Report of the 2019-2020 AACP Student Affairs Standing Committee.

The 2019-2020 Student Affairs Standing Committee addressed charges related to professional identity formation (PIF) in order to set direction and propose action steps consistent with Priority #3.4 of the AACP Strategic Plan, which states "Academic-practice partnerships and pharmacist-involved practice models that lead to the progress of Interprofessional Practice (IPP) are evident and promoted at all colleges and schools of pharmacy." To this end, the committee was charged to 1) outline key elements of PIF, 2) explore the relationship between formal curricular learning activities and co- or extra-curricular activities in supporting PIF, 3) determine the degree to which there is evidence that strong PIF is embedded in student pharmacists' educational experience, and 4) define strategies and draft an action plan for AACP's role in advancing efforts of schools to establish strong PIF in pharmacy graduates. This report describes work of the committee in exploring PIF and provides resources and background information relative to the charges. The committee offers several suggestions and recommendations for both immediate and long-term action by AACP and members to achieve goals related to integrating PIF into pharmacy education. The committee proposes a policy statement relative to the committee charges. Furthermore, the report calls upon the profession to develop a unified identity and incorporate support for PIF into pharmacy education, training, and practice.

Specialization within pharmacy education: A survey of curricular track or concentration offerings.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this national survey was to determine what constitutes a curricular track or concentration within colleges and schools of pharmacy. Additionally, for programs not currently offering curricular tracks or concentrations, this survey sought to identify barriers to implementation. METHODS: A survey instrument was developed and piloted. It was distributed electronically via SurveyMonkey to members of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Curriculum Special Interest Group (SIG) contact list, along with academic affairs contacts for the balance of programs not included on the SIG contact list, as obtained via a targeted website search. RESULTS: Sixty-five of 134 programs responded to the survey (48.5%). Sixteen programs currently offer 38 curricular tracks or concentrations. On average, tracks or concentrations contained 10.6 didactic credits, with 4.6 elective and six required didactic credits; 0.7 introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) credits; and 5.3 advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) credits, with 2.8 elective and 2.5 required APPE credits. Most tracks did not require a summative project (n = 13), while some required completion of a project individualized by interest/needs (n = 7). Forty-nine programs do not currently offer curricular tracks, most frequently due to logistics of faculty, oversight, or the curriculum structure. Of these programs not currently offering curricular tracks or concentrations, 38.8% are currently considering implementation. CONCLUSION: Existing tracks or concentrations are highly variable in their composition. Many colleges and schools of pharmacy are considering implementation of curricular tracks or concentrations; this report provides guidance for appropriate rigor and development considerations.

Current Practices of Awarding Graduation Honors within Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Programs.

Objective. To survey the practices of awarding honors upon graduation with a doctor of pharmacy degree. Methods. College and school of pharmacy websites were systematically searched to identify if, and then how, graduation honors are awarded. Programs that offer graduation honors were categorized and quantified based upon grade point average (GPA) cutoffs, honors enrollment, research project completion, faculty vote, course failure considerations, and ethics code violations. Results. Of the 132 doctor of pharmacy programs reviewed, 86% (n=114) had accessible online resources and were included in data analysis. Of these 114 programs, 43% (n=49) award honors upon graduation, and 57% (n=65) do not. Among the 49 programs that award honors, 30 award the Latin honors. Of the remaining 19 programs, 18 award alternative graduation honors, and one awards both. Conclusions. Latin honors are the most common form of graduation honors utilized by doctor of pharmacy programs that award honors upon graduation. There is a variety of GPA cutoffs utilized across programs.

Design and Implementation of a Professional Development Course Series.

Objective. To design and implement a longitudinal course series focused on professional development and professional identity formation in pharmacy students at Western New England University. Methods. A four-year, theme-based course series was designed to sequentially and longitudinally impart the values, attributes, and characteristics of a professional pharmacist. Requirements of the course include: goal planning and reflective assignments, submission of "Best Works," attendance at professional meetings, completion of service hours, annual completion of a Pharmacy Professionalism Instrument, attendance at Dean's Seminar, participation in roundtable discussions, and maintenance of an electronic portfolio. Though the Professional Development course series carries no credit, these courses are progression requirements and students are assessed on a pass/fail basis. Results. Course pass rates in the 2015-2016 academic year for all four classes were 99% to 100%, suggesting the majority of students take professional development seriously and are achieving the intended outcomes of the courses. Conclusion. A professional development course series was designed and implemented in the new Doctor of Pharmacy program at Western New England University to enhance the professional identity formation of students.

Using Radar Plots for Curricular Mapping to Visualize Assessment in a New Doctor of Pharmacy Program.

OBJECTIVE. To initiate mapping of the curriculum to the core competencies of our program and to develop a novel and visually accessible method for communicating data to all stakeholders. DESIGN. An online survey was developed to gauge the extent to which instructors and students perceive that courses within the curriculum and assess students' ability to achieve each of the 10 core competencies. Response data were collected and processed as radar plots in Microsoft Excel. ASSESSMENT. Response rate for faculty members was 100% and 86%for students. Radar plots provided images of the relative extent to which each course surveyed was perceived to contribute to core competencies. CONCLUSION. Using radar plots to present perception data is visually descriptive, makes patterns/trends readily apparent, and facilitates the development of an ongoing culture of assessment.