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The Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy at Kingsville, was created in response to the shortage of pharmacists in the Texas border region.

Pharmacy school sets high standard, receives accreditation

By: Laure Lucas

Posted: 8/2/07

The Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, located on the Texas A&M University Kingsville, received candidate status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

The ACPE released a revised set of accreditation standards and guidelines July 1.

"Twenty percent of the Pharmacy programs are in trouble with the new standards," said the College of Pharmacy Dean Indra Reddy.

Jennifer Thompson, graduate student in the school, said the program contains a more advanced curriculum than most schools. "There are new standards and our school decided to step up and meet those standards now," Thompson said.

"There are three stages to accreditation," Reddy said. The College of Pharmacy's candidate status is the second step. In order to receive candidacy the program has to have admitted students and fit the standards accessed by the ACPE.

Reddy said the College of Pharmacy completed the self-assessment process in March and continued through a series of standard

assessments until the middle of June. The assessments ended with a visit by the president and dean to Chicago on June 23rd. "Here the board invites the president and dean to ask additional questions," Reddy said, "A week later we got the good news."

"This is a major milestone for every new program; it guarantees students their right to practice," Reddy said.

Rene Flores, Class of 2010, said as a student the college's candidate status feels great. "It is assuring knowing that we are on the right path," said Flores. " It feels a lot better that we are already at that point."

Thompson said the candidate status puts her at ease knowing that the program is closer to full accreditation.

Full accreditation is the final step. "Our first class will graduate in the spring of 2010, which will then make us eligible for accreditation," Reddy said, "This is a journey, not a destination. I am confident we will succeed."

The College of Pharmacy is the first professional program in south Texas and Reddy said they will be in the top 5 percent in the country. "Our average PCAT score of admitted students this year was

80 percent, which is very high - 78 percent was the highest in the country last year," Reddy said.

Both Thompson and Flores said that the College of Pharmacy is very student-focused. "We have a sense of a tight-knit campus, family feeling," Flores said. He said the students know the faculty wants to help them excel, "From the dean all the way down, even custodians, anyone you can talk to says it's really nice, you don't feel intimidated."

"I expect them to continue a student-centered education and keep up the standard of excellence," Thompson said.