Heart of Pharmacy: a course exploring the psychosocial issues of patient care.

Objective: To implement and assess the impact of a course utilizing reflective learning to explore the complex, psychosocial human issues encountered in pharmacy practice.

Design: A 1-credit-hour elective course, The Heart of Pharmacy, was offered to all pharmacy students. The course utilized both content and reflective techniques to produce a mutual exploratory learning experience for students, staff, and faculty members. Faculty and staff facilitators observed competencies and used a single group posttest design to assess students' attitudes. In year four, students' written reflections for each session were added and reviewed on a continuous basis throughout the course.

Assessment: Faculty and staff observations indicated that educational outcomes were achieved and student perceptions and evaluations of the course were highly positive. Three major themes were identified in the students' qualitative responses: a recognition of communal support among student and faculty colleagues; a grounding for personal growth and professional formation; a deeper insight into and experience with the role of the pharmacist as compassionate listener and caregiver.

Conclusion: Faculty observations of student competencies and students' perceptions of this course point to the need for pharmacy education to provide organized, structured reflective learning opportunities for students and faculty members to explore the deeper human issues of pharmacy practice and patient care.