Doctor of Pharmacy Quality Indicators
Doctor of Pharmacy – 51.2001
Accreditation
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy has been granted accreditation status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), 190 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 2850, Chicago, IL 60603, (312) 664.3575; FAX (312) 664.4652, website www.acpe-accredit.org. Policies and regulations pertaining to the accreditation process are available on the ACPE website: http://www.acpe-accredit.org or by calling the ACPE office at (312) 664.3575.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Appalachian College of Pharmacy is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award doctorate degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Appalachian College of Pharmacy may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Certification
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has certified the Appalachian College of Pharmacy to operate in Virginia, and the right to confer the doctor of pharmacy degree. Contact the State Council at 101 N. 14TH St., 10TH FL, James Monroe Bldg. – Richmond, VA 23219 or call (804) 225-2600 for questions about the status of Appalachian College of Pharmacy.
Students and prospective students may find the information resources of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) of use in planning for college and careers. SCHEV has created an institutional profile for each Virginia public college and university, and for each independent college or university participating in the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program. Our profile is available here.
History
Located in Southwest Virginia, Appalachian College of Pharmacy offers a three-year doctor of pharmacy program, and is committed to serving the needs of rural and under-served communities in Appalachia as well as throughout the world.
The College was founded in August 2003 as the University of Appalachia by Frank Kilgore, assistant county attorney for Buchanan County, Virginia. The Buchanan County Board of Supervisors and Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority requested that Mr. Kilgore establish a higher education institution as an economic, educational, and healthcare development project. The College is strategically positioned in Buchanan County, Virginia, which shares borders with Kentucky and West Virginia in the center of the Appalachian coalfields. The Appalachian region faces significant economic and educational barriers, as well as healthcare challenges. A previous report to the Virginia Legislature documented that residents of Southwest Virginia have difficulty obtaining and paying for healthcare, including dental and pharmaceutical care. By bringing higher education and advances in healthcare to the region, the College is well-positioned to be a catalyst for positive changes in economic development, education, and healthcare.
The College was awarded pre-candidate accreditation status with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) in June 2005.
The College matriculated its first class of students in August 2005.
The College was certified to operate in Virginia by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) in June 2005.
The College was awarded candidate accreditation status by ACPE in June 2007, permitting graduates to sit for the national pharmacy licensure examinations.
The College graduated its first class in the Spring of 2008.
In February 2009 the College formally changed its name from University of Appalachia to the Appalachian College of Pharmacy.
In January 2010, the College was awarded accreditation status by ACPE.
In January 2011 the College was awarded accreditation status by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Mission & Vision
Mission
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy, a college of higher education conferring the doctor of pharmacy degree, provides academic, scientific, and professional pharmacy education to address the health-related needs of rural and under-served communities, particularly those in Appalachia, through education, service, and scholarship. The philosophy of the College is to cultivate a learning community committed to education, community outreach, and the professional development of pharmacists.
Vision
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy (the College), through quality and innovative education, service and scholarship, will improve the general health and well-being of the residents of rural or under served populations, particularly vulnerable populations within Central Appalachia. The College will educate pharmacists to embrace knowledge and technology to optimize pharmacist-delivered patient care and health outcomes in an interdisciplinary health care environment. The College will collaborate with stakeholders to develop centers of excellence to address identified needs in rural health.
ACP is Committed to These Core Values
Excellence
To meet and exceed, through continuous quality improvement, the highest standards of academic excellence and professionalism in service.
Professionalism
To create a climate that encourages personal development of ethical behavior, responsibility, dependability, and commitment among students, faculty, staff, and administration.
Social Responsibility
To develop a commitment to social responsibility; to contribute to the health and well being of patients, the community, and society in medically underserved regions; and to shape public policy and health promotion at all levels.
Collaboration
To work with other educational institutions, the healthcare community, and other specialties and organizations to foster collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and the community.
Lifelong Learning
To provide meaningful and innovative experiences that encourage and develop a lifelong commitment to learning and professional development of students, faculty, staff, preceptors, alumni and other pharmacists.
Program Outcomes
The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) measures one’s ability to determine pharmacotherapy and therapeutic outcomes, prepare and dispense medication, and implement and evaluate information for optimal health care. ACP sets target pass rates with the goal to equal or exceed the national average NAPLEX pass rate. The threshold is set within two standard deviations (SD) of the national average each year since this is the minimum required by ACPE.
A summary of North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) first-time pass rates for the Classes of 2017-2021 are shown below in the table and show that all classes have been above the set threshold. The standard deviation for the national average has not been released yet for 2021 NAPLEX data.
| Graduating Year | 1st Time Pass Rate | National Average | Outcome |
| 2021 | 66.0% | 83.7 ± x% | TBD (need SD) |
| 2020 | 76.9% | 87.7 ± 9% | Exceed Threshold |
| 2019 | 79.4% | 87.8 ± 8.9% | Exceed Threshold |
| 2018 | 79.7% | 89.1 ± 7.8% | Exceed Threshold |
| 2017 | 81% | 87.9 ± 8.2% | Exceed Threshold |
On-Time Graduation Rates for Classes of 2017-2021
ACP is an accelerated program and therefore, on-time graduation is defined as graduating within 3 years of matriculation into the program, although ACPE defines on-time graduation as 4 years. The College’s benchmark is to have an on-time (3 year) graduation rate of 90%. ACP uses a threshold of graduation rate of 76% since ACPE requires that total attrition to be below 24%. The on-time graduation rate for the graduating classes of 2017-2021 is 76.0% based on all students admitted into the program (275 out of 362). The vast majority of students progressed through the curriculum, completed the required didactic coursework, advanced to Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiential rotations and graduated on time. An additional 10.8% of students (39 out of 362) graduated within 150% time, and 0.8% (3 out of 362) graduated in > 150% time. The breakdown of students per year is shown below in the table. There is currently one student counted as a “No” in the table below for the Class of 2020 that is on track to graduate >150% time, as well as seven students listed as “No” for the Class of 2021 that are still in the program and on-track to graduate in the future. The College exceeded the threshold of an on-time graduation rate of 76% in 2017-2020, and failed to meet the threshold in the year 2021. Total attrition over the time period of 2017-2021 is 12.4% (expected to decrease to 10.2% once the students currently in the program graduate), which is well below the ACPE threshold of 24% attrition.
Over the period of time 2017-2021, the student demographics breakdown in the following manner: gender: female (51.4%), male (48.9%); ethnicity: American Indian (0.3%), Asian (15.2%), Black/African American (20.7%), Caucasian (60.8%), Latinx (1.4%), and unknown (1.7%). The overall on-time graduation rates for females (139 out of 185) and males (137 out of 177) were 75.1% and 77.4%, respectively. With respect to ethnicity, small cohorts with 1-6 total students (American Indian, Latinx, Unknown) have on-time graduation rates of 100%, while larger cohorts have the following on-time graduation rates: Asian (80%), Black/African American (73.3%), and Caucasian (75.5%). There are no major differences in on-time graduation rate that stand out based on gender or ethnicity.
Appalachian College of Pharmacy graduates have gained employment in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, ambulatory care, post-graduate residencies and fellowships and other pharmacy and non-pharmacy related fields. The College conducts a survey annually approximately six months after graduation to collect employment data of recent graduates.
A summary of employment rates six months after graduation for the Classes of 2017-2021 are shown below in the table. The Classes of 2017-2020 were successful in exceeding the threshold of 80% while the Class of 2021 exceeded the target benchmark of 90%.
Employment Six Months after Graduation Rates
| Graduating Year | Employment Rate | Outcome |
| 2021 | 94.44% | Exceed Target |
| 2020 | 82.61% | Exceed Threshold |
| 2019 | 86.67% | Exceed Threshold |
| 2018 | 83.33% | Exceed Threshold |
| 2017 | 87.23% | Exceed Threshold |
In addition to the employment rates six months after graduation, the College also tracks the location of the first place of employment to determine whether the College is successful in its mission to serve Appalachia and other rural or underserved areas. The table shows the percentage of alumni employed in the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), geographical region six months after graduation.
Employment in ARC Six Months after Graduation
| Graduating Year | Employment in ARC | Outcome |
| 2021 | 58.8% | Exceed Target |
| 2020 | 63.2% | Exceed Target |
| 2019 | 41.0% | Exceed Threshold |
| 2018 | 32.0% | Exceed Threshold |
| 2017 | 29.3% | Exceed Threshold |
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