more general level by the Global Program Learning Outcomes, and more specifically as the Professional Student Outcomes.
The nine Global Program Learning Outcomes (GPLO) are divided across three domains: Biomedical Sciences; Clinical Pharmacy Practice; and Social, Behavioral and Administrative Pharmacy.
The Professional Student Outcomes (PSO), which are defined as the academic knowledge, skills and attitudes that a pharmacy graduate should possess, are mapped to the GPLOs. Achievement of PSOs can therefore be used to demonstrate achievement of the GPLOSs. PSOs are mapped to the syllabi to be sure that all outcomes are adequately covered in the professional curriculum. PSOs are assessed through activities in courses and modules.
Ability Based Outcomes (ABO) are based on the performance of specific skills demonstrated in the practice environment. PERFORM-I are ABOs used for the Introductory Professional Practice Experience (IPPE) rotations, and the PERFORM-A are ABOs used for the Advanced Professional Practice Experience (APPE) rotations. ABOs are also mapped to the PSOs. Thus, achievement of the ABOs can be linked directly to the achievement of the PSOs.
The effectiveness of the curriculum is documented through the assessment of the student’s ability to successfully demonstrate the PSOs. PSOs are directly assessed in didactic courses. PSOs are indirectly assessed using the ABOs (PERFORM I and PERFORM A) in the experiential courses.