Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion awareness in clinical documentation through postgraduate year one training.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: As healthcare providers increasingly focus on emerging issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in patient care, less is known about the training in postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency on DEI clinical documentation considerations. This pilot project explored whether training, discussion and self-reflection within a peer review activity promoted DEI self-awareness in clinical documentation through a centralized curriculum of a multisite PGY1. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Building upon an established peer review of clinical documentation activity, PGY1 pharmacy residents practicing in ambulatory care settings received training on DEI considerations and completed small and large group discussions, a post-activity mixed methods survey with self-reflection prompts, and a three-month follow-up survey. FINDINGS: Twenty-two residents participated in the peer review of clinical documentation activity, DEI training and discussions. Twelve residents completed the post-activity survey with reflection prompts; 6 (50%) reported similar previous DEI training prior to residency. After the DEI training and discussions, 12 (100%) agreed or strongly agreed that their awareness of DEI documentation considerations increased; 10 (83%) would document their submitted notes differently, while one resident was unsure and one would not make changes. Twelve residents completed the follow-up survey three months following the activity. Themes from the free-text responses on key learnings collected post-activity and three-month post (respectively) included: 1) new knowledge, increased self-awareness, and intended action and 2) increased self-awareness and changes in note-making convention. SUMMARY: Integrating DEI training, discussion, and self-reflection prompts into a peer review clinical documentation activity increased self-awareness and knowledge of DEI considerations and promoted intended changes in patient care documentation for pharmacy residents. Regardless of previous training, residents reported continued self-awareness and changes in documentation conventions continued three months later.

Ten simple rules for doing a postdoc in pharma.

Postdoctoral programs in the pharmaceutical and life science industry offer opportunities for personal and professional development, if you know why to join, what to expect, and how to prepare.

Assessment of mental health needs and barriers to care in students enrolled in doctor of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences programs.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study is to identify doctor of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences students' perceived barriers to mental health care and interest in mental health interventions and to assess student attitudes and perceptions of mental illness. METHODS: A mixed-methods survey was given to 706 students participating in a doctor of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences curricula to assess students' perceived barriers to care, interest in mental health resources and interventions within their curricula, attitudes towards seeking treatment, and perceived stigma. The last section included free text responses in which students expressed additional comments unacknowledged by previous sections. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and free text responses were analyzed using thematic coding. RESULTS: From February to March 2018, 256 responses were received out of 706 students with a response rate of 36%. The most cited barriers to seeking mental health treatment were lack of time, lack of finances, and stigma-related concerns (25%, 13%, and 11%, respectively) with the most desired interventions being the implementation of an onsite counselor and wellness space. A majority of participants (88%) believe professional help for mental illness is effective; however, 63% cited they were negatively impacted by internal stigma. Common themes addressed in the free text responses reinforced these ideas and included additional responses regarding the impact of school culture. CONCLUSION: Students within a doctor of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences program experience non-stigma and stigma-related barriers to seeking mental health treatment.

Pharmacy student awareness, aspiration, and preparation for post graduate education (PGE) fellowship in US: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Fellowship opportunities are seen by pharmacy students and graduates as an option to assist in furthering pharmacy knowledge in a specific field or area of interest. Pharmaceutical industry fellowships are the most common pharmacy fellowship available to students. There has been little research on what motivates students to pursue a fellowship and what student characteristics may help predict interest in a fellowship. METHODS: A survey was distributed to P1, P2, and P3 students. The survey took 10-15 min to complete and contained 28 questions. The difference in students' characteristics between fellowship interested students and non-fellowship interested students were examined using chi-square tests and t-tests for categorical variables and continuous variables, respectively. Logistic regression was used to examine predictors of pursuing a fellowship. RESULTS: Age, work experience, and attendance during a fellowship roundtable were all found to be statistically significant predictors of pursuit of a fellowship. Financial obligations, family obligations, and feeling unprepared were the most common reasons for not pursuing a fellowship. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Students earlier in the curriculum were more likely to express interest in pursuing a fellowship. Overall, students felt ill-prepared for the fellowship application process. In addition, fellowship roundtables may be useful for pharmacy programs to help students in their pursuit of fellowships.

Implementation and lessons learned from a mock trial as a teaching-learning and assessment activity.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To describe implementation and lessons learned from use of a mock trial as a teaching-learning and assessment activity in a required evidence-based practice course. This innovative self-directed learning strategy reinforced evidence-based skills and affective domain competencies in Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) 2013 Outcomes and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards 2016. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: During spring semesters 2015 and 2016, first professional year (P1) cohorts were divided into teams and assigned controversial topics to research and debate in mock trials. The activity provided opportunities for teaching-learning and assessment. Statistical analysis included inter-rater reliability (IRR), comparison of faculty-judge and student-juror evaluation of trial performance. FINDINGS: Two cohorts were divided into eight teams (four per cohort) to debate four issues. Students within each team were assigned individual scores. Mean individual scores are reported by trial/topic. Faculty-judges and student-jurors rated eight criteria including content/knowledge, critical thinking, application/discussion of federal/state law, citations/references, visual aids, delivery/style, and active listening. Analysis indicated students met competency expectations with overall judges' and jurors' mean scores above 54/60 points (90%) in 2015 and above 51/60 points (85%) in 2016. Judges' scores showed a wider distribution than jurors' scores. Peer evaluation mean scores were above 55/60 points in all four trials. Intra-class correlation was calculated. Judges' scores had excellent IRR in two trials, and good IRR in a third trial, whereas jurors had good IRR in one trial. SUMMARY: Evaluation scores demonstrated students successfully applied knowledge and skills from this and prior P1 courses, and met competency expectations for the mock trial.

The Report of the 2017-2018 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: The Development of the Preceptor Self-Assessment Tool for Entrustable Professional Activities for New Graduates.

The 2017-2018 AACP Professional Affairs Committee addressed the charges of (1) developing a self-reflection/self-assessment tool for pharmacy faculty and preceptors to allow them to assess their capability and confidence with Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) Educational Outcomes, the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP), and the Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for New Pharmacy Graduates and (2) creation of a plan for AACP to utilize in the development of preceptor continuing education and training programs. This report describes the framework, rationale and process for the development of the Preceptor Self-Assessment Tool for Entrustable Professional Activities for New Pharmacy Graduates (PSAE Tool), the pre-test for the PSAE tool, and the online pilot test and its results for the PSAE Tool. The committee provides recommendations for AACP in the continued development and distribution of the PSAE Tool to the schools of pharmacy. Considerations for AACP and the schools of pharmacy to consider in the continuing professional development (CPD) for all preceptors are also discussed. The committee provides a policy statement, adopted by the AACP House of Delegates, regarding the commitment of AACP regarding the CPD for all preceptors. The committee also provides several recommendations to AACP and suggestions to schools of pharmacy and other stakeholder groups pertaining to the committee charges.

An analysis of the use of Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) scores within one professional program.

OBJECTIVE: The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) is a recent assessment requirement for US pharmacy professional programs. This study analyses PCOA scores for uses described in the 2016 Standards with data from one professional program. METHODS: PCOA data were analyzed for two consecutive classes (n=215) of pharmacy students at the end of their didactic curriculum to explore relationships among PCOA scores, grade point average (GPA), and North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) scores utilizing regression analyses. RESULTS: Decisions about student learning based on PCOA scores and GPA indicated remediation would have been prescribed for approximately 7% of students. In comparison, NAPLEX scores revealed a 1% failure rate among the study sample. Relationships between PCOA scores and GPA (r=0.47) and NAPLEX (r=0.51) were moderate to large, respectively. GPA explained a larger portion of unique variance (14%) than PCOA (8%) in NAPLEX scores. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of students, academic decisions would have varied depending upon the learning assessment, which is consistent with a moderate correlation between GPA and PCOA scores. Although PCOA scores correlate with GPA and NAPLEX, PCOA scores explained a smaller portion of unique variance in NAPLEX scores than GPA. The ongoing establishment of validity evidence of PCOA scores is important for meaningful interpretation of scores for the intended uses.

A Self-Assessment Guide for Resident Teaching Experiences.

The 2015 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Educational Affairs Committee was charged with developing a self-assessment guide for residency programs to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the outcomes of resident teaching curricula. After extensively reviewing the literature, the committee developed assessment rubrics modeled after the 2013 ACCP white paper titled "Guidelines for Resident Teaching Experiences" and the revised American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 2014 accreditation standards for PGY1 residencies, which place greater emphasis on the teaching and learning curriculum (TLC) than the previous accreditation standards. The self-assessment guide developed by the present committee can serve as an assessment tool for both basic and expanded TLCs. It provides the criteria for program goals, mentoring, directed readings with topic discussions, teaching experiences, and assessment methodology. For an expanded TLC, the committee has provided additional guidance on developing a teaching philosophy, becoming involved in interactive seminars, expanding teaching experiences, developing courses, and serving on academic committees. All the guidelines listed in the present paper use the measures "not present," "developing," and "well developed" so that residency program directors can self-assess along the continuum and identify areas of excellence and areas for improvement. Residency program directors should consider using this new assessment tool to measure program quality and outcomes of residency teaching experiences. Results of the assessment will help residency programs focus on areas within the TLC that will potentially benefit from additional attention and possible modification.

Reenvisioning assessment for the Academy and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's standards revision process.

Assessment has become a major aspect of accreditation processes across all of higher education. As the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) plans a major revision to the standards for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) education, an in-depth, scholarly review of the approaches and strategies for assessment in the PharmD program accreditation process is warranted. This paper provides 3 goals and 7 recommendations to strengthen assessment in accreditation standards. The goals include: (1) simplified standards with a focus on accountability and improvement, (2) institutionalization of assessment efforts; and (3) innovation in assessment. Evolving and shaping assessment practices is not the sole responsibility of the accreditation standards. Assessment requires commitment and dedication from individual faculty members, colleges and schools, and organizations supporting the college and schools, such as the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Therefore, this paper also challenges the academy and its members to optimize assessment practices.

The future of the pharmaceutical sciences and graduate education: recommendations from the AACP Graduate Education Special Interest Group.

Despite pharma's recent sea change in approach to drug discovery and development, U.S. pharmaceutical sciences graduate programs are currently maintaining traditional methods for master's and doctoral student education. The literature on graduate education in the biomedical sciences has long been advocating educating students to hone soft skills like communication and teamwork, in addition to maintaining excellent basic skills in research. However, recommendations to date have not taken into account the future trends in the pharmaceutical industry. The AACP Graduate Education Special Interest Group has completed a literature survey of the trends in the pharmaceutical industry and graduate education in order to determine whether our graduate programs are strategically positioned to prepare our graduates for successful careers in the next few decades. We recommend that our pharmaceutical sciences graduate programs take a proactive leadership role in meeting the needs of our future graduates and employers. Our graduate programs should bring to education the innovation and collaboration that our industry also requires to be successful and relevant in this century.

Desired professional development pathways for clinical pharmacists.

The 2012 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Certification Affairs Committee was charged with developing guidelines for the desired professional development pathways for clinical pharmacists. This document summarizes recommendations for postgraduate education and training for graduates of U.S. schools and colleges of pharmacy and describes the preferred pathways for achieving, demonstrating, and maintaining competence as clinical pharmacists. After initial licensure within the state or jurisdiction in which the pharmacist intends to practice, completion of an accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency is recommended to further develop the knowledge and skills needed to optimize medication therapy outcomes. An accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency should be completed if a pharmacist wishes to seek employment in a specific therapeutic area or practice setting, if such a residency exists. Clinical pharmacists intending to conduct advanced research that is competitive for federal funding are encouraged to complete a fellowship or graduate education. Initial certification by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) or other appropriate sponsoring organizations should be completed in the desired primary therapeutic area or practice setting within 2 years after accepting a position within the desired specific therapeutic area or practice setting. Clinical pharmacists subsequently will need to meet the requirements to maintain pharmacist licensure and board certification. Traineeships, practice-based activities, and certificate programs can be used to obtain additional knowledge and skills that support professional growth. Pharmacists are strongly encouraged to adopt a lifelong, systematic process for professional development and work with ACCP and other professional organizations to facilitate the development and implementation of innovative strategies to assess core practice competencies.

Entry characteristics and academic performance of students in a master of pharmacy degree program in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the characteristics of a cohort of master of pharmacy (MPharm) students upon entry into the program and examine associations between entry qualifications, type of secondary school attended, socioeconomic status, age, and academic performance in the MPharm program. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted of student data for graduates of the Aston University MPharm program during the 5-year period 2005-2006 through 2009-2010 (n=644). RESULTS: MPharm entrants were disproportionately drawn from socioeconomically deprived areas and independent (private) schools. Achievement prior to admission was related to the type of school attended but not to socioeconomic status. Performance in the program was not related to type of school or socioeconomic status but was strongly correlated with prior academic achievement. CONCLUSIONS: Prior academic achievement was the most important predictor of performance in the MPharm program; however, the superior prior achievement of students who attended independent secondary schools was not seen at the point of graduation. These findings may have implications for admissions policies.

Relationship between admission data and pharmacy student involvement in extracurricular activities.

OBJECTIVES: To assess pharmacy student involvement in leadership and service roles and to evaluate the association between admissions data and student involvement. METHODS: Doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students were invited to complete a 56-item online survey instrument containing questions regarding leadership and service involvement, work experiences, perceived contribution of involvement to skill development, and perceived importance of involvement. Responses were linked to admissions data to identify possible associations. RESULTS: Five hundred fourteen (82.4%) pharmacy students completed the survey instrument. Students with higher admissions application and interview scores were more likely to be involved in organizations and hold leadership roles, while students with higher admissions grade point averages were less likely to be involved in organizations and leadership roles. CONCLUSIONS: Assessing students' involvement in leadership and service roles can assist in the evaluation of students' leadership skills and lead to modification of curricular and co-curricular activities to provide development opportunities. Student involvement in extracurricular activities may encourage future involvement in and commitment to the pharmacy profession.

Physical assessment experience in a problem-based learning course.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a physical-assessment learning experience implemented in the problem-based learning (PBL) format of the third year of a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. DESIGN: Students enrolled in a PBL course completed survey instruments to measure knowledge and confidence before and after participating in the learning experience. A simulation stethoscope was used to teach students abnormal pulmonary and cardiovascular sounds in 1-hour sessions for each of 12 PBL groups. ASSESSMENT: The 92 students enrolled in the PBL course completed pre- and post-experience survey instruments. Students' scores on knowledge questions increased significantly (p < 0.0001) from 40.4% ± 11.4% at baseline to 62.5% ± 13.7% and 63.1 ± 11.6%, respectively, on the 2 sets of post-experience questions. Students scored a median of 3 or 4 on a 5-point Likert scale after a learning experience on questions measuring confidence. CONCLUSION: Use of a simulation stethoscope in a physical-assessment learning experience increased pharmacy students' knowledge in performing pulmonary and cardiovascular assessment techniques.

Post-PharmD industry fellowship opportunities and proposed guidelines for uniformity.

The focus of this paper is to examine the surge in the development of post-PharmD industry fellowships (ie, pharmacy fellowship programs sponsored by the biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical industry). These post-PharmD training programs do not fit the currently accepted definition of a pharmacy fellowship; therefore, the authors propose a new and distinct definition to encompass these fellowships. The authors provide program examples to showcase the establishment of the post-PharmD industry fellowship institutional centers. Finally, the authors provide recommendations to create uniformity in the programs of this relatively new category of post-PharmD training.

Teaching patient assessment skills to doctor of pharmacy students: the TOPAS study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the content and extent, design, and relative importance of patient assessment courses in the professional pharmacy curriculum. METHODS: A 20-item questionnaire was developed to gather information pertaining to patient assessment. Pharmacy practice department chairs were mailed a letter with an Internet link to an online survey instrument. RESULTS: Ninety-six percent of the programs indicated that patient assessment skills were taught. Forty-five percent of respondents indicated their course was a standalone course. The most common topics covered in assessment courses were pulmonary examination, vital signs, and cardiovascular assessment. CONCLUSION: There is significant variability in the topics covered, depth of content, types of instruction, and evaluation methods used in patient assessment courses in US colleges of pharmacy. This survey was an initial assessment of what is being done regarding education of student pharmacists on patient assessment.

Pharmaceutical care in Denmark: perceived importance of medicine-related problems and participation in postgraduate training.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the readiness of Danish community pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care. Special focus was on information provided to patients on medicine-related problems and participation in postgraduate training. METHOD: National cross-sectional survey distributed to all Danish community pharmacies (N = 288). Response rate 75.7%; non-responders were interviewed by telephone to establish their reasons for not participating. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prioritization of information to patients regarding medicine-related problems. Postgraduate courses selected by pharmacists during the past three years. RESULTS: In accordance with the profile of Danish community pharmacists, respondents were primarily female and half were below 45 years of age. The main reason given for not responding was lack of time. The prioritization of information to patients regarding medicine-related problems resulted in three clusters of answers. The overall topics of the clusters were: information related to the technical-practical use of medicines; information related to pharmacotherapeutic aspects of medicine use; and information related to the function of the medicine. The clusters accounted for 61.9% of the total variance. The most frequently attended postgraduate courses were on quality assurance and specific diseases. CONCLUSION: The patient information prioritized by Danish community pharmacists is primarily of a technical-practical nature. The postgraduate training pursued is primarily technical without much focus on the philosophy of pharmaceutical care. These factors contribute to the lack of proper readiness of pharmacists to practice pharmaceutical care.

Perceived value and outcomes of residency projects.

Residency program directors' attitudes toward residency projects were studied. A questionnaire about the residency project experience was mailed in January 2000 to 446 pharmacy practice residency program and specialty residency program directors in the program database of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Recipients responded to opinion statements on a 5-point scale. Responses to the opinion statements were separated into seven categories for analysis. A total of 278 usable questionnaires were returned, for a raw response rate of 63.6%. During the preceding three years, residency directors had served as primary advisors on 917 projects; 171 had served as advisor on at least one of every type of project allowed in the accreditation standards. Of the 917 projects, 364 were presented at national professional meetings, 124 were published, and 484 were believed to have resulted in a positive change in pharmacy services. There were no significant differences in total response scores among any of the subgroups analyzed. There was strong agreement that residency projects were valuable and should continue to be part of the residency program experience. The directors' views of the importance of original research as a project option were more neutral. Overall residency program directors had positive perceptions of the value of residency projects to both residents and institutions and believed that they should continue to be a requirement of residency programs.