PhaRx: The new, free pharmacy school immersion experience for high school students

Students participate in a hands-on workshop during the PhaRx immersion program in July 2026.

Starting this July, the Pharmacy Readiness and Exploration (PhaRx) Summer Immersion Program will bring high school students to the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy Duluth campus and provide a window into the life of a pharmacy student as well as career options within the profession. 

“Very consistently, over half of our [PharmD] applicants report that they decided on pharmacy in high school or earlier, so what we're trying to do with this program is expose more students to the profession as they're exploring healthcare careers,” said Olivia Buncher, assistant dean for student affairs. “Pharmacy is a little bit less visible, especially to younger kids.”

This coming July 22 and 23, visiting students will attend hands-on workshops that expose them to various pathways within pharmacy, explained Sarah Perry Spears, PharmD Pathways Program coordinator. They will have the chance to chat with currently enrolled College of Pharmacy students about how to be a strong applicant, courses they take and leadership and extracurricular opportunities. Participants will learn from faculty through hands-on activities around specialties like pharmacogenomics and traditional medicinal plants. Visiting students will also tour Essentia Health and learn more about the role of pharmacists in hospital settings.  

“This year we're partnering with Essentia, but in future years we hope to expand and work with other health systems and pharmacy organizations,” Buncher said. “We'd particularly like to talk to some of the community pharmacy organizations so that we can, in future years, include more exploration of different types of pharmacy workplaces.”

Perry Spears said applicants include local students from the North Shore region as well as prospective students traveling from other cities for the immersion on the Duluth campus. Though an added benefit if students end up enrolling at University of Minnesota Duluth, this initiative is more focused on making high schoolers aware of the pharmacy profession. Buncher said drawing interested students from rural and Greater Minnesota also serves the University’s broader strategic goal of reinforcing the healthcare workforce.   

“We often talk about pharmacists being the most accessible healthcare provider, especially in rural communities, so [we’re trying to get] folks from those areas excited about this as a profession,” Buncher added. 

PhaRx is the signature component of the PharmD Pathways program, which aims to strengthen Minnesota’s pharmacy workforce by increasing awareness of pharmacy careers amongst middle school, high school and undergraduate students. The PharmD Pathways Program is funded by a grant from the McKesson Foundation, which allows the college to make the immersion free for students. This year’s PhaRx program will take place over the course of two days and provide meals for students, but in future years, the college intends to expand the immersion to a full week and host prospective students in campus residential housing. 

“A lot of similar programs have a cost associated with them, but it was really important to us that cost not be a barrier for students to participate,” Buncher said. “In future years, our plan is to provide housing and our intention is for that to also be at no cost.”