Impact of high-stakes exams, incentives, and preparation on student performance: Insights from the pharmacy curriculum outcomes assessment.

Introduction: Efforts to ensure success of pharmacy students in passing pharmacy standardized exams require substantial investments. Engaging students effectively can be a challenge when there are no consequences for non-participation or poor performance. This study examined how engagement reinforcement, including high-stake exam requirements, instructional strategies, and incentives, impacted student performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA).

Improving Quality Outcomes: The Value of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.

Given the growing prevalence and accelerating cost of diabetes, there is an urgent need to expand strategies in health care that improve access and outcomes and reduce the financial and human burden of the disease. Diabetes care and education specialists (DCESs) are well positioned to assist health care systems with delivery models that enhance diabetes care through evidence-based standards and quality improvement strategies. DCESs have increased opportunities to apply their competencies in primary, specialty, hospital, and acute care settings; accountable care organizations; community settings; research; and academia.

Student pharmacist perceptions of community advanced pharmacy practice experiences and the impact on professional development.

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the clinical experience that student pharmacists are exposed to during their core community Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) and how this affects their professional development.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting And Participants: A national survey of student pharmacists in their APPE year was conducted using the American Pharmacists Association broadcast e-mail system.