A scoping review of advanced pharmacy practice experience readiness assessment measures across schools of pharmacy.

BACKGROUND: The development and implementation of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) readiness assessments has been an area of increased interest to the academy since the publication of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) standards in 2016. This scoping literature review aims to provide an updated summary of current APPE readiness assessment practices among ACPE-accredited institutions in the United States (US). METHODS: A literature search was conducted between 2022 and 2024 using the terms "APPE student readiness," "APPE readiness assessment," "APPE preparedness," "APPE student preparedness," "pharmacy" AND "readiness assessment", "pharmacy" AND "practice readiness," and "pharmacy" AND "student practice readiness" in Pubmed and Embase. The websites for the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning were also searched using these terms. Abstracts for all results were reviewed. Abstract only and poster presentations were excluded, as well as articles centered on non-US and/or non-ACPE-accredited institutions. Data was collected regarding the outcomes assessed, type of assessment activity, and how the assessment was implemented. Results were reviewed by a second author to ensure consistency in reporting. RESULTS: A total of 289 unique abstracts were reviewed by author pairs for inclusion based on relevance to the review objectives. A total of 13 articles were included in the final analysis. Each institution measured different knowledge areas, abilities, and entrustable professional activities (EPAs). Most programs had a summative component, with APPE readiness being primarily assessed in the final didactic year of the pharmacy curriculum. Most programs report at least one source of validity. IMPLICATIONS: Given the lack of specific APPE readiness assessment requirements in the ACPE Standards 2016, the different assessment methods among programs were not surprising. However, the commonalities identified can be leveraged with the release of the Curricular Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA) 2022 to promote a standardized definition of APPE readiness. Future research should focus on formative assessment methods embedded throughout the didactic curriculum to identify "at-risk" students prior to a "high-stakes" summative assessment at the end of the didactic curriculum that impedes student progression to the APPE year.

Pharmacy student self-assessment of interprofessional behaviors in inpatient general medicine advanced pharmacy practice experiences.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization defines interprofessional education (IPE) "as an experience where students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to…improve health outcomes."1 Recent studies have demonstrated that IPE experiences can produce positive outcomes, and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Accreditation Standards require IPE experiences to be incorporated in both didactic and experiential components of pharmacy curricula. The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of required rotation interprofessional activities on fourth-year pharmacy students' self-assessment of interprofessional collaboration behaviors. METHODS: This was an ambidirectional cohort study conducted among students enrolled in their inpatient general medicine advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) at the University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy during academic year 2020-2021. Students completed the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competency self-assessment instrument at the beginning and end of their six-week APPE. The survey instrument assessed IPEC competencies in the four IPE domains. RESULTS: During the 2020-2021 academic year, 29 APPE pharmacy students completed the pre- and post-assessment during their inpatient general medicine APPE. There was a significant increase (P < .001) in IPEC scores from baseline to post-assessment in each domain. CONCLUSIONS: Students had a positive change in interprofessional collaboration behaviors after completing the required IPE on their inpatient general medicine APPE, which is consistent with prior studies. While students' perceived IPE behaviors improved, further research is needed to elucidate the value of IPE learning activities and impact on learning outcomes.

Co-curricular assessment plan for developing pharmacy professionals (RxPro) after the first professional year.

INTRODUCTION: To measure changes in student professionalism from co-curricular activities. METHODS: A prospective cohort study followed first-year pharmacy students at The University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy. Students completed one co-curricular activity each semester. Learning was assessed using the RxPro VALUE rubric and Professionalism Assessment Tool (PAT) at the beginning and end of the first professional year. The RxPro VALUE rubric included six domains (connections to experience, lifelong learning, diversity of communities and cultures, civic identity and commitment, empathy, and reflection and self-assessment) and was rated from 0 (not yet applied) to 4 (exemplary). The PAT contained 33-items in five domains (reliability, responsibility, and accountability; lifelong learning and adaptability; relationships with others; upholding principles of integrity and respect; and citizenship and professional engagement) and was rated from 1 (knows) to 5 (teaches) (maximum score = 165). RESULTS: Mean scores on the RxPro VALUE rubric increased (p < 0.05) from baseline to end of year in five domains: connections to experience (1.44 vs. 2.07), diversity of communities and cultures (1.75 vs. 2.3), civic identity and commitment (1.34 vs. 2.33), empathy (1.44 vs. 2.37), and reflection and self-assessment (1.53 vs 2.19). No significant changes were seen in PAT scores from baseline (M = 114.19, standard deviation = 32.832) to end of year (M = 119.56, standard deviation = 29.63, p = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: The RxPro VALUE rubric detected growth in professional behaviors among first-year doctor of pharmacy students, while no significant change was observed in the PAT.

Evaluating the Standardization of Transitions of Care in a Texas-Mexico Border Academic Family Medicine Practice.

PURPOSE: This quality improvement project aimed to assess the elements of the current workflow process that meets requirements for transitions of care from a family medicine inpatient to outpatient service following the Transitional Care Management (TCM) program developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The purpose of the study was to assess the current family medicine workflow and determine whether the current process meets the criteria for billing and calculate the potential loss of reimbursement. METHODS: Interviews with key personnel, review of practice policies, and a retrospective chart review were performed for clinic patients discharged from the inpatient to outpatient family medicine service. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients met inclusion criteria for the chart review. Of these, 8% of patients seen at the outpatient clinic met all criteria for TCM. Potential reimbursement for those who met TCM criteria was $293.14 USD; the estimated potential TCM reimbursement for patients not meeting criteria was $1997.76 USD. CONCLUSION: Standardized, team-based TCM services have shown to decrease readmission rates for high-risk patient populations. Results from this project identified processes in place at the family medicine practice to facilitate the development of a standardized transitional care service which could meet both TCM and best practice models.