The Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP) (www.acpharm.org) recently announced that the college has been advanced from candidate status to full accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
The College opened its doors in 2005 and was awarded candidate status by ACPE in June 2007. Candidate status allowed its graduates to take the North American Pharmacy Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), which all pharmacists are required to pass to be able to practice in the United States. Since then, the College has graduated three classes. More than 90% of its graduates have passed the NAPLEX on their first attempt, and the majority of its graduates are practicing pharmacy in the Appalachian Region where they are helping to improve health care.
The College?s chairman and founder, Frank Kilgore, gave credit for this achievement to the administration, faculty, staff, trustees, students, and community, as well as the many benefactors and supporters that have rallied to make the College a success. ?Our three-year doctor of pharmacy program is accelerated and runs year-round. That allows our students to graduate and enter the work force a year earlier than graduates of a traditional four-year pharmacy program but with equivalent classroom hours, clinical training, professional degree, and credentials.?
Kilgore praised Mickey McGlothlin, the President of the College, for his financial and day to day support of ACP and applauded Dr. Susan Mayhew, Dean of the College, for her organizational skills, recruitment ability, and leadership of the faculty in bringing the College to full accreditation. He also commended Vice-President Whitney Caudill, Dean of Institutional Advancement Terry Kilgore, and the remainder of the College?s leadership team for their hard work and sustained commitment throughout the accreditation process.
ACP?s president Mickey McGlothlin, who is a lifelong resident of Buchanan County, thanked the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors, the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority, and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, as well as the College?s many other private and public donors for their steadfast support of the College since its inception. He further remarked that the College community is very excited about the College receiving full accreditation while it is expanding its ongoing effort to perform scientific and clinical research to improve the health and well-being of humanity.