Are Prerequisite Courses Barriers to Pharmacy Admission or the Keys to Student Success?

The variability and complexity of course prerequisites across colleges and schools of pharmacy can result in barriers to admission. While prerequisites play an important role in the admissions process and assuring student preparation, requiring excessive prerequisites can create unnecessary challenges for applicants. Prospective students may choose not to apply to a particular pharmacy school or even enter the profession because they cannot complete all course prerequisites in time to apply. Extraneous prerequisites can also contribute to the cost of education and educational indebtedness, which can more adversely affect minority and disadvantaged students. Pharmacy programs should carefully examine their course prerequisite requirements and consider new ways to measure preparedness to attract a diverse and competent pool of applicants to the profession while also being more competitive with other health professions programs.

Report of the 2016-2017 Student Affairs Standing Committee.

The 2016-2017 AACP Student Affairs Standing Committee addressed charges related to recruitment to the profession of pharmacy and a national awareness campaign for pharmacy careers, as well as promotion of student wellness and stress management. The Committee report provides six recommendations to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and one proposed policy statement for the AACP House of Delegates related to recruitment to the pharmacy profession. The Committee report also provides three recommendations to AACP and one proposed policy statement for the AACP House of Delegates related to student wellness and stress management. In addition, this report provides recommendations for future AACP Student Affairs Standing Committee work.

An Industrial Engineering Approach to Cost Containment of Pharmacy Education.

A 2-semester project explored employing teams of fourth-year industrial engineering students to optimize some of our academic management processes. Results included significant cost savings and increases in efficiency, effectiveness, and student and faculty satisfaction. While we did not adopt all of the students' recommendations, we did learn some important lessons. For example, an initial investment of time in developing a mutually clear understanding of the problems, constraints, and goals maximizes the value of industrial engineering analysis and recommendations. Overall, industrial engineering was a valuable tool for optimizing certain academic management processes.

Impact of a student leadership development program.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of the Student Leadership Development Series (SLDS), an academic-year--long, co-curricular approach to developing leadership skills in pharmacy students. DESIGN: Participants met once per month for activities and a college-wide guest speaker session. Students also completed monthly forms regarding what they had learned, participated in poster presentations, and created a personal leadership platform. ASSESSMENT: One hundred twenty-three students participated in the program between 2008 and 2013. On monthly evaluation forms and a summative evaluation, students indicated that the program helped them feel prepared for leadership opportunities and increased their desire to pursue leadership. They valued interacting with pharmacy leaders from the community and learning how they could distinguish themselves as leaders. CONCLUSIONS: The SLDS provided pharmacy students with an opportunity to explore personal leadership styles and develop broader understanding of leadership, and increased their desire to pursue leadership positions in the future.

Diabetes care practice patterns of recent pharmacy graduates.

PURPOSE: The objective of this project was to determine the amount and type of clinical skills and diabetes education provided by recent pharmacy school graduates. METHODS: Six hundred and one graduates were e-mailed a link to an online survey. Subjects were asked to report how frequently they either educate patients on diabetes self-care activities or perform diabetes-related patient care skills and to rate their ability to do so as poor, fair, good, or excellent. RESULTS: Data from 155 (25.8%) respondents were analyzed. The most commonly reported clinical activity was changing medication, followed by interpreting blood glucose patterns, medication management therapy, and interpreting laboratory results. Subjects reported educating patients more on the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, blood glucose monitoring, and diet information relative to other topics. The majority of subjects rated their skills as good or excellent. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists reported the most commonly performed diabetes-related clinical skill was changing medication and they most often educate patients about hypoglycemia and blood glucose monitoring. Subjects, who rated themselves poor/fair in these skills, preferred active learning strategies to enhance their ability.

The impact of diabetes concentration programs on pharmacy graduates' provision of diabetes care services.

OBJECTIVE: To determine practice outcomes associated with doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) graduates from 2 universities who completed a diabetes-concentration. METHODS: An online survey instrument was sent to 93 PharmD graduates who completed a concentration in diabetes and 94 control graduates to determine their knowledge of and skills in providing diabetes care and how frequently they provided diabetes care services. RESULTS: Ninety-seven graduates (52%) responded. Significantly more graduates with a diabetes concentration rated their ability to instruct patients on insulin administration, blood glucose monitoring, foot care, and insulin dose adjustment as good or excellent compared to a control group of graduates. Graduates with a diabetes concentration also rated their ability to perform blood glucose monitoring and foot examinations higher than graduates without a diabetes concentration (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Completing a diabetes concentration increased graduates' knowledge of diabetes and confidence in their ability to provide care but did not appear to alter their practice patterns significantly. Further study is needed to determine whether other barriers to pharmacists providing diabetes care exist in practice settings.