Time for an "upgrade:" How incorporating social habits can further boost your writing potential.

INTRODUCTION: Incorporating social writing habits into your practice has many benefits, including new ideas, growth and development, accountability, networking opportunities, better-focused writing, and even increased productivity. In this commentary, we discuss the social habits of writing as described by Dr. Helen Sword in her book Air & Light & Time & Space and provide suggestions for how to incorporate these habits in order to elevate your academic writing. COMMENTARY: Social habits of writing include writing for others, writing with others, and writing among others. Writing for others highlights the important relationship between author and reader. As writers consider their audience, the goal is to share the efforts of their research or other learning, which includes lessons learned along the way. Serving as a peer reviewer can be beneficial to a writer's development and significantly contributes to the scientific community. Writing with others, or collaborating on a writing project, provides accountability, efficiency, and diversity of skills and viewpoints. When working with others, especially trainees, it is important to set clear expectations of roles, responsibilities, and timelines up front. Finally, writing among others, or working in concert with others but on different projects, can occur in person or virtually with the aid of technology. Writing among others can provide development, accountability, networking, and aid creativity. IMPLICATIONS: We can all work to elevate our writing through attention to the social habits of writing. Developing and using these techniques may take time to implement. Practically, making small changes may be the most successful.

Effect of preceptor-initiated referral system on advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students' rotation progress and graduation rate.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to determine whether the referral and monitoring system developed at Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (BUCOPHS) for advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students is successful in improving on-time and overall graduation rates and decreasing rotation failures. METHODS: In May 2014, a formalized process for referral and monitoring of APPE students was established. This allows preceptors to recommend (via the electronic final evaluation form) additional monitoring or intervention in the areas of professionalism, time management, drug information, communication, and therapeutic/drug knowledge. The experiential education director subsequently meets with referred students and develops a customized longitudinal plan to help each student improve in the identified areas. Data collected for students who were referred included the rotation block, rotation type, preceptor type, and the specific areas recommended for monitoring and referral. In addition, each student's quarterly progress, specific assessments outlined in each student's customized longitudinal plan, number of failed rotations, on-time graduation, and overall graduation status was recorded. The university's institutional review board approved the study. RESULTS: Between May 2014 and April 2017, a total of 36 students were referred to the experiential education office for monitoring and/or intervention. Of these, 35/36 (97.2%) graduated on time. There were eight students who failed one APPE; no students received more than one failure. CONCLUSIONS: Development of a referral and monitoring system for preceptors aids in retention of professional pharmacy students and increases on-time and overall graduation rates.