Education,Training, and Academic Experience of Newly Hired,First-Time Pharmacy Faculty Members

Objective. To describe the education, training, and academic experiences of newly hired faculty members at US colleges and schools of pharmacy during the 2012-2013 academic year.Methods. A survey regarding education, training, and academic experiences was conducted of all first-time faculty members at US colleges and schools of pharmacy hired during the 2012-2013 academic year.Results. Pharmacy practice faculty members accounted for the majority (68.2%) of new hires. Ambulatory care was the most common pharmacy specialty position (29.8%). Most new faculty members had a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) as their terminal degree (74.8%), and 88.3% of pharmacy practice faculty members completed a residency. Of new faculty members who responded to the survey, 102 (67.5%) had at least 3 prior academic teaching, precepting, or research experiences.Conclusion. New faculty members were hired most frequently for clinical faculty positions at the assistant professor level and most frequently in the specialty of ambulatory care. Prior academic experience included precepting pharmacy students, facilitating small discussions, and guest lecturing.     

Survey of Pass/Fail Grading Systems in US Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Programs

Objective. To understand how US schools and colleges of pharmacy use pass/fail grading systems in Doctor of Pharmacy degree programs.Methods. An electronic survey with 15 selected response items and six open-ended questions was developed to gather qualitative and quantitative data. The convenience survey was distributed in 2020 to the 10 academic pharmacy programs known to use a pass/fail grading system for the majority of their courses.Results. Leaders from eight of the 10 programs identified responded to the survey. Programs varied regarding the types of courses for which they used a pass/fail grading system and whether they shared numerical scores with their students. A variety of grade designations (honors, pass, no pass, fail, satisfactory, etc) were used, and the minimum pass level varied by program, ranging from 70% to 90%. For those institutions that used post-course remediation, the majority of remediation occurred immediately following the academic term or in the summer. The type of information shared with residency program directors (eg, GPA, class rank, overall percentile, qualitative comments) varied between programs.Conclusion. How pass/fail grading systems were used was inconsistent across the cohort. Programs that use a criterion-based grading system might benefit from engaging in conversations with other schools that do the same to determine whether and how consistency in terminology, passing level, percentages, grade point averages, and progression might be achieved. Additional insights on postgraduate training requirements and honorary societies are warranted should the use of pass/fail grading expand as it has in medical education. Further research on this topic is needed.     

Essential Elements for a Pharmacy Practice Mentoring Program

Formal guidelines for mentoring faculty members in pharmacy practice divisions of colleges and schools of pharmacy do not exist in the literature. This paper addresses the background literature on mentoring programs, explores the current state of mentoring programs used in pharmacy practice departments, and provides guidelines for colleges and schools instituting formal mentoring programs. As the number of pharmacy colleges and schools has grown, the demand for quality pharmacy faculty members has dramatically increased. While some faculty members gain teaching experience during postgraduate residency training, new pharmacy practice faculty members often need professional development to meet the demands of their academic responsibilities. A mentoring program can be 1 means of improving faculty success and retention. Many US colleges and schools of pharmacy have developed formal mentoring programs, whereas several others have informal processes in place. This paper discusses those programs and the literature available, and makes recommendations on the structure of mentoring programs.     

Evaluation of Student Factors Associated with Pre-NAPLEX Scores

Objective: To examine relationships among students’ Pre-NAPLEX scores and prepharmacy, pharmacy school, and demographic variables to better understand factors that may contribute to Pre-NAPLEX performance.Methods: A retrospective review of pharmacy students’ Pre-NAPLEX scores, demographics, prepharmacy factors, and pharmacy school factors was performed. Bivariate (eg, ANOVA) and correlational analyses and stepwise linear regression were conducted to examine the significance of various factors and their relationship to Pre-NAPLEX score.Results: 168 students were included, with the majority being female (60.7%) and White (72%). Mean Pre-NAPLEX score was 68.95 ± 14.5. Non-Hispanic White students had significantly higher Pre-NAPLEX scores compared to minority students (p<0.001). Pre-NAPLEX score was correlated (p<0.001) to race/ethnicity (r=-0.341), PCAT score (r=0.272), and pharmacy school GPA (r=0.346). The regression model (adjusted R²=0.216; p<0.001) included pharmacy school GPA, academic probation, academic remediation, and PCAT composite.Conclusion: This study highlighted that select demographic, prepharmacy, and pharmacy school factors were associated with Pre-NAPLEX outcomes. Such factors may assist colleges/schools of pharmacy in identifying students who may be at risk for poorer NAPLEX performance and may need greater preparation.     

The Status of US Multi-campus Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective

To assess the current status of multi-campus colleges and schools of pharmacy within the United States.

Methods

Data on multi-campus programs, technology, communication, and opinions regarding benefits and challenges were collected from Web sites, e-mail, and phone interviews from all colleges and schools of pharmacy with students in class on more than 1 campus.

Results

Twenty schools and colleges of pharmacy (18 public and 2 private) had multi-campus programs; 16 ran parallel campuses and 4 ran sequential campuses. Most programs used synchronous delivery of classes. The most frequently reported reasons for establishing the multi-campus program were to have access to a hospital and/or medical campus and clinical resources located away from the main campus and to increase class size. Effectiveness of distance education technology was most often sited as a challenge.

Conclusion

About 20% of colleges and schools of pharmacy have multi-campus programs most often to facilitate access to clinical resources and to increase class size. These programs expand learning opportunities and face challenges related to technology, resources, and communication.     

Analysis of Research and Scholarship Criteria Within Promotion and Tenure Documents of US Pharmacy Schools

Objective. To describe criteria for evaluating faculty scholarship within the promotion and tenure guidance documents of US schools and colleges of pharmacy.Methods. Promotion and tenure documents were obtained from the websites of US pharmacy schools or requested via electronic mail, and institutional characteristics were collected from publicly available online data. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to systematically catalogue document characteristics and criteria for promotion and tenure.Results. Promotion and tenure guidance documents from 121 (85%) of 142 pharmacy schools were analyzed. Institutions were 55% public and equally distributed across Carnegie institutional classifications as well as geographic and extramural funding stratifications. Publications (94%) and grants and contracts (87%) were the most frequently included criteria for faculty advancement. More than 50% of schools recognized the criteria within promotion and tenure guidance documents but did not explicitly require faculty to achieve them before receiving promotion and/or tenure. For institutions that required publications for advancement, the most frequently required criterion was publication in peer-reviewed journals (47%). Few schools (22%) documented a specific number of required publications.Conclusion. This analysis provides a comprehensive review of scholarship criteria in academic pharmacy promotion and tenure guidance documents. There was wide variability among scholarship criteria, and documents often lacked specific language defining scholarship requirements. As a result, faculty may find the documents less helpful for self-assessment and preparation toward promotion and/or tenure. These benchmark data can assist pharmacy faculty and administrators in developing and revising promotion and tenure guidance documents to include clear criteria and better align with peer institutions.     

Pharmaceutical Science Faculty Publication Records at Research-Intensive Pharmacy Colleges and Schools

Objective. To determine yearly (phase 1) and cumulative (phase 2) publication records of pharmaceutical science faculty members at research-intensive colleges and schools of pharmacy.Methods. The publication records of pharmaceutical science faculty members at research-intensive colleges and schools of pharmacy were searched on Web of Science. Fifty colleges and schools of pharmacy were randomly chosen for a search of 1,042 individual faculty members’ publications per year from 2005 to 2009. A stratified random sample of 120 faculty members also was chosen, and cumulative publication counts were recorded and bibliometric indices calculated.Results. The median number of publications per year was 2 (range, 0-34). Overall, 22% of faculty members had no publications in any given year, but the number was highly variable depending on the faculty members’ colleges or schools of pharmacy. Bibliometric indices were higher for medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutics, with pharmacology ranking third and social and administrative sciences fourth. Higher bibliometric indices were also observed for institution status (ie, public vs private) and academic rank (discipline chairperson vs non-chairperson and professor vs junior faculty member) (p<0.01 for each). The median number of cumulative publications per faculty member was 34 (range, 0-370).Conclusion. Significant differences exist in yearly and cumulative publication rates for faculty members and bibliometric indices among pharmaceutical science disciplines and academic ranks within research-intensive colleges and schools of pharmacy. These data may be important for benchmarking purposes.     

Pharmacy curriculum outcomes assessment for individual student assessment and curricular evaluation

The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) is a standardized examination for assessing academic progress of pharmacy students. Although no other national benchmarking tool is available on a national level, the PCOA has not been adopted by all colleges and schools of pharmacy. Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU) compared 2008-2010 PCOA results of its P1, P2, and P3 students to their current grade point average (GPA) and to results of a national cohort. The reliability coefficient of PCOA was 0.91, 0.90, and 0.93 for the 3 years, respectively. PBAU results showed a positive correlation between GPA and PCOA scale score. A comparison of subtopic results helped to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. PCOA provides useful comparative data that can facilitate individual student assessment as well as programmatic evaluation. There are no other standardized assessment tools available. Despite limitations, PCOA warrants consideration by colleges and schools of pharmacy. Expanded participation could enhance its utility as a meaningful benchmark.     

The Prevalence and Characteristics of Dual PharmD/MPH Programs Offered at US Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To assess the prevalence and characteristics of curriculum in dual doctor of pharmacy (PharmD)/master of public health (MPH) degree programs offered by US pharmacy programs.Methods. An 18-item survey instrument was developed and distributed online to faculty members at US colleges and schools of pharmacy.Results. Of the 110 colleges and schools that responded, 23 (21%) offered a PharmD/MPH degree. Common characteristics of these 23 programs included current PharmD program structure (3 + 1 year), early curricular recruitment, small enrollment, and interdisciplinary coursework occurring online and in the classroom. The impact of the dual degree on the curriculum and longevity of the dual-degree programs varied. About 55% of responding programs without a formal dual-degree program reported that additional public health training was available.Conclusion. Twenty-one percent of colleges and schools of pharmacy offer a combined PharmD/MPH dual degree. Most programs required an additional 1 or 2 semesters to complete both degrees.     

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.     

Portfolio use and practices in US colleges and schools of pharmacy

Objectives. To identify the prevalence of portfolio use in US pharmacy programs, common components of portfolios, and advantages of and limitations to using portfolios.Methods. A cross-sectional electronic survey instrument was sent to experiential coordinators at US colleges and schools of pharmacy to collect data on portfolio content, methods, training and resource requirements, and benefits and challenges of portfolio use.Results. Most colleges and schools of pharmacy (61.8%) use portfolios in experiential courses and the majority (67.1%) formally assess them, but there is wide variation regarding content and assessment. The majority of respondents used student portfolios as a formative evaluation primarily in the experiential curriculum.Conclusions. Although most colleges and schools of pharmacy have a portfolio system in place, few are using them to fulfill accreditation requirements. Colleges and schools need to carefully examine the intended purpose of their portfolio system and follow-through with implementation and maintenance of a system that meets their goals.     

Systematic Review of Predictors of Success for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination

Objective. Studies have examined possible predictors of success on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX). This systematic review investigated the literature on potential predictors of success on the NAPLEX.Findings. Articles were included in the review if they studied student characteristics and academic performance as independent variables and NAPLEX scores and/or pass rates as an outcome. Data were extracted from each article for students’ demographics or variables, sample size, methods of statistical analyses, and results reporting correlation or predictability. From 40 articles retrieved from the initial search and sorting, 20 studies were included in the final review per inclusion criteria. Three studies included all the pharmacy programs, 15 were single-institution studies, two were multi-institution studies, and four had been published as posters. Among 30 different variables identified as potential predictors of success on the NAPLEX, the most examined variables were student age at matriculation, having a prior degree, Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores, cumulative pharmacy school grade point average (GPA), overall Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) scores, and PCOA content areas scores. Positively correlated factors included PCAT scores, not having a prior degree, prepharmacy and pharmacy school GPA, institutional characteristics, and PCOA scores. Negatively correlated factors included older age at admission.Summary. Cumulative pharmacy school GPA and PCOA scores were predictors of NAPLEX success consistently in the studies. The effects of preadmission student characteristics on NAPLEX success varied and were not consistently correlated or predictive.     

Death education: a survey of U.S. colleges and schools of pharmacy.

This survey was conducted to assess the present state of death education available to pharmacy students at both the BS and PharmD degree levels. Eighty-five percent of the colleges and schools of pharmacy located in the United States provided information concerning: (i) attitudes toward teaching death education; (ii) present offerings; (iii) academic background of instructors and departments responsible for death education programs; and (iv) course information. It was determined that 38 colleges of pharmacy offered some form of death education in their curricula during 1985. However, only 12 schools offered a full semester course, and many schools offered death education as an elective through a discipline other than pharmacy. As a result, a majority of graduates are still leaving pharmacy schools without any instruction in death education. The implications of these and other findings are discussed.     

Addressing the Need for Ethnic and Racial Diversity in the Pipeline for Pharmacy Faculty

Objective. To analyze the ethnic and racial diversity of faculty in pharmacy, medicine, and dentistry in the United States and suggest how the pipeline for pharmacy academe can be diversified.Methods. A retrospective analysis of the representativeness of faculty at schools and colleges of pharmacy was compared to that in schools and colleges of medicine and dentistry. The range of ethnic and racial diversity across top schools of pharmacy, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and newer schools of pharmacy was evaluated for both faculty and students for the year 2019-2020. The ethnic and racial diversity in residency and fellowship programs along with graduation rates provided insight into the available pipeline for future pharmacy faculty.Results. Faculty in pharmacy, medicine, and dentistry demonstrated similarly low representation of underrepresented minorities (URMs) compared to their composition within the US population. Dentistry had the largest percentage of URMs (13.9%), compared with 8.5% in pharmacy and 7.1% in medicine. Five HBCUs contributed 32.8% of all Black faculty, yet their graduates had comparatively low residency match rates. The ratio of URM students to non-URM students in post-PharmD and graduate training programs is lower than the ratio of URM students to non-URM students in pharmacy programs.Conclusion. Lack of access to postgraduate residency or fellowship training programs is a major barrier to progression to pharmacy academe and impacts URMs more significantly. Barriers to advanced training must be removed or decreased to create the needed diverse faculty candidates for pharmacy academe. Without intervention, students in pharmacy programs will be primarily trained by non-URM faculty, which may impact how graduates provide care in an increasingly diverse patient population.     

Attitudes and policies about continuing education among Wisconsin hospital pharmacy directors

Pharmacy directors in Wisconsin hospitals were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward continuing professional education and to assess the status of policies and procedures regarding continuing education (CE) and funding for CE activities. A two-page questionnaire was sent to all pharmacy directors in the state. A total of 151 questionnaires were delivered and 103 (68.2%) usable responses were returned. Written policies and procedures regarding CE were available in 47.6% of pharmacy departments. Most directors (84.5%) had formal mechanisms for documenting staff participation in CE activities but few (19.6%) reported having criteria for determining who would attend CE programs. Only 64% of directors used a formal system of budgeting for CE activities, although 88% provide financial support for CE activities outside the institution. The types of CE activities considered to be most desirable were programs sponsored by pharmacy organizations, programs sponsored by schools of pharmacy, and journal reading. Many directors (72.8%) believed that CE is necessary if pharmacists are to remain competent, but few (5.9%) believed that their budgets were adequate to meet the costs of all CE activities in which their pharmacists might be interested, and few expected their budgets to increase. Based on this survey, Wisconsin pharmacy directors in both small and large hospitals believe that CE is important and that the pharmacy department should support it.     

Attributes of Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy in the United States

Objectives

To compare the attributes of US colleges and schools of pharmacy and describe the extent of change to the pharmacy education enterprise associated with the addition of new schools.

Methods

Attributes analyzed included whether the college or school of pharmacy was old or new, public or private, secular or faith-based, and on or not on an academic health center (AHC) campus; had 3- or 4- year programs; and had PhD students enrolled. PharmD student enrollment-to-faculty ratios and junior-to-senior faculty ratios also were examined.

Results

Of the new colleges/schools, 76% were private and 79% were not located on a campus with an AHC; 6% had PhD enrollment compared with 80% of old colleges/schools. Faculty ratios were related to several college/school attributes, including the presence or absence of PhD students and whether the college/school was public or private.

Conclusions

Attributes of new colleges and schools of pharmacy have changed the overall profile of all colleges and schools of pharmacy. For example, smaller percentages of all colleges and schools of pharmacy are public and have PhD enrollees.     

Mitigation of Marijuana-Related Legal Harms to Youth in California

ABSTRACT

If recreational marijuana is legalized for adults in California, a rational implementation of public policy would neither criminalize youth possession, nor medically pathologize it by conflating possession with addiction. The harms of a criminal justice approach to juveniles should not exceed the harms of the drug itself. Juvenile arrests and probation have consequences: (1) arrest records, probation, and juvenile hall; (2) an incarceration subculture, “crime school,” psychological and re-entry costs; (3) school “zero-tolerance” expulsions and suspensions; (4) ineligibility for federal school loans; (5) employment screening problems; (6) racial disparities in arrests; (7) fines and attorney’s fees; and (8) immigration/naturalization problems. Marijuana-related arrest rates in California dropped after a 2011 law making possession under 1 oz. an infraction for all, but juvenile marijuana arrests continue to outnumber arrests for hard drugs. Recommendations for prudent implementation policy include: stable marijuana tax funding for Student Assistance Programs (SAPs) in high schools; elimination of “zero-tolerance” suspension/expulsion policies in favor of school retention and academic remediation programs; juvenile justice transparency discriminating among infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. Criminal sanctions and durations must be proportional to the offense. Probation-based interventions should be reserved for larger possession amounts and recidivist offenders, and outcomes should be independently evaluated.     

An International Perspective on Pharmacy Student Selection Policies and Processes

Objective. To reflect on selection policies and procedures for programs at pharmacy schools that are members of an international alliance of universities (Universitas 21).Methods. A questionnaire on selection policies and procedures was distributed to admissions directors at participating schools.Results. Completed questionnaires were received from 7 schools in 6 countries. Although marked differences were noted in the programs in different countries, there were commonalities in the selection processes. There was an emphasis on previous academic performance, especially in science subjects. With one exception, all schools had some form of interview, with several having moved to multiple mini-interviews in recent years.Conclusion. The majority of pharmacy schools in this survey relied on traditional selection processes. While there was increasing use of multiple mini-interviews, the authors suggest that additional new approaches may be required in light of the changing nature of the profession.     

Multisite Study Assessing the Effect of Cognitive Test Anxiety on Academic and Standardized Test Performance

Objective. To evaluate the degree of cognitive test anxiety (CTA) present in student pharmacists at multiple pharmacy programs in the United States and to determine if there are associations between self-reported CTA and relevant academic outcomes.Methods. All 2018-2019 advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students from three US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs (N=260) were invited to participate in the study. Participants completed a validated 37-question survey that included the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale-2 (CTAS-2) along with demographics-related questions. Responses were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal Wallace, and multiple linear regression where appropriate.Results. One hundred twenty-four students (48%) from the three programs participated in the study, and the individual data of 119 (46%) were included in the final analysis. Twenty-two students (18.5%) were classified as having high CTA, 41 (34.5%) as having moderate CTA, and 56 (47.1%) as having low CTA. High CTA predicted a 8.9 point lower NAPLEX total scaled score after accounting for other variables and was also correlated with lower cumulative didactic GPA, performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA), and increased likelihood of requiring course remediation.Conclusion. High cognitive test anxiety affects 18% of pharmacy students and may significantly impact their performance on a variety of traditional student success measures, including the NAPLEX. Pharmacy educators should consider further use and adoption of test anxiety measurements to identify and assist potentially struggling students.