Technical Standards

Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Pharmacy must evaluate not only the scholastic aptitude of each and every student, but also must consider students’ current ability to safely apply their knowledge and skills to effectively interact with patients and others in educational and healthcare settings. 

Graduates of the School of Pharmacy are eligible to become pharmacists without restrictions on their practice; therefore, the curriculum requires students to successfully complete all components of the program. Depending on the circumstances, some reasonable accommodation may be possible and made available to students with disabilities in accordance with University policy, and state and federal laws. However, a student must be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. Upon request of the student, the University will make good faith efforts in providing reasonable accommodation as required by law. 

The School of Pharmacy engages in an interactive process with applicants and students with disabilities and complies with all state and federal laws regarding reasonable accommodation. The School of Pharmacy adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards of the pharmacy profession.

While the School of Pharmacy will attempt to identify ways of opening the curriculum to competitive, qualified disabled students, the School must maintain the integrity of its curriculum and preserve those elements deemed essential to educating a pharmacist. As such, the School of Pharmacy reserves the right deny admission or dismiss any student who, upon completion of the interactive process, is unable to meet these technical standards with reasonable accommodations and/or would be deemed to pose a threat to patients and others in the educational and healthcare environment.

Technical Standards

The following technical standards, although not exhaustive, describe the basic-non academic qualifications required in addition to academic achievements, which the School of Pharmacy considers essential for admission and successful completion of the educational objectives of its curriculum.

A student must have abilities and skills in five areas:

1. Observation
2. Communication
3. Motor 
4. Intellectual, conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative
5. Behavioral and Social

Technological compensation can be made for some limitation in certain of these areas, but a candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner.

Observation

The student must be able to accurately make observations at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation and is enhanced by the functional use of all of the other senses.

Communication

The student must be able to communicate effectively, efficiently and sensitively in both oral and written form and be able to perceive nonverbal communication. Students must be able to read, write, speak and comprehend English with sufficient mastery to accomplish didactic, clinical and laboratory curricular requirements in a timely, high-quality professional and accurate manner.

Sensory and Motor

Students must be able to coordinate both gross and fine muscular movements, maintain equilibrium and have functional use of the senses of touch and vision. The student must possess sufficient postural control, neuromuscular control and eye-to-hand coordination to perform profession-specific skills and tasks.

Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities

The student must be able to problem solve, calculate, reason, analyze, record and synthesize large amounts of information in a timely manner. The student must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand spatial relationships. Students must be able to learn in various conditions and environments including the classroom, laboratory, small groups, experiential settings and independent study.

Behavioral and Social Attributes

Students must demonstrate maturity, integrity, compassion and respect for others. The student must possess the emotional and mental health required for full utilization of his/her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment and the consistent, prompt completion of all responsibilities and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships. The student must have the capability to recognize and show respect for differences in culture, values and ethics among people. Students must be able to tolerate physically, mentally and emotionally taxing workloads, function effectively under stress, and must display appropriate coping responses. The student must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, effective interpersonal skills, willingness and ability to function as an effective team player, interest and motivation to learn are all personal qualities required during the educational process.

Diagnosed Psychiatric Disorders

An individual with a diagnosed psychiatric disorder may function as a pharmacy student as long as the condition is under sufficient control to allow accomplishment of the above goals with or without reasonable accommodation. He or she must exhibit behavior and intellectual functioning that does not differ from acceptable standards. In the event of deteriorating emotional function, it is essential that a pharmacy student be willing to acknowledge the disability and accept professional help before the condition poses danger to self, patient, and colleagues.

Candidate Acceptance

Candidates must provide certification that they understand the technical standards upon their acceptance. Candidates who may not meet the technical standards are encouraged to contact the Director of Admissions to discuss and identify what accommodations, if any, the School of Pharmacy would need to make in order that the candidate might be able to meet the standards.