Comparing four methods for assessing interprofessional learning in a practice setting.

Healthcare practitioners must be trained to collaborate in a dynamic environment where patients are complex and teams can change from day-to-day, but choosing the right measures to assess the effectiveness of interprofessional teamwork among learners is challenging. This study used measures representing four different perspectives to assess student teams in a practice setting where team composition varied each day. We tested the strength of the relationships between these measures, and we examined the impact of additional variables on each measure.

Current state of APPE-readiness assessments in schools or colleges of pharmacy.

Objective: To determine components and assessments included in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) readiness plans in United States Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs.

Methods: An electronic survey was emailed to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Laboratory Instructors Special Interest Group. Survey items included demographic information about the program, APPE-readiness plan implementation status and components.

Live and learn: Utilizing MyDispense to increase student knowledge and confidence in caring for patients with diverse religious backgrounds.

Background: The American Council for Pharmacy Education outlines that pharmacists should be able to "recognize social determinants of health to diminish disparities and inequities in access to quality care." This randomized, cross-sectional study assessed students' knowledge and confidence in caring for patients with diverse religious backgrounds. Students were assigned to either a series of religious cases created in MyDispense or a control group to read a pamphlet on religious considerations in patient care.

An active-learning laboratory on urinary incontinence products for pharmacy students.

Background And Purpose: To describe an active-learning laboratory on urinary incontinence (UI) and its effect on students' confidence and comfort in addressing UI.

Educational Activity And Setting: Second year pharmacy students (n = 98) participated in an active-learning laboratory focused on UI with four components: catheter lecture and demonstration, UI product overview, hands-on practice with UI absorbent products, and a debrief on the activity focused on difficult conversations. Students completed an optional retrospective pre-post survey at the end of the laboratory including five confidence questions, ranking of activities in the laboratory, and open-ended responses on how to change the activity as well as what was one takeaway from the debrief.

Unpacking interactions among student teams in a practice-based IPE setting: a qualitative evaluation study.

In many healthcare settings, teams change composition regularly, so healthcare students must be trained to function effectively in dynamic teams before entering the workforce. Interprofessional clinical rotations provide an ideal venue for learners to practice these skills, but little is known about how student teams interact in such settings. In this qualitative observational evaluation, learners from multiple health professions at a single institution participated in scheduled clinics in low-income housing communities for older adults.

Virtual self-care simulations for third-year pharmacy skills laboratory courses in three institutions.

Background And Purpose: This study was designed to determine whether a virtual, self-care activity improved knowledge and confidence in third-year student pharmacists.

Educational Activity And Setting: Third-year student pharmacists (n = 386) from three institutions participated in the virtual self-care simulation during their respective practice laboratory course. A pre- and post-assessment collected 10 knowledge and five confidence questions, self-reported on 0-100 scale, mapped to learning outcomes and pharmacy standards.

An active-learning laboratory focused on critical care topics.

Background And Purpose: To describe an active-learning laboratory on critical care topics including advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), rapid sequence intubation (RSI), and toxicology and its effect on students' knowledge, skills, and confidence.

Educational Activity And Setting: Third year pharmacy students (n = 88) participated in a critical care focused laboratory with four stations focused on ACLS review, ABBOJECT syringe assembly, ACLS simulations, RSI cases, and toxicology. Prior to the critical care focused skills laboratory, students completed an optional assessment composed of six confidence and eight knowledge questions.

Optimizing pharmacogenomic decision-making by data science.

Healthcare systems have made rapid progress towards combining data science with precision medicine, particularly in pharmacogenomics. With the lack of predictability in medication effectiveness from patient to patient, acquiring the specifics of their genotype would be highly advantageous for patient treatment. Genotype-guided dosing adjustment improves clinical decision-making and helps optimize doses to deliver medications with greater efficacy and within safe margins.

Skills laboratory faculty job satisfaction: Effects of high-contact teaching and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The objective of this study is to describe the workload responsibilities and job satisfaction of skills laboratory faculty, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: School of pharmacy (SOP) skills laboratory faculty were surveyed in fall 2021 to gather information on workload responsibilities and job satisfaction, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative data were reported using descriptive statistics and, when appropriate, student t-tests were used to compare responses from before and during COVID-19.

A comparison of in-person vs. asynchronous learning with self-care patient cases.

Background And Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a live laboratory setting compared to an asynchronous session in a crossover teaching design on knowledge and confidence in self-care review topics.

Educational Activity And Setting: Pharmacy students (n = 88) participated in a crossover designed laboratory session where they either attended a live, active-learning laboratory session on self-care review topics, followed by a virtual, asynchronous self-care simulation or vice versa. Sessions were held one week apart.

A lot in a little: Assessment of skills laboratory course structures and faculty workloads.

Introduction: Pharmacy skills development is essential to pharmacy programs to ensure "practice-ready" graduates. The objective was to describe the landscape of skills laboratory (lab) courses and faculty workload across United States schools and colleges of pharmacy (S/COP).

Methods: The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Laboratory Instructors Special Interest Group disseminated an anonymous questionnaire to collect faculty demographics, skills lab format, faculty workload, and job satisfaction.

Implementation of longitudinal thematic course design across four institutions.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to describe thematic course design utilized in pharmacy courses at four different institutions. Best practices and lessons learned are shared.

Methods: Four institutions independently incorporated a longitudinal Harry Potter (HP) theme into their courses.

Curriculum mapping of accredited pharmacy programs in the United States.

Introduction: No current guidance exists to inform the content area credit hours for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs in the United States (US).

Methods: Public websites were accessed for all Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited PharmD programs in the US to record the credit hours devoted to drug therapy, clinical skills, experiential learning, scholarship, social and administrative sciences, physiology/pathophysiology, pharmacogenomics, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics in the didactic curricula. Due to the high prevalence of programs that integrate drug therapy, pharmacology, and medicinal chemistry into a single course, we subdivided programs based upon whether drug therapy courses were "integrated" or "non-integrated.

A Four-day Pharmacy Course Schedule.

Objective: To discuss the results of implementing a 4-day student didactic course schedule.

Methods: The change from a 5-day to a 4-day course schedule was implemented in spring 2021. Students in the classes of 2023 and 2024 and faculty course coordinators were surveyed in fall 2021 regarding their experience with the new schedule format.

Residents' assessment of mentoring received on lecture performance in a teaching and learning curriculum program.

Introduction: This study evaluated residents' assessment of the mentorship received and how it impacted lecture performance as part of a teaching and learning curriculum (TLC) program.

Methods: An anonymous survey was emailed to residents completing the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy's TLC during 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. The survey collected information about: the type of mentorship received, residents' self-perceived lecture performance, and residents' desire to be involved in academia post-residency.

Retention of students' knowledge of immunizations following a one-day or a five-week course.

Introduction: The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certificate Program is commonly used by schools of pharmacy to train student pharmacists in immunizations. This study compared student pharmacists' knowledge retention of immunization content when the live seminar of the APhA Program was delivered as a one-day co-curricular activity or as a five-week required course. The impact of immunization experience on students' knowledge retention was a secondary objective.

An intensive summer pipeline program for pre-pharmacy students to increase underrepresented minority matriculation to pharmacy school.

Background And Purpose: To describe the Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP) for underrepresented minority (URM) matriculants at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy.

Educational Activity And Setting: The SAEP is a six-week summer pipeline program at VCU for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students interested in applying to medical, dental, physical therapy, or pharmacy school, divided into school tracks. Demographic and matriculation information about the pharmacy track program participants was obtained from the program and school administration from inception in 2012 through 2019.

A classroom-based patient case activity as a potential formative indicator of pre-advanced pharmacy practice experience readiness.

Background And Purpose: Pharmacy programs must assess student readiness for advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). This study evaluated: (1) if a relationship exists between student performance on a classroom-based patient case activity (Rx Review) and (2) performance on direct patient care and perceptions of the transferability of Rx Reviews to the APPE setting.

Educational Activity And Setting: Rx Reviews are timed, independent, prospective reviews of a patient's medical record intended to simulate pre-rounding activities common in acute and ambulatory care settings.

Evaluation of students' knowledge, values, and experiences in a geriatrics interprofessional practice-based model.

Background And Purpose: The objective was to evaluate (1) students' knowledge in a variety of geriatrics competencies, (2) students' attitudes toward the value of interprofessional practice, and (3) pharmacy students' experiences after an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) in a practice-based interprofessional education (IPE) model.

Educational Activity And Setting: Nursing, pharmacy, social work, and health sciences programs who participated in the Richmond Health and Wellness Program (RHWP) interprofessional experience received pre- and post-surveys to assess changes in geriatrics knowledge. An adapted Attitude Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS) was used to assess changes in students' attitudes toward the value of interprofessional teamwork.

Lessons learned: Assessing team creation by personality inventories in pharmacy students.

Background: Proper team formation is critical for team performance and dynamics in the setting of team-based learning (TBL). Faculty should stratify students to ensure an even allocation of learner resources; however, the ideal method of team creation for TBL in pharmacy education has yet to be determined. A study aimed to assess team formation stratified by personality strengths on student performance for graded team activities, peer evaluations, and student perceptions of team dynamics compared to randomization of teams the previous semester with the same cohort.

Insurance Adjudication Simulation Across Multiple Institutions and Levels of Learners.

A virtual educational innovation was designed and implemented to have student pharmacists simulate insurance processing. This article describes the impact of this third-party payer simulation on student knowledge and confidence and reports student perceptions of the activity. First-, second-, and third-year pharmacy students (P1, P2, and P3 students, respectively) at four institutions completed the self-paced simulation.

Introducing LGBTQIA+ Patient Care to Pharmacy Students Through Laboratory-Based Exercises.

To assess the impact of novel skills-based laboratory exercises on first-, second-, and third-year pharmacy students' confidence and knowledge regarding care for people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other (LGBTQIA+). An LGBTQIA+ lecture discussing pronouns, common terminology, health disparities, health screenings, and gender-affirming hormone therapy was presented to students. During laboratory sessions, students applied lecture topics via a learning level-specific activity.

Alumni survey of a combined doctor of pharmacy/graduate certificate in aging studies program.

Introduction: The Certificate in Aging Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University allows students to study gerontology while completing their doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) or graduate pharmaceutical sciences degree concurrently. The objective of the study was to evaluate alumni satisfaction with the Certificate in Aging Studies program, its application, and its perceived usefulness.

Methods: Alumni of the program (n = 49) were emailed an anonymous electronic survey about their perceptions of the program.

A Modified Delphi Involving Laboratory Faculty to Define Essential Skills for Pharmacy Graduates.

To define essential skills for Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates that are needed in the four most common sectors of pharmacy practice as determined by expert faculty who instruct within pharmacy skills laboratories. A three-round Delphi method was used to establish consensus. In the first round, participants were asked what skills were needed by students at entry to practice in community, health-system, ambulatory care, and managed care pharmacy settings.

Changes in student pharmacists' confidence in attaining geriatrics competencies and attitudes toward older adults across the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum.

To determine if student pharmacists' confidence in their knowledge and skills, and their attitudes toward older adults improved throughout pharmacy school with an integrated geriatrics didactic curriculum (years 1-3) and a final year of clinical training including a required advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) in geriatrics (year 4). A two-part voluntary anonymous survey was administered at three different time points to two large cohorts of student pharmacists. The first part of the survey assessed students' confidence in attaining geriatrics competencies.