Long-Term Retention of Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Knowledge and Confidence in Doctor of Pharmacy Students.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of American Heart Association (AHA) advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) education and training on long-term retention of ACLS knowledge and confidence in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students. METHODS: This multicenter study included PharmD students who received ACLS training through different means: 1-hour didactic lecture (didactic), 1-hour didactic lecture with 2-hour skills practice (didactic + skills), and comprehensive AHA ACLS certification through an elective course (elective-certification). Students completed a survey before training, immediately after training, and at least 6-12 months after training to assess demographics and ACLS confidence and knowledge. The primary outcome was a passing score, defined as ≥ 84% on the long-term knowledge assessment. Secondary outcomes included overall knowledge score and perceived confidence, assessed using the Dreyfus model. RESULTS: The long-term assessment was completed by 160 students in the didactic group, 66 in the didactic + skills group, and 62 in the elective-certification group. Six (4%), 8 (12%), and 14 (23%) received a passing score on the long-term knowledge assessment in the didactic, didactic + skills, and elective-certification groups, respectively. The median (IQR) scores on the long-term knowledge assessment were 50% (40-60), 60% (50-70), and 65% (40-80) in the 3 groups. On the long-term assessment, confidence was higher in the elective-certification group, demonstrated by more self-ratings of competent, proficient, and expert, and fewer self-ratings of novice and advanced beginner. CONCLUSION: Long-term retention of ACLS knowledge was low in all groups, but was higher in students who received AHA ACLS certification through an ACLS elective course.

Benchmark Report on Utilization of Faculty Workload Models in Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy.

This commentary offers a call to action to develop equity-minded, evidence-based faculty workload policies and practices within colleges and schools of pharmacy. The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy sponsored an investigation to characterize and compare peer schools' models for measuring and using faculty workload data. An external consulting group selected 28 colleges and schools of pharmacy based on characteristics similar to the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and collected information, feedback, and data on how these programs assessed faculty workload. Exploratory emails and phone interviews were used to collect these data. Nine of the 28 programs participated in additional follow-up discussions. These interviews identified common themes, although there was wide variability in design and implementation of workload models, even among comparable institutions. These findings align with the national Faculty Workload and Rewards Project that explored how faculty workload models can perpetuate inequities and undermine productivity, satisfaction, and retention.

The impact of synchronous hybrid instruction on students' engagement in a pharmacotherapy course.

Background: Synchronous hybrid instruction offers flexible learning opportunities by allowing a portion of students to attend class sessions on campus while simultaneously allowing the remaining students to attend remotely. Although such flexibility may offer a number of advantages for pharmacy students, one area of concern is whether online participation options within synchronous hybrid courses can promote similar levels of engagement as courses that are designed entirely for face-to-face (FTF) participation. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of synchronous hybrid instruction on pharmacy students' engagement in a pharmacotherapy course. An evaluation was completed to determine if students were more likely to actively engage in class when they were participating remotely via teleconferencing technology or when FTF. Additionally, students' perspectives were evaluated to determine their views of the benefits and challenges of the hybrid model for engagement in learning. Methods: The course utilizes team-based learning to apply critical thinking skills and develop a comprehensive care plan. A mixed methods approach was used to examine students' engagement in the hybrid learning environment by quantitatively analyzing students' responses to likert-scale survey items and qualitatively analyzing their responses to open-ended survey questions. Results: Students reported they were more likely to actively listen (p=0.004), avoid distractions (p=0.008), and react emotionally to a topic or instruction (p=0.045) when FTF. There were no significant differences found in student reported note taking, asking questions, responding to questions, or engaging in group work between the two modes of participation. Content analysis identified other benefits that supported student engagement, including perceived flexibility and enhanced ability to interact during class via the teleconferencing technology. For some students, challenges that negatively impacted engagement included difficulties with internet connectivity and a sense of dislocation or isolation in the course. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that when participating in a synchronous hybrid course, students participating remotely were less likely (compared to in-person attendance) to pay close attention and react emotionally, but were just as likely to take notes and communicate with teachers and groups. Key benefits of the hybrid approach were increased flexibility and the usefulness of online communication tools, while key challenges focused on technical and psychological isolation from others. The principles of flexible learning environments and self-regulated learning provide opportunities for pharmacy educators who are interested in improving hybrid instruction in the future.

A Call for Simplification and Integration of Doctor of Pharmacy Curricular Outcomes and Frameworks.

Pharmacy education faces an upcoming revision of accreditation standards designed to outline degree program requirements for training the next generation of pharmacists. At the same time, pharmacy educators are increasingly expected to integrate multiple other educational frameworks and recommendations from distinct groups into their curricula. With this list of expectations constantly expanding and changing, education leaders are forced to spend valuable time and resources trying to satisfy "checklists" instead of enhancing their programs. The following commentary discusses concerns about the growing complexity of the standards and frameworks used in the accreditation process, overlap and redundancy in these various requirements, and relevant comparisons between pharmacy and medical education. We outline recommendations regarding purposeful integration of frameworks with the goal of simplifying accreditation requirements and enhancing program flexibility to deliver innovative, high-quality curricula.

ICH Q10 Pharmaceutical Quality System Guidance: Understanding Its Impact on Pharmaceutical Quality.

The International Council for Harmonization (ICH) "Q10 Pharmaceutical Quality Systems" (ICH Q10) guidance was introduced to address the growing gap between current good manufacturing practices and pharmaceutical manufacturing quality systems. This study evaluated the impact of the ICH Q10 guidance on the PQS of pharmaceutical manufacturers. Data were obtained from the enabler questionnaire from pharmaceutical manufacturers surveyed by the St. Gallen OPEX Benchmarking Program. These results represent the degree of implementation for enabler-focused questions based on a 5-point Likert scale self-assessment. Data analysis included a comparison of means and medians before and after the release of the ICH Q10 guidance and annual changes. There was a statistically significant difference for enabler implementation as a whole (p value < 0.0000), before and after the release of ICH Q10. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were observed for four of the five enabler categories (p values <0.05). In particular, the EMS enabler category showed a decrease in mean enabler score, suggesting the Management Responsibilities ICH Q10 PQS element was not effectively described or implemented. These results indicate that the release of ICH Q10 had a positive impact on the PQSs of pharmaceutical manufacturers. This was driven primarily by the changes observed in the TQM and JIT enabler categories and complimented by the TPM and BE categories. This would suggest that the Management Review, Change Management System, and Process Performance and Product Quality Monitoring System ICH Q10 PQS elements were all effectively described and implemented.

Doctor of pharmacy student preferences for computer-based vs. paper-and-pencil testing in a, social and administrative pharmacy course.

INTRODUCTION: The use of online learning and subsequent online testing has expanded rapidly in pharmacy programs across the United States. Numerous published studies have compared online learning with traditional methods in pharmacy. However, no such studies have been published in pharmacy. This study's objective is to compare first-professional year student preferences for computer-based vs. traditional paper-and-pencil testing for a required social and administrative pharmacy class. METHODS: All students enrolled in the class were invited to complete one brief survey at the end of the semester to determine their testing preference. RESULTS: Of the 138 first-professional year students completing the survey, 79% (109 of 138) preferred computer-based testing, 9% had no preference, 6% (8 of 138) preferred paper-and-pencil testing, and the remainder (8 of 138) stated it depended on what was being tested. Ninety-one percent of students did not perceive the testing method to impact their grades. Students preferred computer-based testing over traditional paper-and-pencil as a convenient testing method (mean 4.73 vs. 3.4, P < .001), providing immediate feedback (mean 4.87 vs. 1.91, P < .001), and as a more effective testing method (mean 4.57 vs. 3.96, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: First-professional year students preferred computer-based over traditional paper-and-pencil testing for a social and administrative science class, with the method of testing not perceived to impact grade. This finding is timely, given the recent required transitioning of all pharmacy classes and subsequent testing to an online format due to the coronavirus disease of 2019 pandemic.

Pharmacist perceptions of CliftonStrengths® themes important for success in advanced cardiovascular life support.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) is an integrated, team-based approach to optimizing patient outcomes during acute cardiovascular events. Due to the fast-paced, high-stress environment, inherent strengths may impact performance and confidence with ACLS skills. The objective of this study was to assess pharmacist perceptions regarding strengths deemed important during emergency cardiovascular response. METHODS: An electronic survey was administered to members of the American College of Clinical Pharmacists Critical Care, Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Practice and Research Network listservs. The survey assessed the top 5 strengths deemed important for being part of an emergency response team, a pharmacist's role in ACLS and a team leader's role in ACLS. The primary outcome was top strengths required for pharmacist involvement in ACLS. Descriptive statistics were used to present survey results. RESULTS: Of the 359 responses included, nearly all respondents had been certified by the American Heart Association in ACLS and/or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). The top CliftonStrengths® themes considered important for a pharmacist's role in ACLS were communication, adaptability, analytical, focus and responsibility. The top CliftonStrengths® themes considered important for the team leader's role in ACLS were communication, command, analytical, focus and adaptability. The top CliftonStrengths® themes important for an emergency response team were communication, adaptability, focus, analytical and command. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSIONS: By determining the personality traits perceived to be associated with high performance in ACLS, approaches can be taken to personalize student learning in order to train "practice-ready" pharmacists that can be integral members of the ACLS team.

Self-perceived knowledge and confidence regarding infectious diseases of advanced pharmacy practice experience students.

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge in infectious diseases (ID) pharmacotherapy and antimicrobial stewardship is becoming increasingly important for pharmacists. Pharmacy schools utilize multiple methods to teach ID pharmacotherapy including advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). METHODS: An internet-based survey was sent to students currently on APPEs at four colleges/schools of pharmacy. The primary study objective was a comparison of self-perceived ID knowledge and confidence prior to starting and during APPEs. The secondary objectives were to determine the level of self-perceived knowledge and confidence of students who have completed an ID APPE to those who have not, as well as the level of interest in postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) and ID-specific postgraduate year 2 (PGY-2) residencies. RESULTS: All statements revealed a statistically significant increase in self-perceived ID knowledge and confidence for students during APPEs compared to before starting rotations (p-values < 0.001). Students who completed an ID APPE had an overall increase in both self-perceived knowledge and confidence for all aspects. Completion of an ID APPE enhanced self-perceived knowledge in basic microbiology fundamentals, antimicrobial stewardship principles, and overall ID knowledge. Completion of an ID APPE created a higher level of confidence regarding selecting appropriate antimicrobial therapy, interpreting cultures and susceptibilities to de-escalate, and communicating with other healthcare professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Students who completed an ID APPE had a higher level of self-perceived knowledge and confidence than those who had not. Recent increases in demand for antimicrobial stewardship positions warrants maximization of ID and non-ID APPEs to enhance students' knowledge and confidence in infectious diseases.

Using debates as the primary pedagogy to teach critical care in a PharmD curriculum elective course.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Debate is a pedagogy that incorporates deeper learning and has been used in many areas of healthcare and higher education. Debates have primarily been described within a course, but not as the predominant pedagogy for a course, particularly in pharmacy education or critical care instruction. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Debating the Evidence was a two-credit hour course taught by debate-style pedagogy on an extended campus to third year pharmacy students in a four-year curricular program. The class met weekly for two hours over 15 weeks, and students came prepared to debate preselected topics. Focus groups for students enrolled over two years were conducted to gauge students' perceptions of this course structure. FINDINGS: The debate-dominant course structure seemed to increase accountability of learning, pre-class preparation, and in-class engagement. Students had difficulty debating with lower quality evidence, but were able to use physiologic reason and adverse effect profiles when robust literature was lacking. All students enrolled over two course offerings consented and participated in the focus groups. Themes identified across both semesters included: 1) efficiency with accessing and evaluating drug literature, 2) increased understanding of an individualized patient-centered approach, and 3) an appreciation for patient care in the acute setting. SUMMARY: An entirely debate-style critical care elective course was perceived to be beneficial to students. Scalability and impact on student learning requires further assessment.

Evaluation of affective domain elements in a new pharmacy practice course.

INTRODUCTION: In 2016, new Accreditation Standards were implemented that required integration of affective domain elements (ADEs) into the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum and admissions interview process. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between admissions variables and performance in a new course, and to analyze the relationship between student self-assessment and faculty evaluation of their development and performance in ADEs. METHODS: Pre-pharmacy admission variables were evaluated for correlations with student performance in ADEs. Student self-assessments and faculty evaluations of performance in ADEs were also analyzed. RESULTS: Statistically significant positive correlations were found between student age and completion of at least a bachelor's degree with student self-assessment in communication and leadership. When evaluating faculty assessment, significant positive correlations were found for female performance in the areas of leadership and team readiness. There was a positive association between the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) quantitative score and performance in professionalism; while negative associations were seen between the PCAT comprehensive score and student self-assessment in self-awareness and professionalism, and between the PCAT quantitative score and student self-assessment in self-awareness (p < 0.05 for all). Median evaluation ranks by faculty members were significantly lower than the median self-evaluation ranks done by students. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study suggests careful analysis of admissions variables in relation to ADEs may offer PharmD programs insight into how they design educational activities related to the affective domain. Additionally, evaluating multiple observations by both students and faculty members may identify patterns of growth and development in ADEs.

Medicine Pharmacy Interprofessional Exercise Pilot: Lessons Learned.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy with leaders of other health professions formed the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) in 2009. Interprofessional education (IPE) is now a component of accreditation standards for academic programs in both medicine and pharmacy. While geographically separated, the Medical College of Georgia (Augusta University) and the College of Pharmacy (University of Georgia) have over 40 year history of collaboration but never intentionally added joint curricular offerings.To address IPE competencies, we developed and evaluated a medicine pharmacy collaborative exercise. Specifically, to compare the attitudes and perception toward interprofessional education and practice of students from two disciplines. An observational cross sectional study with 208 third year medical (M3) students and 108 third year pharmacy (P3) students was conducted in two consecutive academic years. Groups consisted of 6-8 M3 and 3-4 P3 students from all campuses across the state. The M3 student was to choose a patient they had seen who was taking at least 3 prescription medications. Objectives for students were to discuss the case (medications, side effects, cost, pharmacogenetics, drug-drug interactions, and cost effectiveness). A report of M3-P3 findings was to be submitted for grading by the Pharmacy faculty. Once the exercises were completed surveys were distributed and the de-identified data was analyzed in relation to IPEC competencies. The study was conducted in one academic year and 316 responses were obtained. Within medical students 48.2 % agreed and 21.2 % strongly agreed to consult with Pharm D in the future. Perception of leadership in the groups was shifted more toward pharmacy students (56.5% vs. 27.4%, p<0.0001). Students confidence in working with other professionals was improved more for pharmacy students than medical students (50.0% in P3 and 30.2% in M3 p =0.0014). Communication skills improved more in P3 than M3 (48.2% in P3 and 28.3% in M3, p=0.0043). More research is needed on equal adoption of IPE by medical and pharmacy students. Emphasis should be made on equal state of training (theory vs. clinical) on both sides with focus on working as a team and value of each team member. More direct involvement in patient care is needed with both M3 and P3 having face to face contact with patients and each other.

Evaluating the Effects of Flexible Learning about Aseptic Compounding on First-year Students in a Pharmacy Skills Laboratory.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how flexible learning via online video review affects the ability and confidence of first-year (P1) pharmacy students to accurately compound aseptic preparations. DESIGN: Customary instructions and assignments for aseptic compounding were provided to students, who were given unlimited access to 5 short review videos in addition to customary instruction. Student self-confidence was assessed online, and faculty members evaluated students' aseptic technique at the conclusion of the semester. ASSESSMENT: No significant difference on final assessment scores was observed between those who viewed videos and those who did not. Student self-confidence scores increased significantly from baseline, but were not significantly higher for those who viewed videos than for those who did not. CONCLUSION: First-year students performed well on final aseptic compounding assessments, and those who viewed videos had a slight advantage. Student self-confidence improved over the semester regardless of whether or not students accessed review videos.