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University of Colorado Denver

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Credit-by-Challenge

In the NTPD Program, practice competency is determined by the mastery of performance outcomes. Many NTPD students have already achieved the outcomes for one or more rotations during their pharmacy careers. Therefore, the DDP Credit-by-Challenge Subcommittee developed a credit-by-challenge portfolio process to grant academic credit for one or more advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) based on the student’s work experience.

Students may submit a credit-by-challenge portfolio through the full or abbreviated portfolio credit-by-challenge format, detailed on the tabs below.

Students should also review the credit-by-challenge documents to learn more about the credit-by-challenge deadlines, guidelines and review process.

Advising Call:  Students may begin planning for their credit-by-challenge portfolio submission upon program admission by completing an advising call.  Students may schedule an advising call by contacting the DDP office.

All credit-by-challenge submissions must be pre-reviewed by the DDP office before the submissions are sent through the formal review process to receive a final grade. Students will e-mail their credit-by-challenge submissions to the DDP office to have their credit-by-challenge pre-reviewed. The DDP office will inform students if any formatting revisions are needed. If no revisions are needed, students will be instructed to mail three hardbound copies of their credit-by-challenge to the DDP office at the address listed below.

Mailing Address

Distance Degrees and Programs Office                                                                                          North American-Trained PharmD Program
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Building
12850 E. Montview Blvd., Room V20-1116
Aurora, CO 80045
Mail Stop (C238-V20)

After the DDP office receives the three hardbound copies of the student’s credit-by-challenge, the office will submit the credit-by-challenge to two independent reviewers, who are clinical practitioners in the rotation category being challenged.  Each reviewer will assess the challenge by using the outcomes the student would be graded on if the student completed a 200-hour rotation.

The reviewers will each provide a grade recommendation. Students may receive full credit or no credit for their credit-by-challenge submissions. Finally, students will receive an official letter from the DDP office notifying them of their final credit-by-challenge grades.

It may take as long as six months for a student’s credit-by-challenge to go through the formal review process and to receive a final grade. Therefore, students should complete their advising call soon after admission into the NTPD Program, so they can plan accordingly when preparing their credit-by-challenge submissions.

Students should review the credit-by-challenge documents found in the resources section to learn more about the credit-by-challenge deadlines, guidelines and review process.

The abbreviated portfolio credit-by-challenge format is an alternative to preparing a full portfolio credit-by-challenge, and is available to students with specific credentials as listed below. A student is eligible to submit an abbreviated portfolio credit-by-challenge if the student’s professional accomplishments require a degree of competency that is recognized by the DDP Credit-by-Challenge Subcommittee as exceeding the outcomes required by PharmD candidates performing a traditional 200-hour rotation under the guidance of an experienced preceptor.

Abbreviated portfolio credit-by-challenge qualifications:

  • Serving as a preceptor for:
    • Pharmacy students in their final year of pharmacy school and completing formal APPE rotations, or
    • Pharmacy residents, or
    • Pharmacy fellows
  • Passing a board certification exam, such as BCPS, BCOP or others as appropriate.
  • Holding a healthcare management position for at least six months.
  • Earning a second graduate degree, such as:
    • MBA  or
    • PhD research-related degree

The preparation of the abbreviated portfolio credit-by-challenge requires:

  • Completing the abbreviated credit-by-challenge worksheet.
  • Outlining the basis of the credit-by-challenge in any of the qualifying categories.
  • Providing the supportive documentation specified within the worksheet for each category.

Student should also review the full portfolio credit-by-challenge submission tab above to learn more about that credit-by-challenge format.

A full portfolio credit-by-challenge submission requires the student to prepare a portfolio addressing the outcomes the student would be graded on if the student completed a full 200-hour rotation. The student addresses the outcomes by writing a half-page to full-page narrative per outcome, describing how their current clinical work experience best supports each outcome. Then, the student includes one piece of supportive documentation per outcome. The supportive documentation is the physical evidence supporting the student’s work experience as written in the student’s narrative description.

The NTPD Program can provide brief excerpts from successful credit-by-challenges for students preparing full portfolio credit-by-challenges.

Also, a student preparing a full portfolio credit-by-challenge submission has the opportunity to work with an advisor. The advisor is a graduate from the NTPD Program, who successfully completed a full portfolio credit-by-challenge and practices in the area the student is challenging.

Student should also review the abbreviated portfolio credit-by-challenge submission tab above to learn more about this credit-by-challenge format.