An Elective Course on Application of Clinical Pharmacy Principles

Objective. To design and implement an elective therapeutics course and to assess its impact on students’ attainment of course outcomes and level of confidence in applying clinical pharmacy principles and pharmacotherapy knowledge.Design. A 3-credit hour elective for third-year pharmacy students was structured to include problem-based learning (PBL), journal club and case presentations, and drug information activities.Assessment. Student achievement of curricular outcomes was measured using performance on SOAP (subjective, objective, assessment, plan) notes, case and journal club presentations, drug information activities, and peer evaluations. Results from a pre- and post-course survey instrument demonstrated significant improvement in students’ confidence in applying clinical pharmacy principles.Conclusion. Students completing the course demonstrated increased attainment of course outcomes and confidence in their abilities to evaluate a patient case and make pharmacotherapeutic recommendations.     

A Medical Outreach Elective Course

Objective. To design and implement a Medical Outreach Experience elective course and assess its impact on students’ level of confidence in organizing future medical outreach trips, providing population-specific pharmaceutical care, and achieving learning outcomes.Design. A 2-credit hour elective course was designed for second- and third-year pharmacy students. The course was structured to include 3 sections over 1 semester, a 10-week training and preparation phase, followed by a weeklong international outreach experience and post-outreach reflection.Assessment. Student achievement of curricular outcomes was measured using in-class activities, readings, reflections, and longitudinal projects, as well as performance during the outreach trip. Results from pre- and post-course surveys demonstrated significant improvement in student-rated confidence in several components of outreach trip organization and provision of pharmaceutical care.Conclusions. Students completing the course exhibited increased confidence in their abilities to organize and practice on a medical outreach trip. All students met the learning outcomes of the course, which included providing comprehensive patient-specific pharmaceutical care, communicating effectively, promoting health improvement and self-care, thinking critically, and appropriately managing and using resources of the healthcare system. Students agreed that the elective course was a valuable addition to the curriculum.     

The Impact of an Immersive Elective on Learners’ Understanding of Lifestyle Medicine and Its Role in Patients’ Lives

Objective. To design an immersive, active learning, lifestyle medicine (LM) elective and evaluate its impact on a pharmacy learners’ ability to understand the challenges of implementing lifestyle changes.Design. A 3-credit elective was developed that incorporated goal setting and immersion into the realm of LM as experienced by both the patient and the practitioner. Learners were assessed via a survey instrument, formal assignments, reflections, and the Presidential Fitness Challenge.Assessment. Learners reported that their ability to initiate LM as a primary intervention within a care plan significantly increased after taking this course. They also improved their overall health.Conclusion. By identifying and implementing self-identified lifestyle modifications, learners increased confidence in their abilities to produce evidence-based outcomes for patients. Learners were able to understand the challenges of trying to change their daily habits as they undertook their own personal goals.     

An Integrated Course in Pain Management and Palliative Care Bridging the Basic Sciences and Pharmacy Practice

Objective. To describe the development of an integrated pain and palliative care course and to investigate the long-term effectiveness of the course during doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students’ advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) and in their practice after graduation.Design. Roseman University College of Pharmacy faculty developed a 3-week elective course in pain and palliative care by integrating relevant clinical and pharmaceutical sciences. Instructional strategies included lectures, team and individual activities, case studies, and student presentations.Assessment. Students who participated in the course in 2010 and 2011 were surveyed anonymously to gain their perception about the class as well as the utility of the course during their APPEs and in their everyday practice. Traditional and nontraditional assessment of students confirmed that the learning outcomes objectives were achieved.Conclusions. Students taking the integrated course on pain management and palliative care achieved mastery of the learning outcome objectives. Surveys of students and practicing pharmacists who completed the course showed that the learning experience as well as retention was improved with the integrated mode of teaching. Integrating basic and clinical sciences in therapeutic courses is an effective learning strategy.     

Performance of Pharmacy Students in a Communications Course Delivered Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective. To examine pharmacy student readiness, reception, and performance in a communications course during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare that with the performance of students who completed the same course in person the previous year.Methods. First-year Doctor of Pharmacy students (2020 cohort) enrolled in a professional communications course completed pre- and post-course surveys regarding their readiness for and changes in perception of online learning. Student learning was assessed using midterm and final examination grades. These grades were then compared with those of students who had completed the same course in person (on campus) the previous year (2019 cohort).Results. Students’ preference for face-to-face instruction decreased from the pre-course to the post-course survey as indicated by responses made using a five-point Likert-scale (difference in means = −1.59; p < .05). Their comfort level with online learning increased (difference in means = +0.38, p < .05) by the end of the course. Students did not perceive any appreciable changes in rapport with the instructor by the end of the study. Course performance of students in the online cohort did not differ significantly from that of the 2019 cohort (p>.05).Conclusion. This study demonstrated that first year PharmD students were already somewhat prepared for online learning when they began a communication course, with further adjustment occurring as the quarter progressed. Remote online learning did not seem to impact pharmacy student learning in this communications course conducted during the COVID-19 crisis.     

An elective course to promote academic pharmacy as a career

Objective. To implement and assess an elective course that engages pharmacy students’ interest in and directs them toward a career in academia.Design. A blended-design elective that included online and face-to-face components was offered to first through third-year pharmacy studentsAssessment. Students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward academic pharmacy were measured by pre- and post-course assessments, online quizzes, personal journal entries, course assignments, and exit interviews. The elective course promoting academic pharmacy as a profession was successful and provided students with an awareness about another career avenue to consider upon graduation. The students demonstrated mastery of the course content.Conclusions. Students agreed that the elective course on pharmacy teaching and learning was valuable and that they would recommend it to their peers. Forty percent responded that after completing the course, they were considering academic pharmacy as a career.     

An Elective Course in Leader Development

Objective. To describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a leader-development elective course.Design. Students discovered, reflected on, and enhanced their leadership skills by participating in leadership quality presentations, selecting and facilitating team-building activities for pharmacy-based scenarios, creating a personal mission statement, maintaining a journal, creating pharmacy performance matrices, facilitating leadership discussions and activities, and completing a variety of leader-development inventories to identify their strengths and opportunities for growth.Assessment. Students successfully completed 98% of the assignments. The most valued topics and assignments involved validated instruments, which promoted self-discovery and development. End-of-course survey results revealed all students agreed the course achieved all learning outcomes except preventing conflict from escalating (9% disagreed) and applying knowledge of core values to achieve greater effectiveness in interpersonal communication (4% disagreed).Conclusions. Students perceived this leader-development elective course was effective in achieving learning outcomes. Assignments guided the creation of personalized leader-development tracks, ultimately promoting lifelong learning.     

An elective course in differential diagnostics

Objective. To design an elective course to teach the principles of differential diagnostics to second-year pharmacy students, critically evaluate the benefits of this approach to self-directed learning, and assess obstacles to implementation that other programs may encounter.Design. Students attended seven 2-hour class sessions in which the instructor presented a chief complaint, and the class researched and discussed possible causes and arrived at the accurate diagnosis. Each student also was assigned a unique, simulated patient case to work on outside of class. Students asked questions and researched the answers, providing a written rationale for needing the information and the source of the information. Students gave a 10-minute presentation on their diagnosis and treatment recommendations during the last class session.Assessment. All students (N = 21) successfully determined their patients’ diagnoses and made appropriate treatment recommendations. Fifteen students reported that the most valuable information in solving their case was subjective rather than objective in nature (ie, interviewing the patient rather than reviewing laboratory test results). The majority of the 15 students who completed a post-course survey instrument agreed or strongly agreed that this elective allowed them to practice varied skill sets and integrate past and future curricular content.Conclusion. PharmD students may benefit from instruction in the basic principles of differential diagnostics.     

An elective course in information mastery

Objective

To design and implement an elective course in information mastery and assess its impact on students'' ability to identify information needs and formulate clinically relevant, evidence-based answers.

Design

A semester-long (15-week) elective course was offered to third-year (P3) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students that outlined the necessary knowledge and skills for using information mastery in evidence-based practice.

Assessment

Results of a pre- and postcourse survey instrument demonstrated an increase in students'' knowledge of information mastery and confidence in and familiarity with the practice of evidence-based medicine in pharmacy. Students who had completed the elective were able to provide higher quality search strategies and evidence-based answers to a clinical question than other P3 students, and P4 students who did not participate in the elective.

Conclusion

An elective course in information mastery improved students'' knowledge and understanding of information mastery as it pertains to practicing evidence-based medicine.     

Active-learning implementation in an advanced elective course on infectious diseases

Objectives. To describe the development, implementation, and assessment of an advanced elective course on infectious diseases using active-learning strategies.Design. Pedagogy for active learning was incorporated by means of mini-lecture, journal club, and debate with follow-up discussion. Forty-eight students were enrolled in this 4-week elective course, in which 30% of course time was allocated for active-learning exercises. All activities were fundamentally designed as a stepwise approach in complementing each active-learning exercise.Assessment. Achievement of the course learning objectives was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale survey instrument. Students’ awareness of the significance of antimicrobial resistance was improved (p ≤ 0.05). Students’ ability to critically evaluate the infectious-disease literature and its application in informed clinical judgments was also enhanced through these active-learning exercises (p ≤ 0.05). Students agreed that active learning should be part of the pharmacy curriculum and that active-learning exercises improved their critical-thinking, literature-evaluation, and self-learning skills.Conclusion. An elective course using active-learning strategies allowed students to combine information gained from the evaluation of infectious-disease literature, critical thinking, and informed clinical judgment. This blended approach ultimately resulted in an increased knowledge and awareness of infectious diseases.     

Peer-Led Team Learning in an Online Course on Controversial Medication Issues and the US Healthcare System

Objective. To implement peer-led team learning in an online course on controversial issues surrounding medications and the US healthcare system.Design. The course was delivered completely online using a learning management system. Students participated in weekly small-group discussions in online forums, completed 3 reflective writing assignments, and collaborated on a peer-reviewed grant proposal project.Assessment. In a post-course survey, students reported that the course was challenging but meaningful. Final projects and peer-reviewed assignments demonstrated that primary learning goals for the course were achieved and students were empowered to engage in the healthcare debate.Conclusions. A peer-led team-learning is an effective strategy for an online course offered to a wide variety of student learners. By shifting some of the learning and grading responsibility to students, the instructor workload for the course was rendered more manageable.     

An Evidence-Based Course in Complementary Medicines

Objective. To evaluate the impact of an evidence-based course in complementary medicines on the attitudes, knowledge, and professional practice behavior of undergraduate pharmacy students.Design. A required 12-week evidence-based complementary medicine course was designed and introduced into the third-year undergraduate pharmacy curriculum. The course included a combination of traditional lectures, interactive tutorial sessions, and a range of formal assessments.Assessment. Pre- and post-course survey instruments were administered to assess changes in students’ attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, and the likelihood they would recommend the use of complementary medicines in a pharmacy practice environment.Conclusion. Completion of a required evidence-based complementary medicines course resulted in a positive change in pharmacy students’ perceptions of the value of various complementary medicines as well as in their willingness to recommend them, and provided students with the required knowledge to make patient-centered recommendations for use of complementary medicines in a professional pharmacy practice setting. These findings support the need for greater evidence-based complementary medicine education within pharmacy curricula to meet consumer demand and to align with pharmacists’ professional responsibilities.     

A Team-Based Learning Course on Nutrition and Lifestyle Modification

Objective. To create, implement, and evaluate an elective team-based learning (TBL) course on nutrition and lifestyle modification for pharmacy students.Design. An elective course with 15 contact hours was developed for second-year pharmacy students based on the principles of TBL. Student knowledge gained and satisfaction with the course were measured.Assessment. Sixty-two students completed the course. Knowledge about nutrition and lifestyle modification was significantly improved by completing the course (59% and 91%, respectively, p=<0.001). The satisfaction survey instrument had a response rate of 97%, and the majority of students (>85%) responded favorably to the TBL components.Conclusion. An elective course using TBL effectively delivered course content while teaching students communication and teamwork skills. The course was well received by students.     

Using Grey Literature to Prepare Pharmacy Students for an Evolving Healthcare Delivery System

Objectives. To assess the impact of using “grey literature” (information internally produced in print or electronic format by agencies such as hospitals, government, businesses, etc) rather than a textbook in a course on healthcare delivery systems on students’ perception of the relevance of healthcare delivery system topics and their ability to identify credible sources of this information.Design. A reading from the grey literature was identified and assigned to the students for each topic in the course.Assessment. Pre- and post-course survey instruments were used for the assessment. Students reported healthcare delivery systems topics to be moderately relevant to the profession of pharmacy on both the pre- and post-course survey instruments. Students’ knowledge of current and credible sources of information on healthcare delivery system topics significantly improved based on self-reports and scores on objective assessments (p<0.05).Conclusions. Assignment of grey literature in a course on healthcare delivery systems can be used to ensure that information in the pharmacy school curriculum is the most current and credible information available.     

A case-based toxicology elective course to enhance student learning in pharmacotherapy

Objective. To assess the impact of a case-based toxicology elective course on student learning in related required courses and student performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) examination.Design. A case-based clinical toxicology elective course that contained topics from 2 required courses, Pharmacology III and Pharmacotherapy II, was offered in the spring 2009 to second- and third-year pharmacy students.Assessment. Scores on the Toxicology subsection of the PCOA of students enrolled in the elective were higher than those of students not enrolled (91.3% ± 4.1 vs. 67.2% ± 5.7). Enrollment in the elective was related to increased examination scores among Pharmacotherapy II students (89.5% ± 2.0 vs. 83.9% ± 1.8). Students indicated on course survey instruments that they were satisfied with the new elective offering.Conclusions. A toxicology elective provided a clinically relevant, active-learning experience for pharmacy students that addressed a curricular need within the college and increased examination scores.     

The impact of elective active-learning courses in pregnancy/lactation and pediatric pharmacotherapy

Objective. To implement and evaluate the impact of 2 elective courses, Pregnancy & Lactation and Pediatrics on student acquisition of knowledge and development of lifelong learning skills related to these special populations.Design. Two 3-credit elective courses were implemented using various student-driven learning techniques, such as case-based exercises, group presentations, pro-con debates, and pharmacist “grab bag” questions. Strong emphasis was placed on medication literature retrieval and analysis, and a wiki was used to create an electronic resource for longitudinal use.Assessment. Pre- and post-course tests showed significant improvement in knowledge related to pregnancy, lactation, and pediatrics. Pre- and post-course confidence and ratings on satisfaction survey tools also revealed significant improvement in several domains relating to lifelong-learning skills, knowledge related to medication use within these special populations, use of technology to enhance learning, and overall course design.Conclusion. The combination of student-directed learning techniques used in 2 pediatric-concentration courses is an effective teaching model.     

An evidence-based medicine elective course to improve student performance in advanced pharmacy practice experiences

Objective

To implement and evaluate the impact of an elective evidence-based medicine (EBM) course on student performance during advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs).

Design

A 2-hour elective course was implemented using active-learning techniques including case studies and problem-based learning, journal club simulations, and student-driven wiki pages. The small class size (15 students) encouraged independent student learning, allowing students to serve as the instructors and guest faculty members from a variety of disciplines to facilitate discussions.

Assessment

Pre- and posttests found that students improved on 83% of the core evidence-based medicine concepts evaluated. Fifty-four APPE preceptors were surveyed to compare the performance of students who had completed the EBM course prior to starting their APPEs with students who had not. Of the 38 (70%) who responded, the majority (86.9%) agreed that students who had completed the course had stronger skills in applying evidence-based medicine to patient care than other students. The 14 students who completed the elective also were surveyed after completing their APPEs and the 11 who responded agreed the class had improved their skills and provided confidence in using the medical literature.

Conclusions

The skill set acquired from this EBM course improved students'' performance in APPEs. Evidence-based medicine and literature search skills should receive more emphasis in the pharmacy curriculum.     

A Service-Learning Course for First-Year Pharmacy Students

Objectives

To describe the design of a required service-learning course offered to first- year (P1) pharmacy students, and to assess student learning and the relevance of this learning in the pharmacy curriculum.

Design

A 14-week service-learning course was designed and community organizations were recruited to participate. All first-year students enrolled in the School completed the course. A post-course survey was administered to the students, inquiring about what they had learned from the course; supervisors at the students'' service sites also completed a short survey.

Assessment

The course and the student survey instrument were completed by 195 students, and of these 190 gave permission for the information they provided to be used in the study. Notable learning outcomes were identified, especially in the areas of communication and the social and behavioral aspects of pharmacy.

Conclusion

The survey administered at the conclusion of the course described in this article demonstrated that students in the course had achieved the desired learning outcomes. This shows that service-learning is a pedagogy that educators can employ to effect relevant learning in the pharmacy curriculum.     

Faculty and student perceptions of effective study strategies and materials

Objectives. To evaluate faculty members’ and students’ perceptions of study strategies and materials.Methods. Focus groups were conducted with course directors and first- and second-year students to generate ideas relating to use of course materials, technology, class attendance, and study strategies for mastering class concepts.Results. Students and faculty members differed in their opinions about the utility of textbooks and supplemental resources. The main learning method recommended by students and faculty members was repeated review of course material. Students recommended viewing classroom lectures again online, if possible. Course directors reported believing that class attendance is important, but students based their opinions regarding the importance of attendance on their perceptions of lecture and handout quality. Results did not differ by campus or by student group (first-year vs. second-year students).Conclusions. Students and faculty members have differing opinions on the process that could influence learning and course design. Faculty members should understand the strategies students are using to learn course material and consider additional or alternative course design and delivery techniques based on student feedback.     

Using facebook within a geriatric pharmacotherapy course

Objective

To evaluate using an Internet-based social networking site within an elective geriatric pharmacotherapy course.

Design

Thirty pharmacy students enrolled in a geriatric pharmacotherapy elective course were invited to join a closed Facebook (Facebook Inc, Palo Alto, CA) group to enhance communication among students and faculty members within the course. Creating a discussion board was the primary activity in the course. Each week, 3 students were assigned to post a healthy aging topic, and other students in the class were expected to post their comments and reactions. The healthy aging topics also were discussed during class.

Assessment

Students wrote reflections about their experiences using Facebook for the activities within this course. A survey instrument also measured students'' opinions about using Facebook for educational purposes.

Conclusion

Using Facebook allowed students to discuss topics more openly and encouraged classroom discussions of healthy aging topics.