Revealing rural motivations in pharmacy students pursuing a graduate certificate program.

Introduction: To assist recruitment and retention efforts and influence the need for an increased supply of future rural pharmacists, this study examines perceptions and key motivators of pharmacy students who chose to participate in the Rural Pharmacy Health Certificate (RPHC) program and pursue pathways to rural practice.

Methods: We interviewed six RPHC students prior to or shortly after beginning their first semester in the RPHC program. Interview questions assessed applicants' reasons for pursuing the RPHC, perceptions of living in and providing healthcare in rural and small communities, awareness of barriers and health disparities in rural areas, and qualities needed to be a successful rural pharmacist.

Increasing the Representation of Black Men in Medicine by Addressing Systems Factors.

In 2015, data released by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) showed that there were more Black men applying and matriculating to medical school in 1978 than 2014. The representation of Black men in medicine is a troubling workforce issue that was identified by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as a national crisis. While premedical pathway programs have contributed to increased workforce diversity, alone they are insufficient to accelerate change.

Development and implementation of a formative instructional coaching program using the Teaching Practices Inventory within a health professions program.

Background: A growing body of literature describes teaching practices that are positively associated with student achievement. Observing, characterizing, and providing feedback on these teaching practices is a necessary, yet significant challenge to improving teaching quality. This study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an instructional coaching program created to provide formative feedback to instructors based on their use of evidence-based teaching practices.

Towards Antiracism: Using Critical Race Theory as a Tool to Disrupt the Status Quo in Health Professions Education.

The use of words such as race, racism, antiracism, and antiracist has increased in health professions education (HPE). While the words are used more frequently, additional work is needed to demonstrate a commitment to enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion in HPE. It is important that we contextualize these words, understand the connections between them, and use this information to implement sustainable actions to disrupt the status quo in HPE.

Exploring the Career Engagement, Interests, and Goals of Pharmacy Students Identifying as Underrepresented Racial Minorities.

To examine pharmacy career engagement, interest, and confidence in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students identifying as underrepresented racial minorities (URMs). A 15-item survey about career engagement, confidence, and goals was administered at a business session of a national conference. The survey included demographic items and items about career exposure prior to and during school, career aspirations after graduation, frequency of engagement in various settings, career factors, and career confidence.

Qualitative Evaluation of a Junior Faculty Team Mentoring Program.

To investigate the strengths and challenges of a structured junior faculty mentoring program at a public four-year school of pharmacy, identify areas of opportunity to improve the program, and describe the mentoring needs of mid-career faculty. Focus groups and interviews were conducted to elicit participants' experiences, perceptions, and suggestions for opportunity to improve the program. Stakeholder groups included junior faculty enrolled in the mentoring program, mid-career faculty who had graduated from the program, mid-career faculty who had not participated in the program, internal mentors, external mentors, and division chairs.

An Exploration of Preceptor-Provided Written Feedback on Entrustable Professional Activities During Early Practice Experiences.

To explore and evaluate open-ended feedback on entrustable professional activities (EPAs) provided by preceptors to Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students completing their first practice experience. A retrospective review was conducted of qualitative data collected from preceptor evaluations of student pharmacists who had completed a two-month practice experience in either community or health-system pharmacy at the end of their first professional year. Preceptors had used a validated EPA framework to assess students.

Implementation and Initial Evaluation of a Research and Scholarship Training Pathway in a Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum.

To design, implement, and assess the initial impact of a pharmacy student research and scholarship training pathway. The Research and Scholarship in Pharmacy (RASP) pathway was designed to create a longitudinal, elective pathway within a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum at a single institution. The pathway consisted of three elective courses built around a faculty-mentored scholarly project where students framed an answerable question, generated and interpreted relevant data, and communicated their findings in oral and written form.

Exploring career development through a student-directed practicum to provide individualized learning experiences.

Introduction: The primary objective was to assess the impact of an optional student-directed career development program on career and professional development between the second and third year of a doctor of pharmacy curriculum.

Methods: Students who completed the student-directed practicum (SDP) completed a nine item pre-/post-survey assessing its impact on their career development within the learning constructs of discovery, application, and reflection. Additional open-ended questions assessed why students participated in the SDP and their perceived benefits of doing so.

Immersive Research Experiences for High School Students Aimed at Promoting Diversity and Visibility in Pharmacy Education.

Two challenges frequently faced by schools of pharmacy are the training of a workforce that reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of the populations they serve, as well as raising public awareness of the mission and impact of pharmacy schools. One underutilized strategy in addressing these challenges is directly engaging high school students, whose race and ethnicity more closely reflect the increasing diversity of the US population, in immersive research experiences at schools of pharmacy. Motivated by the multidisciplinary nature of pharmaceutical sciences that involve integration of various science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy created the Young Innovators Program (YIP).

An Exploration of Pharmacy Education Researchers' Perceptions and Experiences Conducting Qualitative Research.

To investigate pharmacy education researchers' experiences in conducting qualitative research and their perceptions of qualitative research in pharmacy education A phenomenological approach was used to conduct one-time, in-depth interviews with 19 participants from 12 schools and colleges of pharmacy. Interview transcripts were coded and themes were identified using a modified form of the Sort and Sift, Think and Shift method of data analysis. Faculty members were the largest subgroup in the sample, followed by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows/scholars, and residents.

A Conceptual Framework for Exploring the Experiences of Underrepresented Racial Minorities in Pharmacy School.

To explore the social and academic experiences of students identifying as underrepresented racial minorities (URMs) in a pharmacy school, how they made meaning of their experiences, and the strategic actions they took to navigate towards degree completion. Twenty students from a school of pharmacy within a research-intensive institution participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through several rounds of coding.

Characteristics of High-Performing Interprofessional Health Care Teams Involving Student Pharmacists.

To identify key themes of interprofessional models of care that offer experiential education opportunities for pharmacy learners. Six pharmacists from four Area Health Education Centers in North Carolina participated in individual, 60-minute interviews. Using two pre-established frameworks, the data were analyzed qualitatively by two members of the research team to identify the characteristics of interdisciplinary care teams.

Assessing the Co-Curriculum by Mapping Student Organization Involvement to Curricular Outcomes Using Mixed Methods.

To use institution-specific curricular outcomes as a framework to map skill development opportunities available through cocurricular involvement in pharmacy student organizations. Participants completed a modified Extracurricular Involvement Inventory individually to measure the intensity of their involvement in each student organization. Participants also completed the Co-Curriculum Outcomes Assessment Mapping Survey (COAMS) instrument as a group to indicate what skills (ie, curricular outcomes) they developed through involvement in a student organization and student organization activities, programs, and events, and to provide examples of these skills.

Characteristics of significant events identified by pharmacy students while on early immersion pharmacy practice experiences.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize and classify significant events of pharmacy students who completed an early practice experience.

Methods: Significant event analyses (SEAs) were reflections submitted by students about events that they found impactful during their early practice experiences. An online repository has stored 287 SEAs submitted by first year pharmacy students for later use in a pharmacy course.

Identifying and Mapping Skill Development Opportunities Through Pharmacy Student Organization Involvement.

To describe a process for identifying skills that students can gain through co-curricular involvement and to map these skills to curricular outcomes. This pilot study used a mixed-methods approach involving document reviews, student involvement surveys, and focus groups/interviews to evaluate skill development opportunities in three pharmacy student organizations. Investigators reviewed key documents (eg, student organization websites, annual review forms) to identify skills emphasized by the organization.

Conducting and presenting qualitative research in pharmacy education.

Situation: The evolution of practices in healthcare and the content and delivery of pharmacy education have generated new challenges for practitioners and academicians. Fittingly, pharmacy education research in the academic setting has grown rapidly to provide innovative solutions to these challenges. One approach for addressing these challenges includes the collection and analysis of qualitative research (QR).

Identifying Shared Values for School-Affiliated Student Organizations.

To identify shared values for student organizations. A three-round Delphi approach was utilized to identify and prioritize shared values among student organization leadership. In round 1, student leaders selected 15 values from a list of 36 organizational values and were given an opportunity to include up to five suggestions not incorporated within the original list.

A Review of Contemporary Diversity Literature in Pharmacy Education.

To review and categorize published educational research concerning diversity within colleges and schools of pharmacy. The Three Models of Organizational Diversity Capabilities in Higher Education framework was used to guide the review efforts. Of the 593 documents retrieved, 11 met the inclusion criteria for review.

Exploring the Requisite Skills and Competencies of Pharmacists Needed for Success in an Evolving Health Care Environment.

To identify and describe the core competencies and skills considered essential for success of pharmacists in today's rapidly evolving health care environment. Six breakout groups of 15-20 preceptors, pharmacists, and partners engaged in a facilitated discussion about the qualities and characteristics relevant to the success of a pharmacy graduate. Data were analyzed using qualitative methods.

The Young Innovators Program at the Eshelman Institute for Innovation: a case study examining the role of a professional pharmacy school in enhancing STEM pursuits among secondary school students.

Background: Professional schools, such as schools of pharmacy, are rarely involved with promoting STEM interests among secondary school students. To address this shortcoming, the Young Innovators Program (YIP) was created to provide local secondary school students a summer immersive experiential program at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The objective of this study was to assess the ability of the inaugural YIP to promote STEM interest, career awareness, and self-efficacy.