Longitudinal pharmacy student presentations mentored by pharmacy residents: A pilot study.

Background And Purpose: Alignment of pharmacy student and resident experiences provides a unique opportunity for near-peer mentorship. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess pharmacy resident mentorship and feedback skills through participation in a longitudinal pharmacy student and resident seminar series.

Educational Activity And Setting: A longitudinal, near-peer mentorship experience was developed in which first- and second-year pharmacy residents mentored advanced pharmacy practice experience student seminar presentations. Following seminar presentations, residents provided verbal and written feedback to students and faculty pharmacists provided feedback to residents. Student and resident learners were then surveyed to assess resident near-peer mentorship.

Findings: Over a single academic year, 26 students delivered 45 seminar presentations that were mentored by 20 residents. Student and resident survey responses were similar and provided favorable feedback on resident mentorship.

Summary: The structured near-peer mentorship experience embedded into our longitudinal seminar series provided residents the opportunity to develop and strengthen their mentorship and feedback skills. Resident mentors were found to be effective in near-peer mentorship of a single activity.