Using Politeness Theory to Deconstruct how Pre-registrant Pharmacists approach Disagreement in the Workplace.

OBJECTIVE: Using politeness theory, this study investigates how pre-registrant pharmacists engage in workplace disputes. METHODS: Fifty six students participated in two mock job judgement scenarios. In Scenario A (n = 25), the conflict was with a colleague of lower hierarchical status, while in Scenario B (n = 32), the conflict was with a colleague of equal hierarchical status. Using politeness theory, responses were coded into three tiers: 1) engagement in the face threatening act (FTA); 2) use of on/off record approaches; and 3) communicative strategies. For tier 1, reasons for engaging in the FTA were also coded. RESULTS: 89% of the participants indicated they would unequivocally engage in the FTA. For Scenario A, the pharmacist's roles and responsibilities (40%) and for Scenario B, situational urgency/safety (65%) were the key drivers. Scenario A participants were more likely to use an on-record approach (80%) than those in Scenario B (68%). Empathetic approaches (56%) were more common in Scenario A, while explanatory approaches (64%) were more frequent in Scenario B. CONCLUSION: This study shows that pre-registrant pharmacists are aware of the principles of face work. While the study only reflects what participants believe they would do, not their actual ability in professional disputes, it supports current research that students need simulated low-stakes opportunities to practise communication skills before entering the workplace, especially where situational urgency is present. Integration of politeness theory in workshop and feedback design could help students to link awareness to actual interaction, although the theory should be expanded to integrate urgency as a factor impacting on all levels of interactional decision-making.

Identifying the core concepts of pharmacology education: A global initiative.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In recent decades, a focus on the most critical and fundamental concepts has proven highly advantageous to students and educators in many science disciplines. Pharmacology, unlike microbiology, biochemistry, or physiology, lacks a consensus list of such core concepts. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We sought to develop a research-based, globally relevant list of core concepts that all students completing a foundational pharmacology course should master. This two-part project consisted of exploratory and refinement phases. The exploratory phase involved empirical data mining of the introductory sections of five key textbooks, in parallel with an online survey of over 200 pharmacology educators from 17 countries across six continents. The refinement phase involved three Delphi rounds involving 24 experts from 15 countries across six continents. KEY RESULTS: The exploratory phase resulted in a consolidated list of 74 candidate core concepts. In the refinement phase, the expert group produced a consensus list of 25 core concepts of pharmacology. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: This list will allow pharmacology educators everywhere to focus their efforts on the conceptual knowledge perceived to matter most by experts within the discipline. Next steps for this project include defining and unpacking each core concept and developing resources to help pharmacology educators globally teach and assess these concepts within their educational contexts.