Larkin University

Found in 2013, Larkin University is a private, not-for-profit university that is part of the Larkin Health System. The College of Pharmacy began with inaugural class in 2016. The College of Pharmacy is the first year-round, three-year, block-program in the State of Florida. Although students complete their Doctor of Pharmacy in three years, as opposed to the more traditional four years, due to the design of the curriculum students have approximately 25% more contact time than traditional programs. The block curriculum allows students to learn in a focused format so they can concentrate on one major topic at a time. Additionally, there are several courses that are taught longitudinally over the year in order to apply the knowledge that has been learned within each block. In a typical day, the class meets with their faculty, engage in didactic teaching, and participates in active learning activities to allow the substantial amount of information learned in pharmacy school to be applied regularly, limiting the need for excessive memorization. Application of knowledge is a proven methodology for long-term retention. In addition, there are many clinical training opportunities that exist within Larkin and the Miami-Dade area, limiting travel outside of the Miami-Dade area to those students who desire to do so. The primary goal of the College is to promote and foster pharmacy education to create compassionate and knowledgeable pharmacists who will be prepared to pursue a multitude of career options including post-graduate education.
Currently, the College of Pharmacy and the College of Biomedical Sciences are housed in Miami Gardens in a building which was formerly a college and has gone under renovations to provide all the needed components of a successful and active academic pharmacy program. These renovations were completed prior to the matriculation of the inaugural class of students targeted for August 2016. Additional, renovation is also scheduled for 2017-2018 academic year to create a more student-centered environment. In early 2013 Larkin Health System purchased 50 acres of land in Naranja, Florida with plans to create the Larkin University campus which will include the existing programs as well as a College of Osteopathic Medicine, a College of Dentistry, the School of Nursing, a public middle and high schools to target students interested in the health sciences, student housing and a recreation center. The Naranja campus is still under development and the College of Pharmacy does not anticipate relocation for several years.
Larkin Health Systems is an integrated healthcare delivery system accredited by the Joint Commission with locations in South Miami, Palm Spring (Hialeah) and Hollywood, Florida. Our network of acute care hospitals provides a complete continuum of healthcare services, including a full range of inpatient and outpatient services, home health agencies, Skilled Nursing facilities, Rehabilitation centers and Assisted Living facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward County. We subscribe to the Triple Aim of Care, Health and Cost: Continually researching ways to improve the experience of care, improving health of populations and reducing per capita costs of health care. Our South Miami Campus consists of a 146 bed Acute Care hospital, located in South Miami, Florida and is the third largest statutory teaching hospital in Florida. We offer post-graduate training to physicians in 32 different specialties. We also sponsor an Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program, an American Society of Health System Pharmacists Accredited Pharmacy Residency Program and a Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program. Our Palm Springs Campus, is a 247-bed full service acute care hospital located on 15 acres of land in Hialeah, Florida and includes a 7 story Medical Office Building. Larkin Community Hospital Behavioral Health Services in Hollywood, Florida, includes a 50-bed inpatient behavioral health unit and also offers comprehensive behavioral health services. The Miami Neuroscience Center at Larkin Community Hospital specializes in Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. This 25-member team is led by world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Aizik Wolf. The state of the art Center for Advanced Orthopedics at Larkin Community Hospital specializes in advanced surgical techniques using the latest multimodal perioperative pain management modalities and state of art instrumentation with advanced robotic technology. The Cancer Center at Larkin led by internationally renowned Hematologist/Oncologist Dr. Orlando Silva specializes in providing the latest advances in the treatment of breast cancer. The Florida Academic Dermatology Center at Larkin is one of the few inpatient dermatology units in the United States. Larkin Community Hospital offers state-of-the-art imaging technology with board-certified Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologists. Our Joint Commission Accredited Home Health Agency, Larkin Home Health Services, provides comprehensive services in your home under the direction of your physician. Our 180 bed Assisted Living Facility, Floridian Gardens, is licensed to provide Extended Congregate Care and Limited Mental Health Services. We are affiliated with many teaching hospitals and clinics for pharmacy students throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties so students will not have to travel for third-year rotations unless they wish to do so.