Educating Pharmacy Students to Improve Quality (EPIQ) in Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To assess course instructors' and students' perceptions of the Educating Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists to Improve Quality (EPIQ) curriculum.Methods. Seven colleges and schools of pharmacy that were using the EPIQ program in their curricula agreed to participate in the study. Five of the 7 collected student retrospective pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Changes in students' perceptions were evaluated to assess their relationships with demographics and course variables. Instructors who implemented the EPIQ program at each of the 7 colleges and schools were also asked to complete a questionnaire.Results. Scores on all questionnaire items indicated improvement in students' perceived knowledge of quality improvement. The university the students attended, completion of a class project, and length of coverage of material were significantly related to improvement in the students' scores. Instructors at all colleges and schools felt the EPIQ curriculum was a strong program that fulfilled the criteria for quality improvement and medication error reduction education.Conclusion The EPIQ program is a viable, turnkey option for colleges and schools of pharmacy to use in teaching students about quality improvement.     

Teaching Evaluation Practices in Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective

To document teaching evaluation practices in colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Methods

A 51-item questionnaire was developed based on the instrument used in a previous study with modifications made to address changes in pharmacy education. An online survey service was used to distribute the electronic questionnaire to the deans of 98 colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States.

Results

Completed surveys were received from 89 colleges and schools of pharmacy. All colleges/schools administered student evaluations of classroom and experiential teaching. Faculty peer evaluation of classroom teaching was used by 66% of colleges/schools. Use of other evaluation methods had increased over the previous decade, including use of formalized self-appraisal of teaching, review of teaching portfolios, interviews with samples of students, and review by teaching experts. While the majority (55%) of colleges/schools administered classroom teaching evaluations at or near the conclusion of a course, 38% administered them at the midpoint and/or conclusion of a faculty member''s teaching within a team-taught course. Completion of an online evaluation form was the most common method used for evaluation of classroom (54%) and experiential teaching (72%).

Conclusion

Teaching evaluation methods used in colleges and schools of pharmacy expanded from 1996 to 2007 to include more evaluation of experiential teaching, review by peers, formalized self-appraisal of teaching, review of teaching portfolios, interviews with samples of students, review by teaching experts, and evaluation by alumni. Procedures for conducting student evaluations of teaching have adapted to address changes in curriculum delivery and technology.     

Preceptor Perceptions of Pharmacy Student Team Quality Assurance Projects

Objectives

To assess preceptors'' opinions of the impact of quality assurance projects.

Methods

Students were given the opportunity to directly apply material learned in class in a “real world” environment by completing a quality assurance project in a community or health-system pharmacy. All preceptors (n = 38) were contacted via telephone and given the opportunity to respond to open-ended questions concerning their experience with student-team quality assurance projects.

Results

Preceptors indicated the quality assurance projects benefited their practice sites by providing additional resources (53%, n = 19), decreased medication errors (22%, n = 8), and increased awareness of the importance of quality assurance (22%, n = 8). Ninety-four percent of respondents (n = 34) perceived the projects had a positive impact on patient care and 92% (n = 33) perceived a positive impact on themselves.

Conclusions

Preceptors felt that quality assurance projects performed by pharmacy-student teams were beneficial to patient care, the practice site, and themselves. The quality assurance projects have broad applications and can be added to a medication safety class or to the introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) sequence.     

Implementation and Use of the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment at US Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To describe how schools and colleges of pharmacy use the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) in relation to student assessment and curricular feedback.Methods. A survey was distributed to all programs that have implemented the PCOA. The survey was designed to assess 3 domains regarding the use of the PCOA: rationale for use, logistics of administration, and performance data review and distribution.Results. A 79% response rate (41/52) was obtained. The mix of responses was 93% current PCOA users and 7% past users. The most common reasons for PCOA use were for programmatic assessment and benchmarking. The examination was most frequently administered during the P3 year, with minimal stakes attached to performance. Significant differences in responses based on public vs private institution were seen with respect to length of accreditation of current PCOA users, messaging to students regarding performance, inclusion of results in student advising, and distribution of results to stakeholders.Conclusion. Programs were using the PCOA primarily as an assessment in the P3 year for reasons related to programmatic and curricular assessment. Some differences existed between public and private institutional PCOA use and examination-related processes and results distribution.     

我国高等药学院校药事管理学科本科课程体系调查

目的:为完善我国高等药学院校药事管理学科课程体系提供参考和建议。方法:通过官方网站、院校网站等进行基本信息资料收集,通过当面调查和电话调查方式对各院校进行问卷调查。结果:在接受调查的111所高等院校中,共开设药事管理学科课程51门,399门次。主要开设课程为药事管理学(210门次)、医药市场营销学(61门次)、药事法规(26门次)等,各课程学时、开设时间、课程性质均不相同。结论:药事管理学科体系日趋丰满,课程设置符合社会需求;各院校药事管理课程设置系统性欠缺,课程结构尚需理顺;药事管理类课程教材建设尚需加强。     

Faculty Awards at US Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objectives

To determine recognition given for outstanding teaching, service, and scholarship at US colleges and schools of pharmacy, the types of awards given, and the process used to select the recipients.

Methods

A self-administered questionnaire was made available online in 2006 to deans at 89 colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Results

Sixty-four usable responses (72%) were obtained. An award to acknowledge teaching excellence was most commonly reported (92%), followed by an award for adjunct/volunteer faculty/preceptors (79%). The majority of the institutions (31 out of 58) reported offering 1 teaching award annually. The 2 most common methods for selecting the recipient of the teaching award were by student vote and by college/school committee vote following nominations. Twenty-four of the 63 respondents indicated that their institution provided an award for research/scholarship and 18 offered an award for outstanding service.

Conclusions

Teaching excellence was recognized and rewarded at most US colleges and schools of pharmacy; however, research/scholarship and service were formally recognized less frequently.     

Trends in Pharmacy College Admission Test Requirements and Utilization Across Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To identify national trends among US pharmacy schools and colleges in their requirements for the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) and underlying rationales for not requiring pharmacy school applicants to take it.Methods. An electronic survey regarding the following was sent to all US pharmacy programs: current and future PCAT requirements for applicants, use of the PCAT or other means to assess applicants’ written communication skills, use of unofficial PCAT scores, and, if applicable, the rationale for not requiring applicants to submit PCAT scores. Data analysis was performed using Excel.Results. One hundred five (73%) of 144 schools and colleges of pharmacy responded to the survey. Twelve institutions discontinued the PCAT requirement between the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 admissions cycles. The most commonly selected reason for discontinuation was a desire to increase pharmacy applications by reducing admission barriers. Pharmacy schools nationwide had concerns regarding high PCAT registration fees. The majority of pharmacy programs that used PCAT scores in their application process indicated that they always, often, or sometimes invited applicants for an interview before they had received the applicant’s official PCAT scores. The majority of pharmacy programs considered applicants’ PCAT writing score in making their admissions decisions. Other methods used included onsite essays and personal statements.Conclusion. At the time of this study the majority of US pharmacy schools required applicants to submit the PCAT scores before being considered for admission to pharmacy school; however, the use of this examination has declined nationally.     

Teaching the Science of Safety in US Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

This paper provides baseline information on integrating the science of safety into the professional degree curriculum at colleges and schools of pharmacy. A multi-method examination was conducted that included a literature review, key informant interviews of 30 individuals, and in-depth case studies of 5 colleges and schools of pharmacy. Educators believe that they are devoting adequate time to science of safety topics and doing a good job teaching students to identify, understand, report, manage, and communicate medication risk. Areas perceived to be in need of improvement include educating pharmacy students about the Food and Drug Administration''s (FDA''s) role in product safety, how to work with the FDA in post-marketing surveillance and other FDA safety initiatives, teaching students methods to improve safety, and educating students to practice in interprofessional teams. The report makes 10 recommendations to help pharmacy school graduates be more effective in protecting patients from preventable drug-related problems.     

Characteristics of Experiential Education Web Sites of US Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To evaluate the characteristics of experiential education Web sites of colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States.Methods. The experiential education Web pages of 124 US colleges and schools of pharmacy were reviewed for office or program name, practice experience management software, experiential education newsletter, practice experience manual, preceptor development programs, new preceptor application processes, and interactive Web site interfaces.Results. The term “office of experiential education” was used by 27.4% of colleges and schools. Fifty percent of the colleges and schools used E-value as their practice experience management software. Only a minority of colleges and schools made experiential manual(s) available online, offered newsletters targeted to preceptors, and/or provided Web site interactive interfaces for preceptor communication. The Preceptors Training and Resource Network was the preceptor development program most frequently promoted.Conclusions. The majority of US colleges and schools of pharmacy have official Web sites for their experiential education program; however, few offer resources online or use interactive or social media to their advantage.     

Pharmacy Student and Preceptor Perceptions of Preceptor Teaching Behaviors

Objectives

To compare PharmD students'' and preceptors'' perceptions of preceptors'' teaching behaviors.

Methods

A 47-item survey instrument was developed and distributed to students and preceptors for rating the frequency and adequacy of each teaching behavior as not done, done but inadequate, and well done and adequate.

Results

Seventy-seven (99%) students and 53 (55%) preceptors responded to the survey. Students were somewhat satisfied with their preceptors'' teaching behaviors. In comparison, preceptors overrated their own teaching behaviors as well done and adequate on 9 of 47 (19%; p ≤ 0.05) items, with the majority being in the areas of providing feedback to students and evaluation.

Conclusion

Preceptors tended to overestimate the quality of their performance compared with students'' evaluations. These findings suggest the need for a preceptor development program.     

高职药学类专业药品质量管理技术课程改革与实践

药品质量管理技术是高职药学类专业的一门重要的专业课程,其知识点多、内容抽象、理论性强。该课程教学存在教学内容与生产脱节、专业教师欠缺探索创新动力、机械使用特定教学模式、答题式讲课频繁、考评方法单一等系列问题。以江苏食品药品职业技术学院药品质量检测技术专业为例,通过优化教学内容、把控教学节奏、运用趣味教学法、社团技能竞赛与课程相结合、完善考核办法等措施,进行教学改革与实践,并取得较好的教学效果。对于高职院校培养药品质量检测技术专业应用型人才,改革课程教学体系具有实践意义。     

Education in Pediatrics in US Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To determine the extent to which pediatrics is taught at US doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs and to characterize what is being taught and how.Methods. A 40-question online survey instrument was sent to accredited and candidate-status US PharmD programs.Results. Of 86 participating programs (67.2% response rate), 81 (94.2%) indicated that pediatric topics were included in their required classroom curricula (mean, 21.9 contact hours). A pediatric elective course was offered by 61.0% of programs (mean, 25.9 contact hours). Advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) in pediatrics were offered by 97.4% of programs, with an average of 27 students per program completing this practice experience annually.Conclusions. Almost all responding programs incorporated pediatrics in their required curricula. Pediatric elective courses provided an adequate mean number of contact hours, but 39.0% of programs did not offer an elective course. One-fifth of students completed a pediatric APPE prior to graduation. Continued expansion of pediatric-focused classroom and experiential curricula across US PharmD programs is recommended.     

Pharmacoeconomics Education in US Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To determine the extent of pharmacoeconomics education in US colleges and schools of pharmacy provided to doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students in 2011.Methods. E-mails requesting syllabi and information about courses covering pharmacoeconomic topics were sent to all US colleges and schools of pharmacy from which PharmD students had graduated in 2011 (n=103).Results. Of 87 responding pharmacy colleges and schools, 85 provided pharmacoeconomics education in 2011. The number of hours dedicated to pharmacoeconomic-related topics varied from 2 to 60 per year (mean=20).Conclusions. Pharmacoeconomics education is provided at almost all US colleges and schools of pharmacy; however, variation in the number of teaching hours and topics covered demonstrates a lack of standardization in the PharmD curriculum. Pharmacy administrators and educators should invest more resources and tools to standardize training in this area.     

A Train-the-Trainer Approach to a Shared Pharmacogenomics Curriculum for US Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To assess pharmacy faculty trainers’ perceptions of a Web-based train-the-trainer program for PharmGenEd, a shared pharmacogenomics curriculum for health professional students and licensed clinicians.Methods. Pharmacy faculty trainers (n=58, representing 39 colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States and 1 school from Canada) participated in a train-the-trainer program consisting of up to 9 pharmacogenomics topics. Posttraining survey instruments assessed faculty trainers’ perceptions toward the training program and the likelihood of their adopting the educational materials as part of their institution’s curriculum.Results. Fifty-five percent of faculty trainers reported no prior formal training in pharmacogenomics. There was a significant increase (p<0.001) in self-reported ability to teach pharmacogenomics to pharmacy students after participants viewed the webinar and obtained educational materials. Nearly two-thirds (64%) indicated at least a “good” likelihood of adopting PharmGenEd materials at their institution during the upcoming academic year. More than two-thirds of respondents indicated interest in using PharmGenEd materials to train licensed health professionals, and 95% indicated that they would recommend the program to other pharmacy faculty members.Conclusion. As a result of participating in the train-the-trainer program in pharmacogenomics, faculty member participants gained confidence in teaching pharmacogenomics to their students, and the majority of participants indicated a high likelihood of adopting the program at their institution. A Web-based train-the-trainer model appears to be a feasible strategy for training pharmacy faculty in pharmacogenomics.     

我国高等药学院校药事管理学科师资情况调查

目的:为加强我国高等药学院校药事管理学科师资队伍建设,推动药事管理学科发展提供参考。方法:通过官方网站、院校网站等进行基本信息资料收集,通过电话、面访等方式对各院校进行问卷调查。结果:返回有效问卷的108所高等药学院校中,共有276名药事管理学科教师,其中男性142人,女性134人;专职教师145人,兼职人员131人。有63所院校仅有药事管理学科兼职教师,兼职教师主要来源于药学其他学科教研组织(91人)、学校党政机构(24人)、医院(9人)、制药企业(4人)、药监部门(3人)。结论:药事管理学科师资来源多样,进入门槛较低。需加强药事管理学科师资建设,提高师资整体水平。     

Assessment of Volunteer Preceptors at Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy in the United States

Objective. To identify the way colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States assess the performance of volunteer preceptors who precept students in advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs).Methods. In the summer and fall semesters of 2018, directors of experiential education were invited to complete an online, self-administered questionnaire that included questions dealing with assessment of APPE volunteer preceptors related to promotion and reappointment procedures, abilities and attributes assessed, methods of assessment, and frequency of conducting such assessments. Several attempts were made via email and phone to encourage participation.Results. Eighty-one of 132 (61.4%) fully accredited programs responded with all but one reporting that they evaluated the performance of APPE volunteer preceptors. Forty-one of these 80 (51.3%) indicated that preceptors cannot be promoted in rank, while 47 (58.8%) had a process for preceptor reappointment. The most commonly assessed preceptor abilities and attributes were accessibility, ability to provide feedback to students, communication skills, and professional demeanor. The most reported assessment strategies were summative student evaluations and on-site evaluation of the preceptor by college or school personnel. The frequency of assessments varied based on the assessment method the institution used.Conclusion. Assessment of APPE volunteer preceptors was an integral component of the quality assurance process at almost all responding US pharmacy colleges and schools. The institutions evaluated various preceptor abilities and attributes and used multiple assessment strategies. Findings from this study may help programs review their existing assessment practices, implement new ones, and help to standardize preceptor assessment.     

Scholarly Contributions of Required Senior Research Projects in a Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum

Objective. To determine dissemination outcomes and faculty perceptions of senior research projects conducted from 2008 to 2011 by PharmD students in a curricular pathway focused on direct patient care.Methods. Preceptors’ reported dissemination outcomes of research projects were surveyed and their perceptions of the precepting experience were rated using a web-based survey. Results were compared to those from an earlier pharmaceutical care cohort (2002-2007) and a combined cohort of 2, more research-intensive curricular pathways at the school.Results. The overall response rate was 90.2%. Project dissemination included 61.3% at an institutional forum, 42.3% as a submitted publication, 37.8% as a poster, and 4.5% as an oral presentation. Projects completed from 2008-2011 were significantly more likely than those from 2002-2007 to be submitted for publication (42.3% vs 10.7%, p<0.001) and published (28.8% vs 5.3%, p<0.001). Most preceptors found their research projects valuable to them professionally (88.3%) and to their own or another institution (83.5% and 78.5%, respectively). Ninety-five percent of preceptors would precept again.Conclusion. Dissemination rates for pharmaceutical care projects increased over time. Despite modest dissemination levels, the majority of preceptors agreed that required student research projects provide a valuable learning experience for students.     

Assessment of Full-time Faculty Preceptors By Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy in the United States and Puerto Rico

Objective. To identify the manner in which colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States and Puerto Rico assess full-time faculty preceptors. Methods. Directors of pharmacy practice (or equivalent title) were invited to complete an online, self-administered questionnaire.Results. Seventy of the 75 respondents (93.3%) confirmed that their college or school assessed full-time pharmacy faculty members based on activities related to precepting students at a practice site. The most commonly reported assessment components were summative student evaluations (98.5%), type of professional service provided (92.3%), scholarly accomplishments (86.2%), and community service (72.3%). Approximately 42% of respondents indicated that a letter of evaluation provided by a site-based supervisor was included in their assessment process. Some colleges and schools also conducted onsite assessment of faculty members.Conclusions. Most colleges and schools of pharmacy assess full-time faculty-member preceptors via summative student assessments, although other strategies are used. Given the important role of preceptors in ensuring students are prepared for pharmacy practice, colleges and schools of pharmacy should review their assessment strategies for full-time faculty preceptors, keeping in mind the methodologies used by other institutions.