Implementation of curricular track programs at a college of pharmacy over a 15-year period

To describe the history and evolution of our elective track programs and overall lessons learned and to identify the percentage of University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy (OUCOP) graduates who completed a curricular track in ambulatory care, leadership, nuclear pharmacy, pediatrics, or research.

The OUCOP curricular track programs were established in 2011 and require 16 h of didactic coursework and advanced pharmacy practice experiences. The percentage of OUCOP graduates who completed a curricular track program was determined. Additionally, the initial position following graduation from the graduating classes of 2016-2025 was collected. The number of graduates that completed post-graduate education/training (i.e., residency, fellowship, or graduate school) between those who did and did not complete a curricular track program was compared.

Since 2011, 382 students were admitted to a curricular track program with 377 students completing the program upon graduation. This accounts for 29.3% of the 1287 students graduating from 2011 to 2025, with the percentage that completed a track ranging from 2.5 to 66.7% of each graduating class. Most [198/377 (52.5%)] completed the leadership curricular track program. There was a significant difference in the number of graduates who took a post-graduate education or residency position between those who did versus did not complete a track program, 99 (32.9%) versus 68 (16.4%), p < 0.0001.

One-third of OUCOP graduates from 2011 to 2025 completed a curricular track program. Graduates pursued a variety of initial positions following graduation with a significantly higher number of OUCOP graduates completing a post-graduate education or residency position.