Students enrolled in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program have a unique opportunity to customize their pharmacy learning experience by pursuing concentrations in different pharmacy practice areas.
Concentrations allow PharmD students to tailor their elective experiences to their own unique interests by developing a specialized range of expertise and skills. These APPE (Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience) concentrations offer focused experiential learning during the final year of the program, allowing students who completed the didactic medical cannabis or nuclear pharmacy didactic elective in their third year to apply their knowledge in specific practice areas through targeted clinical rotations.
Upon graduation, students successfully completing a concentration in the Doctor of Pharmacy program will be recognized and presented with a certificate of completion.
Learn about pharmacology and the therapeutic applications of cannabis-derived products while gaining practical experience working in a legal dispensary helping patients improve their health and well-being. The Medical Cannabis Concentration includes five (5) credit hours in practical experiential elective coursework. Students must complete the didactic elective medical cannabis course as a prerequisite for this concentration.
This concentration includes a collaboration with Organic Remedies, a Pennsylvania state-approved marijuana research center and clinical registrant with dispensary locations located throughout the Commonwealth. Organic Remedies and PCOM have signed a long-term research agreement to study the therapeutic applications of medical marijuana.
Basic and clinical research continue to add to our knowledge of the medicinal properties of cannabis. With legalization in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, over 3 million patients are being treated with medical cannabis for multiple conditions, including neurological disorders, opioid dependence, inflammatory diseases and sickle cell anemia.
Medical cannabis provides unique opportunities for pharmacists to consult with patients and develop treatment plans that are aligned with their condition and the physician’s certification. Pharmacists also ensure compliance with state regulations.
Upon completing this concentration, students will:
The Medical Cannabis Concentration requires the completion of a five-credit elective Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotation on site at Organic Remedies. Students must complete a one (1) one-credit didactic medical cannabis elective course as a prerequisite for this concentration.
Nuclear pharmacists promote public health through the safe and effective use of radioactive drugs for both diagnosis and therapy. The Nuclear Pharmacy Concentration includes five (5) credit hours in experiential elective coursework in topics relevant to careers in nuclear pharmacy. Students must complete the one-credit didactic elective course in nuclear pharmacy as a prerequisite.
Requirements for licensure as a nuclear pharmacist vary by state, but graduates who complete the Nuclear Pharmacy Concentration may use some of the time and/or credit to pursue additional training and certification in order to become a licensed nuclear pharmacist as well as a Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacist (BCNP).
Upon completion of the Nuclear Pharmacy Concentration, students will:
A nuclear pharmacist specializes in procuring, preparing, compounding, dispensing and distributing the radiopharmaceuticals used in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Within the healthcare team, the nuclear pharmacist is the medication expert regarding clinical aspects of radiopharmaceuticals and the non-radioactive drugs used in patient care.
See "What is Nuclear Pharmacy?" for more information.
© 2026 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
