Faculty perceptions of a town hall model for engagement in continuous quality improvement.

INTRODUCTION: To determine faculty perceptions of participating in a town hall model on the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Faculty Curriculum Quality Surveys (CQS) focused on continuous quality improvement (CQI) at two institutions. METHODS: To support a culture of assessment focused on CQI, Ferris State University College of Pharmacy (FSUCOP) developed and implemented a town hall model for use with the CQS in fall 2017. It was determined that involving faculty in the CQS analysis process may assist with interpretation and CQI. FSUCOP sought to determine if the CQI model utilized could also be implemented at another institution. Therefore, Cedarville University School of Pharmacy (CUSOP) replicated the FSUCOP town hall model for use in 2018-2019 academic year CQS data interpretation and dissemination. To determine the perceptions of efficacy, faculty at FSUCOP and CUSOP received a pre-survey prior to the fall 2018 town hall and a post-survey following completion of the town hall. The pre- and post-surveys utilized five-point, Likert-type agreement questions (strongly disagree to strongly agree). RESULTS: A total of 47 and 26 faculty completed the pre- and post-surveys, respectively. Faculty agreement on the survey items increased after participating in the town hall. Nearly 81% of faculty strongly or somewhat agreed the town hall model was a good use of their time. CONCLUSION: The town hall model was replicable at another institution. Faculty perceived the town hall model as a positive approach to CQI, and discussions provided assessment personnel with valuable information for data interpretation and usage.

Administration and Evaluation of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Curriculum Quality Surveys in Pharmacy Schools.

Objective. To evaluate how pharmacy programs administer and evaluate American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) curriculum quality perception surveys for continuous quality improvement, and to compare usage across the academy to the Principles of Good Use: AACP Quality Perception Surveys document.Methods. A 27-item survey instrument examining how schools used the curriculum quality survey was created and administered between March and June 2019 to assessment contacts of accredited schools and colleges of pharmacy. Descriptive statistics were performed for each survey item.Results. Of the 140 programs invited to participate, 88 (62.8%) responded. Curriculum quality survey data were triangulated with additional existing data (39.8%) or additional data sources were collected for triangulation with the survey data (54.5%). Programs reported on modifications made in the following areas: curriculum (85.2%), communication (75.0%), student services (68.2%), policy and process (61.4%), and professional development (53.4%). Most programs reported the assessment lead was responsible for oversight of the curriculum quality survey.Conclusion. Of respondents, 66% were familiar with the AACP Principles of Good Use document, and results indicate that institutions are generally following the recommendations. Survey analysis revealed that a significant number of programs are utilizing curriculum quality survey data for making meaningful programmatic improvements. Future work should center on further development of best practices for schools and colleges of pharmacy to effectively use the CQS data for continuous quality improvement.

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.

Faculty Perceptions of Entrustable Professional Activities to Determine Pharmacy Student Readiness for Advanced Practice Experiences.

Objective. To quantify pharmacy faculty members' perceptions of the importance of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) and the expected level of entrustment that should be achieved to determine APPE readiness. Methods. Entrustable professional activities define the core skills and tasks expected of new pharmacy graduates and may serve as a logical framework for determining pharmacy student readiness to begin advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). A five-question survey was distributed to all faculty members, staff members, and administrators at Ferris State University College of Pharmacy. Respondents were asked to rate 18 statements mapped to 12 EPAs on the perceived importance of each statement and the expected level of entrustment students should achieve to determine readiness for APPEs. Thresholds were used to determine consensus for importance and level of entrustment for each statement. Results. Of the 44 faculty members surveyed, 28 (63.6%) responded. A strong consensus was reached on the level of importance for 16 of 18 statements (89%), while two statements demonstrated moderate consensus (11%). No strong consensus was identified on levels of entrustment. Seven (39%) of 18 statements demonstrated moderate entrustment consensus and 11 (61%) statements demonstrated little consensus. Conclusion. Strong consensus was identified regarding which EPAs are important to determine students' APPE readiness; however, no strong consensus was found when evaluating levels of entrustment. Lack of consensus regarding entrustment raises several questions that require further study and clarification as the implementation of EPAs continues throughout the Academy.