Rotations
Important Information: The University has reached an agreement for Washington University in St. Louis to acquire its campus and St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Pending regulatory approval, the college will become WashU’s 10th academic school following the 2026-27 academic year. Read More.
Put Your Education into Practice
Experiential education provides students with hands-on experiences in pharmacy practice settings, preparing them for their role on the patient’s health care team. Through firsthand rotations under the mentorship of expert preceptors, student pharmacists learn the responsibility and commitment to service that makes patient-centered care a reality.
An Award-Winning Rotations Program
Voted the 2024 AACP Outstanding Experiential Program in Global Education, our experiential education program provides unmatched opportunities to apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings. Through your rotations you’ll be able to explore diverse pharmacy specialties, gain global health experience and build the skills needed for a successful career in pharmacy.
Rotation Sites
500+
States
39
Countries
9
Unique Rotation Locations
St. Louis College of Pharmacy students benefit from unique and exclusive rotations across the globe. These are just a few of the many rotation sites our students have access to:
Alaska, U.S.A.
Serve indigenous and rural communities through rotations and residencies with the Indian Health Service, gaining experience in clinical practice, cultural engagement and careers in Native health.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, U.S.A.
Spend a year at one of the nation’s top academic medical centers, completing specialty rotations, research, residency prep and receiving one-on-one mentorship for high-acuity pharmacy careers. Through this program, you’ll complete seven of your eight rotations at a single site.
Belize
During this rotation you will participate in community health outreach, providing medication counseling and care to underserved populations while tackling real-world public health challenges.
Dublin, Ireland
Engage in advanced pharmacy practice through our partnership with Trinity College Dublin, gaining experience in pharmacoepidemiology, international health policy and pharmacy education.
Kumasi, Ghana
Gain hospital pharmacy experience with a focus on tropical diseases in low-resource and underserved settings.
Lisbon, Portugal
Work alongside International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) representatives and attend global conferences shaping the future of pharmacy across the globe.
South Africa
Gain experience in academic, hospital and industry settings by attending rounds in hospitals and clinics, and facilitating practicals and lectures. Plus, you’ll spend approximately two weeks in pharmaceutical industry in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
WISH Center, U.S.A.
Train with St. Louis College of Pharmacy expert Alicia Forinash, B.S. ’00, Pharm.D. ’01, professor of pharmacy practice, at the Women and Infant Substance Help Center at SSM Health St. Mary’s. Build clinical skills and impact maternal and fetal health in a high-need community.
Rotation Types
Throughout your pharmacy education, you will complete a number of rotations where you will gain experience in a variety of health care settings.
Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs)
Introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) are designed to familiarize you to working in community and health system settings; emphasize safe medication use; and expose you to population and patient health care principles, transitions of care within the health care continuum and interprofessional collaboration. You will complete IPPE rotations in the P1 to P3 years including the summers before P2 and P3.
Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs)
During your P4 year, you will complete eight, five-week advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Building on the general and professional abilities you develop in your first three years of the curriculum, APPEs will prepare you to provide patient care by practicing in a variety of environments under the supervision of approved preceptors.
Practice Environments
Our rotations are available throughout Missouri, the Midwest, the U.S. and the world. Our health system partners range from small community hospitals to large teaching institutions, and community settings of all sizes are available, many serving communities with diverse cultures and health challenges.
Based on your interests, you will rank rotation sites and preceptors for five core and three elective rotations. While the availability of rotation sites is subject to change, the Office of Experiential Education works with students and preceptors to identify ideal training locations to expose students to new career possibilities.
Preceptors: Teachers, Mentors, Leaders
Preceptors are practicing, licensed pharmacists who teach our experiential education rotations. Learn more about these essential leaders in pharmacy education and how you can become one.