UF, BGSU team up for pharmacy program

FINDLAY — Bowling Green State University and the University of Findlay have teamed up to create the Pharmacy Early Assurance Partnership program, offering students at either institution a doctor of pharmacy degree in six years instead of the traditional eight. The first cohort began at BGSU in 2021 and is now transitioning into UF's professional program this fall. Among the four students who started the program four years ago is Benjamin Buathier of Sandusky, who graduated from BGSU this spring with a bachelor's degree in applied health science. He will now be entering the next phase of the program — two years of doctoral training at UF. "When I heard about the BGSU-Findlay program and the fact that I could pay Bowling Green rates, which are really good in Ohio, for four years and only have to pay the private school tuition for two years, it became a lot more affordable for me," Buathier said. For the first two years at BGSU, students take applied health science courses while also preparing for pharmacy coursework. In their third and fourth years, they begin pre-professional pharmacy classes at UF and by their fifth year, they have fully transitioned into UF's program. Throughout this time, both universities provide co-advising, career counseling and consistent communication among faculty and students. "Many of our students come in with College Credit Plus credits and they're ready for graduate school earlier than what has historically been the case. We were then able to work with the University of Findlay to have some overlap between the bachelor's degree and Pharm. D. as a seamless pathway," Ciesla said. "It saves students a lot of money and time." Since its start in 2021, the program has maintained a 100% retention rate. Ciesla attributes this to the high level of support for students. "Nobody left after their freshman year," Ciesla said. "The benefit to us is that they're very well advised, they're engaged early on, and they're happy and excited about their career path." At UF, pharmacy students can benefit from small cohorts, faculty mentorship and a values-based approach to healthcare education, said UF's Dean of College of Pharmacy Debra Parker. "Private pharmacy colleges often emphasize not just competence, but character," Parker said. "Through values-based education, service-learning, and mentorship, students develop a clear sense of their role as healthcare providers committed to improving patient outcomes—an edge in today's competitive and evolving healthcare environment." Students in the pharmacy pathway also have access to both universities' alumni networks. With BGSU's large, geographically diverse public undergraduate network and UF's pharmacy-specific, private graduate professional network, students have increased opportunities for residencies, fellowships and employment, Parker said. Having spent two years commuting from Bowling Green to Findlay for classes, Buathier said the transition to full-time at UF has been seamless. For the next two years, he plans to explore different areas of pharmacy in his upcoming clinical rotations. "They've taught me so much already," Buathier said. "I'm hoping to get as many experiences as I possibly can over the next nine months, that way, when it's all said and done and I'm handed my doctorate in the spring of '27, I will feel very confident that I know the career path I want to take in pharmacy." For both institutions, the program represents an attempt to meet the demand for pharmacists in the region. "This is a doctoral program without spending eight years out of the workforce and borrowing a lot of money as you go to college," Ciesla said. "BGSU is committed to providing education for the region and meeting our state and region's need for pharmacists without them having a lot of debt and taking a lot of time out of the workforce by being in school." As the first cohort enters its final two years, a second cohort of 16 students is beginning at BGSU this fall. "As students start their first professional year in the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy, regardless of their path there, our goal is that the transition is seamless, and that the students feel the high level of support and professional networking provided by our faculty, staff, and fellow students," Parker said.