Lipscomb College of Pharmacy begins interviews of candidates December 13
Janel Shoun |
Lipscomb launched the first pharmacy college in Middle Tennessee last fall and opened the application period for its first class in October. Applications for the fall 2008 class will be accepted through Feb. 4. As is typical of pharmacy colleges around the nation, competitive applicants must be personally interviewed as part of the application process. There are several more interview days planned throughout this spring.
“We already have over 100 applicants for the inaugural class, which has 75 spots, so we are very excited about the quality of the students who will make up Lipscomb’s first class of student pharmacists,” said Paige Akers, associate dean for student affairs. “We are expecting to receive many more applications. There is still time for interested students to get their information in and prepare for a potential interview.”
To apply for the Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy, students must have at least 66 semester credit hours of required pre-pharmacy college courses with a minimum GPA of 2.5, scores on the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) in at least the 45th percentile, a completed application and letters of recommendation, said Akers. Specific pre-pharmacy course requirements can be found at pharmacy.lipscomb.edu.
Once all the information has arrived at the admission office officials review the information and decide whether to issue an invitation to the applicants under consideration, she said.
Approximately 200 interview spots are available starting Dec. 13 and continuing each month through March. Interviews take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and include lunch with the admissions committee, a campus tour and an information session on topics such as financial aid, housing and student life.
A December 2002 report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), concluded there is an increasing demand for pharmacists’ service that is outpacing the current and possibly future pharmacist supply. The National Pharmacist Workforce Study predicts a shortfall of as many as 157,000 pharmacists by 2020.
In response to the growing need for highly qualified pharmacists throughout the nation, Lipscomb University announced in November 2006 it would create the third pharmacy college in the state, the first in Middle Tennessee.
The Lipscomb College of Pharmacy expects to be considered for pre-candidate status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) in June 2008.