One of the first four students to participate in the Shenandoah University’s Nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy (NTDP) pathway in Puerto Rico isn’t only learning through the pathway — she’s also one of its biggest advocates.
Indira Purcell-Murphy ’22, fittingly discovered Shenandoah’s online pathway through its Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy on the internet while looking at similar pathways throughout the U.S.
The flexible online curriculum pathway fit my lifestyle and status as a full-time pharmacist, and according to what was projected on the website, it looked quite organized and promising to me. Once the pathway started, it exceeded my expectations. The courses and assignments have challenged my knowledge and added more confidence in my performance.”
Indira Purcell-Murphy ’22
Indira lives in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, and intends to move to Charlotte, North Carolina at the end of this year.
The NTDP pathway is all online, offering students who are practicing U.S.-licensed pharmacists with bachelor’s degrees with the flexibility to complete their studies while working full time. Many of the courses are self-paced, and a student can complete the experiential components at their existing workplace.
Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy Director of Distance Education and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Alla Marks ’04, PharmD, completed her PharmD through the NTDP pathway and has served as the nontraditional faculty administrator/advisor for over 15 years.
I chose Shenandoah because of its personalized and flexible approach and am blessed to have the opportunity to assist other pharmacists in earning their PharmD degree.”
Alla Marks ’04
“The NTDP pathway has provided the opportunity to expand my knowledge in the clinical area and to see how the pharmacy practice has changed throughout the years,” Purcell-Murphy said. “The areas of pharmacogenomics and pharmacokinetics have changed so much since my years of studies that I have even considered taking on a new challenge by immersing myself in those subjects. I was a retail pharmacist for a little over 20 years. Nowadays, I currently split my practice between being a long-term care clinical pharmacist with a leading health care company in Puerto Rico, Medplus Solutions; a research pharmacist at the School of Medicine at the University of Puerto Rico in HIV and COVID-19 protocols; and as a staff pharmacist at University District Hospital.” All three positions are in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is also part of a COVID-19 vaccination support team in Puerto Rico.
This pathway has helped me to establish new roles and opportunities without fear or skepticism and the opportunity to share academic experiences with my peers, students and other colleagues.”
Indira Purcell-Murphy ’22
Clearly, Purcell-Murphy is impressed by what she’s experienced in Shenandoah’s NTDP pathway, and she’s recommending it to others. “I know a lot of colleagues who wish to complete their PharmD degree. In Puerto Rico, there are a lot of full-time working pharmacists in different scenarios and they understand that they need to be more up-to-date in terms of clinical therapies, new guidelines, integrative medicine and medication management, just to mention a few concerns,” she said. “Many of them didn’t know about Shenandoah University and about this NTDP pathway, so they have been interested. Currently I am one of four students of Puerto Rico in Cohort 42 and for Shenandoah, we are the first ones [on the island] to participate in the pathway. Because of this, I have been sharing the information about the Shenandoah NTDP pathway and, surprisingly, one has been admitted to Cohort 43 and the other is awaiting a final decision.”
A number of elements make Shenandoah’s pathway special, said Purcell-Murphy, who noted that the pathway integrates administrative, financial aid, information technology and academic departments very well. “All the information is easy to access and any question is answered very fast no matter how many times you ask the same question,” she said. Purcell-Murphy added that those she’s connected with at Shenandoah understand that she’s a working professional as well as a student and often needs quick answers to be able to make quick decisions.
The professors are outstanding. They are very well-educated, enthusiastic and professional men and women; extremely prepared, with the gift of teaching complicated themes very fluently and with great knowledge and experience. Library access, continued education credits and the communication spot ( blogs, chats, emails) all are good assets that make it extremely friendly and special, and makes me a very happy student.”
Indira Purcell-Murphy ’22
Learn More about the Nontraditional Doctor Of Pharmacy (NTDP)
