HPU’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy Awarded Full Accreditation
HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 1, 2021 – High Point University’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy, the Triad’s only pharmacy school, has recently been awarded full accreditation status by the American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
“We are grateful to be granted accreditation from pharmacy education’s accrediting body to continue to provide an extraordinary education in the pharmaceutical sciences,” says HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein. “This demonstrates that our faculty and our innovative lab and classroom facilities are preparing health care professionals for the world as it is going to be.”
ACPE accreditation is public recognition that a professional degree program leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree is judged to meet established qualifications and education standards through initial and subsequent periodic evaluations. Accreditation is distinguished from licensure, which applies to individuals.
“Being awarded full accreditation is the result of a herculean effort by the School of Pharmacy’s faculty and staff,” says Dr. Buddy Lingle, dean of HPU’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy. “This is the culmination of an effort that began six years ago with the end goal of developing a pharmacy program that would produce graduates who practice at the highest professional level and serve their patients and communities with compassion and commitment to their well-being. This is recognition that we are meeting that goal.”
The essential purpose of the accreditation process is to provide a professional judgment of the quality of a college or school of pharmacy’s professional program and to encourage continued improvement thereof. Accreditation concerns itself with both quality assurance and quality enhancement. Those programs accredited by ACPE are published and maintained on ACPE’s website under Accredited Programs.
“During my time in pharmacy school at HPU, I worked with Dr. Jordan Smith who set up annual influenza clinics at the local community clinic to administer vaccines,” says Alex Houpt, a Class of 2020 graduate and an employee with Walgreens. “This helped prepare me for my current role as an immunizing pharmacist administering the COVID-19 vaccine in long-term care facilities by providing me with hands-on experience with both patient interaction and immunizing techniques.”
HPU’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy graduated its inaugural class of 53 students in spring 2020. Class of 2020 graduates who have taken the pharmacy licensing exam have achieved a pass rate of 95%, which is four points higher than the national average. Graduates are now practicing in community retail, hospital and long-term care settings or have been accepted to clinical pharmacy residencies or other graduate programs.
“HPU has done a fantastic job preparing their students for life after graduation,” says Chris Houpt, a Class of 2020 graduate and first-year pharmacy resident at Novant Health-Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem. “The strong didactic component of the curriculum, paired with the dedicated group of preceptors that HPU recruited as part of the experiential curriculum, have allowed me to integrate into my current role with ease. The numerous opportunities for standardized client encounters, starting in my first year, have strengthened my patient communication skills and my comfort with providing direct patient care as a member of Novant’s health care team.”
The Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy is housed inside Congdon Hall with the Congdon School of Health Sciences, which offers a doctoral degree in physical therapy and master’s degrees in athletic training and physician assistant studies.
“In my time at HPU’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy, I was provided passionate professors, encouraging administrators, a state-of-the-art facility and invaluable practice experiences that have prepared me to excel in pharmacy practice,” says Chris Powell, a current fourth-year student and president of the School of Pharmacy’s Student Council.
These health care education programs housed inside Congdon Hall are also part of the university’s $250 million Innovation Corridor, a nearly half-mile stretch of campus where facilities, faculty and STEM focused-programs are collectively housed. Additional health care programs are being explored for the future as HPU continues its transformational growth and HPU graduates find success in filling crucial health care positions.