Early intervention helps students find success
in the classroom

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The first year of pharmacy school can be daunting. The transition from an undergraduate program into a professional program requires students to adapt to a higher level of learning.

LaShaunda Rutledge helps those students find ways to improve their learning ability – from time management and organization to connecting with others and understanding the importance of self-care.

Rutledge joined the College of Pharmacy a little more than a year ago as program coordinator for Academic Services and Assessment. In her role, she identifies students having trouble navigating their first year of classes and provides them with tools to ensure their success as pharmacy students.

“When a student is referred for early intervention, I provide an assessment to the student and help them to identify barriers that are causing them issues in the classroom,” Rutledge says. “We look at things like scheduling, study time, tutoring and outside work requirements, even their social time.”

While the program initially launched for first-year students, it is now available to second- through fourth-year students who request an appointment.

“I do not have a pharmacy background,” she says. “This is not academic coaching in the sense of teaching the material, but it is coaching to show them how to be successful in the classroom. And that inevitably becomes a life lesson.”

Rutledge calls herself a cheerleader for the students and an advocate for their mental health.

“Pharmacy school is not easy, and these students face a tremendous amount of pressure,” she says. “We want to celebrate all your successes, even the small ones. The students learn that they can lean on me and, more importantly, lean on each other.”

Available services for students:

• Time management
• Study skills
• Test-taking anxiety
• Well-being and self-care
• Note taking
• Stress management

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Topics: Pharm.D. Program, Student Experience, Outcomes and Accreditation