BOP Rotations

BOP Pharmacy Student Experiential Program

Overview
Seventy-five Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities in thirty-six states offer pharmacy students extern rotations as a part of their school curriculum. Most of the rotations involve ambulatory sites, while a few are hospital based, and two emphasize mental health. BOP pharmacists fill medication orders directly from the patient's medical record, thereby having access to patient history, laboratory values, consultant recommendations, and the prescriber's notes.

Opportunities and Experiences
A review of the comments of recent students shows that they are almost always surprised at the extent of the clinical experiences they are exposed to. After two students from a Midwestern university spent four weeks at USP Florence, Colorado, the dean called the pharmacist some weeks later to say that over 50 percent of the Junior class had selected USP Florence as their first or second choice for an ambulatory rotation. To get things started for your next rotation, contact the Extern Program Director at your college of pharmacy.

More Information
For more information about the Externship Program, contact the lead of the BOP Pharmacy Student Rotation Workgroup CDR Anna Santoro. Additional information may be found by contacting an institution's chief pharmacist. A complete list of Bureau of Prisons' pharmacists can be found on the PHS Pharmacist Members List. Please note that not all sites are able to offer rotations.