Industry-related APPE Rotations
Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations are required during the final year of the curriculum. There are a total of 8 APPE rotations possible.
Of these 8, there are 4 core required APPEs, including hospital pharmacy systems and practice, community pharmacy systems and practice, acute care, and ambulatory care.
The remaining 4 rotations are considered electives. Two of these electives must involve direct patient care.
The remaining 2 rotations may involve indirect patient care, such as at an industry partner. Rotations offered may vary each year. Example industry & drug discovery rotations* from the 2024-2025 academic year include:
San Francisco Bay Area:
Southern California
Greater Sacramento
External APPEs
There are rotations offered outside the UCSF School of Pharmacy experiential system, such as rotations at the FDA, CDC, & NIH. These rotations offer hands-on experience and learning from agency experts, focusing on multidisciplinary processes addressing public health & epidemiology topics related to drugs, biologics, and medical devices. Students must apply for these rotations through the respective agency and the process is competitive.
Applications require a resume or CV, a 1-page letter of intent, and US citizenship. You must notify & collaborate with your APPE director early in the process in order to participate in these external opportunities. Applications are due as early as fall of your P2 year. Further information can be found at the following links:
FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program (PSEP)
Note: You are able to request up to two elective APPEs within another region or outside the UCSF School of Pharmacy experiential system (e.g., FDA, CDC, NIH). Extended discovery research projects completed during the first block of APPEs is considered to be an out of area APPE. Thus, students completing this experience may complete only one additional out of area APPE.
*Examples of past rotations offered do not ensure these rotations will be available to future classes.
UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI) Immersion Course
Broad Learning Objectives:
Learn the scientific and regulatory aspects of drug discovery and development from leading scientists and experts in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industries and academia. Different therapeutic modalities will be covered, including small molecules, biologics, and gene therapies.
Enrollment period:
May-August
Limited/competitive?:
No
Cost:
$250 for UCSF students
Duration:
Mid September to mid November
Approximate time commitment:
3-5 hours/week; 3-hour virtual session every Friday, lasting from 10a-1p. Some sessions require pre-work (lectures, discussion posts, readings). All sessions are meant to be attended live, but there is flexibility to watch sessions asynchronously if a scheduling conflict occurs. One optional but valuable networking session occurs prior to the start of the course.
Award for completion:
Statement of Completion
Open to:
Everyone
Link:
UCSF In-house Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Certificates
Broad Learning Objectives:
12 CITI courses are available through UCSF’s institutional affiliation including: ICH-Good Clinical Practice, Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research, Big Data & Data Science Research Ethics, and more.
Enrollment period:
On-demand
Limited/competitive?:
No
Cost:
Free for UCSF students
Duration:
Self-paced
Approximate time commitment:
Variable based on course
Award for completion:
CITI Certificate
Open to:
All UCSF personnel
Link:
IPhO Industry Regulatory Compliance Certificate
Broad Learning Objectives:
A collaboration between IPhO and the Center for Communication Compliance (CCC), this course will provide foundational knowledge of regulatory compliance to students. This online series of modules will cover key regulations related to advertising and promotion; participants will have a practical understanding of key FDA regulations for advertising and promotion.
Enrollment period:
On-demand
Limited/competitive?:
No
Cost:
$595 for IPhO members, $795 for non-members
Duration:
Self-paced, must be completed within one year
Approximate time commitment:
Ten separate 15- and 30-minute modules
Award for completion:
Letter of completion and certificate
Open to:
All UCSF personnel
Link:
Online University Extension Courses
Certificate programs are offered by universities & accreditation boards around the globe with various topics. These are often online & asynchronous. However, they may be costly depending on the program/university and must be completed during a pre-defined period that may make them challenging to complete alongside the PharmD curriculum. It is strongly advised that students do not enroll in these programs unless they have a history of academic success within the PharmD program.
Examples of certificate programs:
Note: These certifications may not have much value in the hiring process unless a candidate is able to verbally sell the experience. Hiring managers tend to want to hear about work/IPPE/APPE experiences over these certifications. Due to the high cost of each program, enrolling in these programs is only to be considered if the courses will provide a candidate with an education that is unattainable via any other avenue (APPE, discovery projects, didactics, etc).
Coursera, EdX, and Udemy Courses
These education platforms offer countless courses across nearly any subject. These can be particularly helpful in training on technical subjects such as further understanding the emergence of AI integration into drug development, learning relevant programming languages (R, Python, SAS, Phoenix, etc.), more complex biostatistical methods than taught in the curriculum, etc.
Medical Affairs Professional Society
This is complimentary if you already have an IPhO national membership! If you’re interested in pursuing a career in Medical Affairs, this resource provides educational content in a variety of specialties and a community of industry professionals to help you land your first position in this field! Hear from thousands of industry leaders on where they think medical affairs is headed and its role in the medical field.
Please note that while these supplemental opportunities are valuable to your success, the PharmD curriculum is the priority. Full investment in core classes is the best way to prepare for successful APPEs, and the kind of clinical competence that industry partners seek in fellow and employees
