Dual Degree Programs at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education,  2008  by Senft, Sandra L,  Thompson, Chad,  Blumenschein, Karen

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The rapid growth and evolution of the pharmacy profession has created a wide array of opportunities for graduating pharmacists beyond traditional community pharmacy or hospital practice. Management and leadership positions in federal and state healthcare agencies, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, retail pharmacies, academia and managed care organizations increasingly require the pharmaceutical knowledge obtained through a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree combined with financial, organizational, and management skills. In these innovative positions, pharmacists are being called upon to assume responsibilities as executives and administrators in systems providing pharmacist care services to patients.

To endow students with knowledge and skills required to perform the duties required in these decision-making positions, the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy has established 3 joint degree programs: the PharmD/Master of Business Administration (PharmD/MBA), PharmD/Master of Public Administration (PharmD/MPA), and PharmD/Master of Science in Economics (PharmD/MS). This paper describes these joint degree programs.

Keywords: dual degree, joint degree, education, doctor of pharmacy degree, master of business administration, master of public administration

BACKGROUND

Joint degree programs have been offered at medical and nursing schools for more than a quarter of a century.1-4 Several medical colleges in the United States offer joint degree programs combining the medical degree with such degrees as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and PhD.1-3 With the acceptance of the joint degree programs in medicine, schools of nursing also established joint degree programs, combining the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with the MBA. 4

A review of the literature on joint degree programs reveals few publications specific to programs in pharmacy. Searches of MEDLINE and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (as of June 2007) identified only 5 papers that mention joint degree programs in pharmacy. Two of the papers discuss the PharmD/MBA program at the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University.5,6 McKay, Stull, and Robinson5 provide a brief synopsis of the creation of the joint PharmD/MBA at Shenandoah, while Latif and Wachsmann6 describe a specialized management rotation for students enrolled in the program. Student satisfaction and academic performance in the PharmD/MBA program between the South Carolina College of Pharmacy and The Citadel's School of Business Administration are documented by Chumney and Ragucci.7 A descriptive snapshot of 14 of the 15 active PharmD/MBA programs as of 2002 is provided by Thai and Draugalis.8 The only joint degree article in pharmacy that is not specifically focused on the PharmD/MBA option is the recent paper by Gourley and colleagues.9 These authors describe characteristics of PharmD/PhD programs offered in the United States with a focus on the program offered at the University of Tennessee. 9 In addition to these 5 papers, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts documents 8 published abstracts on dual degree programs within pharmacy.10-17 Again, the emphasis is placed on programs offering a PharmD/MBA and/or PharmD/PhD.

It is somewhat surprising that information on joint degree offerings in colleges and schools of pharmacy is in such short supply since the 2005 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) White Paper identified at least 41 colleges and schools of pharmacy offering some kind of joint degree program.18 Joint degree programs in pharmacy combine the doctor of pharmacy degree with such degrees as master of public health (MPH), master of business administration (MBA), master of public administration (MPA), master of science (MS), physician assistant (PA), juris doctor (JD), and doctor of philosophy (PhD). The AACP White Paper reports that most PharmD/PhD graduates enter academia. The PharmD/MBA graduates are less well described, but many are employed in managed care organizations and pharmaceutical industry.18 Little is known about the career paths for other joint degree program graduates.

The advantages of a joint degree in pharmacy lie both in timing and in the opportunities outside of traditional clinical or community pharmacy. Thai and Draugalis state that the dual degree differs from the MS residency or pharmacy practice management residency by being completed during the PharmD education.8 Thus, opportunity cost is reduced when compared to obtaining the second degree separately from the PharmD degree. Oakley reported that pharmacist managers with an MBA or MS were preferred for administrative positions in hospitals.19 In a separate survey, Oakley and colleagues found that only pharmacy directors with an MBA or MS degree believed they had been adequately prepared for their role as director through their academic training.20

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the limited literature describing joint degree programs offered in colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States by describing the programs currently offered at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.