Clinical Experience
In the third and fourth years students complete seven six-week clinical rotations, plus an advanced elective clinical. WesternU is the only school of pharmacy with this special 16-week advanced elective component requirement.
The advanced elective is a capstone experience that gives you advanced training in your anticipated career. For example, we’ve had students interested in opening independent pharmacies develop business plans, while others have completed ‘mini-residencies’ or conducted major research projects.
Rotation Sites
With 350 rotation sites and 750 preceptors, we provide a wide range of rotation options to our students.
Sites include: private hospitals, county hospitals, Veterans Administration hospitals, military hospitals, long-term-care facilities, rehabilitation hospitals, compounding pharmacies, managed care facilities, psychiatric facilities, children’s hospitals, chain drug stores, and independently-owned pharmacies.
Although most students rotate through Southern California sites, some have had clinical experiences In Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Arizona, Utah and even Thailand.
| Required Rotations | |
|---|---|
| Length | Setting |
| 6 weeks | Ambulatory Care Externship (outpatient pharmacy) |
| 6 weeks | Ambulatory Care Clinical (ambulatory care clinic) |
| 6 weeks | Institutional Medicine (inpatient hospital-round with doctors) |
| 6 weeks | Advanced Pharmacy Practice Elective |
| 6 weeks | Advanced Pharmacy Practice Elective |
| 16 weeks | Advanced Elective (clinical research, community, independent business plan, or pharmaceutical research) |
Elective and Advanced Elective Rotations
Neonatal
Nematology/Oncology
Pediatrics
Cardiology
Home Infusion
Critical Care
HIV
Pain Management
Long-Term Care
Home Care
Surgery
Geriatrics
Drug Information
Compounding
Managed Care
The following are some of the sites you could rotate through as a WesternU-Doctor of Pharmacy student:
- Stanford University Medical Center Stanford, CA
- Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Colton, CA
- VA Loma Linda Healthcare System Loma Linda, CA
- Children’s Hospital Central California Madera, CA
- Los Angeles LGBT Center Colton, CA
- Children’s Hospital of Orange County Orange, CA
- Citrus Valley Health Partners- Queen of the Valley West Covina, CA
- Kaiser Permanente Numerous Southern California Sites
- Fountain Valley Regional Hospital & Medical Cntr Fountain Valley, CA
- Citrus Valley Health Partners- Inter-Community Covina, CA
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Los Angeles, CA
- Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Downey, CA
- Long Beach Memorial Hospital Long Beach, CA
- City of Hope Duarte, CA
- Huntington Memorial Hospital Pasadena, CA
- West Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim, CA
- Sharp Healthcare San Diego, CA
- St. Joseph’s Hospital Orange, CA
- St. Mary Medical Center Long Beach, CA
- Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, CA
- Aurora Behavioral Health Care Covina, CA
- Alameda County Medical Center Oakland, CA
- Amgen Thousand Oaks, CA
- Allergan Irvine, CA
For more information on clinical rotation sites, feel free to contact James Scott, PharmD, Associate Dean for Experiential and Professional Affairs at (909) 469-5517.