An initial environmental scan of APPE readiness assessment.

INTRODUCTION: Standards 2016 require schools/colleges of pharmacy (s/cop) to assess students' readiness to enter advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). However, literature describing how schools are meeting this standard is limited. The purpose of this study was to conduct an environmental scan to describe how s/cop assess student readiness to enter APPEs. METHODS: A web-based survey was distributed to assessment leads at United States s/cop, regardless of accreditation status. Respondents answered questions related to their current approach to assessing student APPE readiness, existence of intentional assessment plans, competencies used, assessment methods, benchmarks, and remediation strategies. Aggregate data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Fifty-two S/COP (36.1%) responded. The majority (90.1%) were fully accredited schools. Most respondents have an intentional APPE readiness plan (73.5%), although the duration since implementation varied. There was no consensus among schools on which competencies informed APPE readiness with 67.3% listing Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) 2013 outcomes, 61.2% Guidance for Standards 2016 Appendix A, 53.1% pre-APPE domains (Standards 2007), and 30.6% Entrustable Professional Activities. Twenty-eight S/COP (57.1%) reported having individual student-level data to assess student APPE readiness. The most common methods for validating student APPE readiness were preceptor (48.9%) and student (44.9%) surveys. CONCLUSIONS: This environmental scan begins to identify trends in how S/COP is approaching the assessment of student readiness to begin APPEs. Further research is needed to identify best practices and practical methods to ensure compliance with current accreditation standards.

Effect of a study skills course on student self-assessment of learning skills and strategies.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a study skills course taken by first professional year pharmacy students improved their self-assessment of study skills and strategies. METHODS: This study analyzed student responses to the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), an online assessment with questions in 10 subject areas: anxiety, motivation, concentration, test strategies, study aids, selecting main ideas, attitude, self-testing, information processing, and time management. Students in an elective study skills course in 2012-2017 completed the self-assessment prior to and at the end of the course. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to compare class score pre- and post-course. RESULTS: Over a five-year period, 312 students completed both the pre- and post-course LASSI assessment. Average percentile scores increased significantly from the beginning to the end of the course in all 10 areas. Notably, average pre-course scores in seven subject areas (attention, concentration, self-testing, selecting main ideas, study aids, time management, and test strategies) were all below the 50th percentile, indicating a need for improvement in those skills to see increased academic success. Average post-course scores in each area increased to between the 50th and 75th percentile. CONCLUSIONS: This evaluation shows that a study skills course improves students' self-assessment of skills and attitudes associated with success in post-secondary education. Future studies will look at the effect of such a course on academic outcomes.

Impact of a low-cost simulated electronic medical record on perceptions of APPE readiness.

BACKGROUND: Meaningful use of electronic medical records (EMRs) is critical for providing high-quality, patient-centered care. However, many pharmacy students are not exposed to EMRs until the experiential components of the curriculum. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: We created a low-cost simulated EMR (SEMR) using Microsoft PowerPoint software (Microsoft, Redmond, WA, Version 16.16) to use in a case-based application course for second-year pharmacy students for two consecutive years. FINDINGS: Pre- and post-assessment surveys of 162 students indicated that perceived confidence and efficiency navigating EMRs improved after the activity. Students agreed that the activity enhanced learning, improved understanding of how to extract meaningful data from EMRs, benefited their preparation for the fourth professional year, and demonstrated the role of informatics in patient care. SUMMARY: Incorporation of a SEMR using Microsoft PowerPoint enhances student perceptions of proficiency in navigating the patient medical record. Adoption of similar activities into pharmacy curricula may be an attractive option when adequate financial resources for simulation are unavailable.