MS/HSPA-L Curriculum

Medication-Use Systems are an integral part of health system pharmacy.

Pharmacy leaders must be able to design, implement and manage medication-use systems that are not only safe, but also effective. The coursework in this domain is broken down into four, seven-week courses. Planned sequentially, each of these two credit hour courses builds on the next and focuses on a different aspect of medication-use systems.

Pharmacy 8160 – Operations Management in Health System Pharmacy (2 credits) – Reviews the medication use system, evidence-based practices in medication use systems management, operations management and compliance with regulatory and accrediting agencies.

Pharmacy 8150 – System Issues with Medication Safety (2 credits) – Describes the components of an effective system for tracking, trending, and reporting adverse drug events (ADE).  Understand the techniques used in investigating the causes of events. Integrate medication safety activities as a component of the organizations’ safety culture.

Pharmacy 8250 – Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Principles for Health System Pharmacists (2 credits) – Exposure to the key stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain and factors affecting its integrity. Basic concepts in drug procurement and inventory control.

Pharmacy 8170 – Planning, Leading and Managing the Pharmacy Enterprise (2 credits) - This course serves as a capstone class for students to experience the practical role of a chief pharmacy officer or director of the pharmacy enterprise. By using various online teaching strategies, students will have an opportunity to become expert in planning, organizing, executing and analyzing the pharmacy enterprise.

Program directors feel strongly that while quality cannot always be assured, it can always be improved upon. Practitioners should be able to apply current quality methodology to the management of pharmacy services.

PHR 8140 – Research Methodology (2 credits) - Apply research and design methodology to resolving health system pharmacy issues.

PubHHMP 7680 – Operations Management in Health Services Organizations (3 credits) – Gives a working knowledge of the most current operations and innovations while focusing on fundamental operations management concepts and techniques.

Pharmacy 8993 – Supervised Project in Health System Pharmacy (8 credits) – The purpose of this course is to design and complete the required major project focusing on a health system pharmacy issue.

Pharmacy directors will be expected to lead and manage the human resources for health system pharmacy.

Pharmacy 8130 – Advanced Management & Leadership Principles (2 credit) – The purpose of this course is to equip students with skills and resources that will enable them to become effective managers and organizational leaders by igniting or fueling students’ passion for leadership development.  Using a blend of cases, simulations and interactive guest speakers, this course will delve into concepts of organizational behavior, management dilemmas, diversity, implicit bias, ethical conundrums, and change management.

Students need to be able to manage the health system pharmacy financial performance within the context of the broader health system.

These courses provide important financial concepts needed by managers in health system pharmacy divided into operations and capital finance. This is complimented by a course which provides an overview and appraisal of the economic evaluation of health care programs and services applied to health systems pharmacy administration.

Pharmacy 8100 – Health System Pharmacy Finance (3 credits) – This course covers selected aspects of financial and managerial accounting as it relates to health systems and pharmacy. Learners will be introduced to financial concepts, issues, vocabulary, and tools that are needed by pharmacy leaders in the healthcare industry

Pharmacy 8180 – Economic Evaluation of the Pharmacy Enterprise (1 credit) – An overview and appraisal of the economic evaluation of health care programs and services applied to health-system pharmacy administration.

This course provides an advanced understanding of the information systems, technology, and automation systems necessary to optimize the medication-use system.

Pharmacy 8120 – Information Systems for Health System Pharmacy (1.5 credits) – Advanced understanding of information systems, technology and automation systems for health system pharmacy. Explains the advancements that practice technology enhances. Techniques used to manage limitations to electronic information and other technologies.

Personal leadership is at the core of this program and is a component of each course and activity provided in the curriculum.

Pharmacy 8130 – Advanced Leadership Principles (1 credit) – Discussion of leadership qualities and techniques required to establish a vision and strategic direction for a health system pharmacy or department.

Pharmacy 8884 – Seminar: MS in Health System Pharmacy (4 credits) – Provides experience in communication of project proposals and results and current topics. Skills in leading discussions are included, as well as methods to effectively evaluate presentations.