Pharmacists need to participate and pay closer attention to the Medicare for All discussion.

It has been a decade since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. The ACA's reception remains mixed, despite its moderate success in increasing insurance coverage, and discussions of health care reform have not abated. Among ongoing efforts to reform or repeal the ACA, "Medicare for All" appears in several prominent policy proposals. Public opinion polls from across the United States have demonstrated the growing popularity of reform proposals, which has encouraged legislators to be stronger advocates for such changes. Between 2017 and 2020, the 115th and 116th U.S. Congress introduced more than a dozen legislative proposals aimed at health care reform. Unfortunately, the variety and nuance of these legislative proposals have resulted in considerable confusion and division across the nation among health care providers and patients regarding definitions and implications of Medicare for All. This commentary aims to improve pharmacists' understanding of Medicare for All, discuss the possible impact of Medicare for All on pharmacy practice, and serve as a call for U.S. pharmacists to participate in advocacy and reform of the health care system in which they practice. We argue that only through proactive participation in legislative advocacy will the pharmacists' role in patient care continue to evolve. This brief commentary is divided into 5 major sections: (1) support for Medicare for All, (2) definitions of existing Medicare for All policy proposals, (3) estimation of the impact of Medicare for All proposals on the health care system, (4) the pharmacist perspective on the impact of Medicare for All, and (5) recommendations for pharmacy practice and advocacy.

Evaluating Perceptions of Test Anxiety Among Student Pharmacists and Faculty Members: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine student perceptions versus actual level of test anxiety, as measured by the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale-2 (CTAS-2), and student and faculty perceptions of test anxiety with regard to prevalence, impact, ease of treatment, and importance in pharmacy education. METHODS: Two independent Qualtrics questionnaires were distributed via email to all students and faculty in the professional pharmacy program (years 1-4) at the University of Mississippi. The first questionnaire evaluated pharmacy students' perceptions of test anxiety and self-awareness of personal test anxiety. The second questionnaire evaluated faculty members' perceptions of student test anxiety. The questionnaires had 50 and 21 questions, respectively, and were developed from validated, reliable questionnaires used in Cognitive Test Anxiety (CTA) research. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 123 students and 19 faculty. Overall, 46 % of students had a self-perception of "high test anxiety", with 28 % having a CTAS-2 score that correlated to severe test anxiety. A majority of faculty respondents (84 %) believed severe test anxiety affects 30 % or less of pharmacy students and may be associated with poor academic performance. CONCLUSION: Student pharmacists' self-perception of test anxiety and perception of difficulty mitigating test anxiety may be overestimated. Overall, faculty accurately estimated the degree of test anxiety, felt confident in being able to help students, and believed it should receive attention from both faculty and the university.

Improving and Expanding Research on Burnout and Stress in the Academy.

Objective. To conduct an integrative review of existing literature evaluating burnout and stress to identify reliable, valid, psychometrically sound survey instruments that are frequently used in published studies and to provide best practices in conducting burnout and stress research within academic pharmacy.Findings. We reviewed 491 articles and found 11 validated reliable surveys to be most frequently cited in the literature that can be used in future burnout and stress research. We also noted frequent misunderstandings and misuse of burnout and stress terminology along with inappropriate measurement. Additionally, we identified a variety of useful websites during the review. Lastly, we identified a relative dearth of published research evaluating organizational solutions to burnout and stress beyond personal factors, ie, resilience.Summary. Burnout and stress among student pharmacists, faculty, and staff is an important research area that necessitates more robust, rigorous evaluation using validated reliable surveys with appropriate contextualization within psychological frameworks and theory. Future research evaluating organizational-level attempts to remedy sources of burnout and stress is also needed.

Evaluation of Patient Adherence to Vaccine and Screening Recommendations during Community Pharmacist-led Medicare Annual Wellness Visits in a Family Medicine Clinic.

Background: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initiated annual wellness visits (AWV) to reduce healthcare costs and improve preventive healthcare for beneficiaries. Provider time constraints and varying preferences to perform AWVs have limited its clinical implementation in some areas, affording pharmacists an opportunity to expand their role. Objective: To evaluate patient adherence to pharmacist recommendations for vaccinations and preventive screenings in an annual wellness visit service at a family medicine clinic in northeast Mississippi. Methods: This study included patients receiving at least one vaccination or screening recommendation during an AWV. Investigators provided vaccination (influenza, pneumococcal and herpes zoster) and screening (mammograms, DEXA, and colorectal cancer) recommendations based on current guidelines. For services not provided in-clinic, investigators contacted outside facilities 45 days post-visit to confirm adherence to recommendations. Primary endpoints included the composite adherence rate of all recommendations and percentage of patients achieving the 60% goal composite adherence rate. Secondary endpoints included individual vaccination and screening adherence rates. Results: Investigators recommended 715 interventions to a total of 254 patients, of which 239 were completed within 45 days for a 33.4 percent composite adherence rate. 20.1 percent of all participants achieved the goal composite adherence rate (60%). Overall, participants were 30.5 and 41 percent adherent to all vaccinations and preventive screening recommendations, respectively. Conclusion: Pharmacists providing AWVs increased patient access to preventive health recommendations. Although, adherence to recommendations remains a challenge and warrants further study. The findings and limitations observed in this study have identified opportunities for future research to evaluate pharmacist-led AWV services.

Residency application content and considerations based on residency director review of a fictitious CV: What really matters?

PURPOSE: This research was conducted to evaluate the influence of a pharmacy residency candidate's prior work or research experience on the potential for selection for an interview. Additionally, residency program directors (RPDs) were asked to evaluate the importance of letters of intent and recommendation, rank the importance of typical curriculum vitae (CV) items along with general preferences, and provide advice for a standout CV. METHODS: This cross-sectional, survey-based study recruited RPDs to review a work-focused or research-focused fictitious residency candidate CV and complete a 33-question survey regarding interest in interviewing the fictitious candidate and their general perceptions of significant factors in interview candidate selection. RESULTS: A total of 456 RPDs responded to the survey, with 229 respondents assigned to evaluate the work-focused CV and 227 assigned to review the research-focused CV. Among RPDs who provided CV evaluations, 81.2% (147/181) of those who reviewed the research-focused CV and 78.3% (137/175) of those who reviewed the work-focused CV gave a positive evaluation (P > 0.05). Work experience and extracurricular activities were considered the most important CV sections, and high-quality advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) rotations and pharmacy work experience were perceived to have the highest correlation with success in residency. CONCLUSION: This work supports the importance of candidates creating a well-rounded CV in preparing themselves for residency. Pharmacy-related work experience and high-quality APPE rotations seem to be key in an RPD's opinions of predicted success in a residency program. The CV remains a vital document in the residency candidate review process, and it deserves a high degree of effort in ensuring it adequately reflects professional experiences.

Guidance for Qualitative Research Manuscripts in Pharmacy Education.

The goal of this Best Practice Review is to support researchers in successfully preparing and publishing qualitative research in pharmacy education. Standard practice from the literature and journals' guidance from related fields were reviewed, and recommendations and resources applicable to qualitative research in pharmacy education were compiled for researchers planning to conduct and publish qualitative research. This review provides recommendations, not requirements, for publication in the Journal and is intended to be a guide, especially for authors and reviewers relatively new to the field of qualitative research. Additionally, researchers planning to publish their qualitative research are advised to review available best practices and standards, such as the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist and the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Given the diverse methodology of qualitative research, it is important for authors to provide sufficient details and justifications of selected methods for transparency and to report collected results in a manner that allows reviewers and readers to adequately assess the validity of their study and the applicability of the findings.

Evaluating the Efficacy of 3 Recruitment Methods for Enrolling Patients in Chronic Care Management Services: A Pilot Study.

Chronic Care Management (CCM) is a billable service that pharmacists can provide either in person or via telephone in ambulatory clinics or community pharmacies. Pharmacists may use this service to expand current roles in patient care and add billable services to an ambulatory care practice. The number of clinics employing CCM is steadily increasing, and to date, there has been limited information published to aid pharmacists who are considering implementing these services. The purpose of this study is to compare enrollment success in a clinic-based, pharmacist-led CCM service using three recruitment strategies to enroll patients: in person, telephone, and provider referred recruitment. This pilot study examined the success of three recruitment strategies using 94 patients eligible for CCM services in a rural health clinic. The primary outcome was successful enrollment in the CCM program with differences in recruitment strategy enrollment success examined using a Chi-square test. Overall, 42 of 94 patients (45%) were successfully enrolled in the CCM program with no statistical difference appreciated between telephone, in person, and provider referred recruitment. Nearly 33% (14/42) of patients enrolled in person, 40% (17/42) enrolled via telephone, and 26% (11/42) enrolled when referred from a provider. Ten patients (11%) declined enrollment outright. The remaining 42 patients were hesitant to enroll and requested follow up. In conclusion, there was no statistical difference in CCM enrollment success with in person, telephone, or provider referred recruitment, although more patients were enrolled via telephone than with the other two strategies. Pharmacists implementing new CCM programs may tailor their recruitment and enrollment strategy to suit their specific needs.

Impact of Communication Method and Timeliness on Student and Faculty Perception of Professionalism and Value.

Objective. This study sought to evaluate the impact of faculty, preceptor, and student preferences for type of communication received and timeliness of communication on their perceptions of professionalism and personal value.Methods. An anonymous questionnaire was designed to assess pharmacy faculty, preceptor, and students' preferred method of communication, response time expectations, impact on their perception of the sender's professionalism, and personal perception of being valued. The questionnaire was sent to 924 faculty, preceptors, and students.Results. Of the 253 responses received, 27 (11%) were from full-time faculty, 94 (37%) from part-time faculty preceptors, and 132 (52%) from students. Overall, email was the preferred communication method for receiving information that was not time sensitive (98%), with a majority of faculty, preceptors, and students indicating that 48 hours was a reasonable response time. Most participants felt that less than 24 hours was a reasonable response time for texts or phone calls. Most students indicated that response time was somewhat or not impactful (58%) on their view of the faculty or preceptor's professionalism, while faculty and preceptors indicated that response time was neutral or somewhat impactful on their view of the student's professionalism (60%). Most students (77%) indicated that a faculty or preceptor's response time to their text or phone call impacted their perceptions of feeling valued and important.Conclusion. Communication preferences among faculty, preceptors, and students differ. Professionalism related to communication was important to all groups, and timeliness of communication between faculty, preceptors, and students impacted their perception of their value and self-worth.

Emergency contraception counseling: an opportunity for pharmacists.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of pharmacist counseling on patients' knowledge of emergency contraception (EC). DESIGN: Single-group, repeated-measures analysis. SETTING: Academic medical center women's clinic in Little Rock, AR, between January and July 2010. PARTICIPANTS: 116 women 18 years or older. INTERVENTION: 10-minute education session provided by a pharmacist or trained student pharmacist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in participants' test scores (range 0 [lowest possible] to 13 [highest possible]) at three assessment periods (pretest, posttest, and follow-up) using 12 knowledge questions. RESULTS: 116 participants with a mean (±SD) age of 25 ± 5.9 years participated in this study. Mean knowledge scores were 5.3 ± 4.1 for the pretest and 10.7 ± 1.4 for the posttest (P < 0.001). The least-squares mean EC knowledge test score (adjusted for demographics) was 5.86 at pretest, 10.75 at posttest, and 10.75 at follow-up. A nonsignificant small change in scores from posttest to follow-up was detected after the Tukey-Kramer adjustment. A higher education level was associated with higher knowledge scores in this population. CONCLUSION: Brief pharmacist-driven counseling sessions provided in a clinic setting are feasible and have a positive impact on immediate EC knowledge and long-term knowledge retention.

Exploring factors associated with scholarly writing among US pharmacy practice faculty.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored intrinsic facilitators (i.e., grit, self-efficacy, and writing motivation) and barriers associated with scholarly output as measured by self-reported publications among US pharmacy practice faculty. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to gather information regarding scholarly writing output and intrinsic facilitators and barriers among US pharmacy practice faculty using an online self-reported survey. The survey link was distributed via email between October and November 2017. The Grit-S, New Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSE), and Scholarly Writing Motivation Scale (SWMS) were used to measure grit, self-efficacy, and writing motivation, respectively. Perceived barriers, self-reported quantity of publications, and demographics were also collected. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to determine effects of perceived barriers and each intrinsic factor on self-reported total publications. RESULTS: N = 208 participants were included in the analyses. The average number of self-reported annual publications was 1.88. Participants who reported having higher than average numbers of annual publications (n = 85, 40.9%) more frequently held a PhD degree and were more frequently in the tenure track, compared to those with annual publications less than the average (n = 123, 59.1%). The majority of both groups reported being employed in public institutions. Lack of time for scholarly writing was the highest perceived barrier and lack of knowledge about technical writing/English mastery was the lowest. All three SEM models consistently showed that perceived barriers were negatively associated with numbers of self-reported publications. However, only scholarly writing motivation according to SWMS was positively associated with the numbers of self-reported publications. CONCLUSIONS: Writing motivation and barriers to scholarly writing are shown to have a significant impact on scholarly output. These factors can be identified and should be appropriately addressed by colleges/schools of pharmacy to enhance scholarly activities among pharmacy practice faculty.

Multisite Study Assessing the Effect of Cognitive Test Anxiety on Academic and Standardized Test Performance.

Objective. To evaluate the degree of cognitive test anxiety (CTA) present in student pharmacists at multiple pharmacy programs in the United States and to determine if there are associations between self-reported CTA and relevant academic outcomes.Methods. All 2018-2019 advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students from three US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs (N=260) were invited to participate in the study. Participants completed a validated 37-question survey that included the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale-2 (CTAS-2) along with demographics-related questions. Responses were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal Wallace, and multiple linear regression where appropriate.Results. One hundred twenty-four students (48%) from the three programs participated in the study, and the individual data of 119 (46%) were included in the final analysis. Twenty-two students (18.5%) were classified as having high CTA, 41 (34.5%) as having moderate CTA, and 56 (47.1%) as having low CTA. High CTA predicted a 8.9 point lower NAPLEX total scaled score after accounting for other variables and was also correlated with lower cumulative didactic GPA, performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA), and increased likelihood of requiring course remediation.Conclusion. High cognitive test anxiety affects 18% of pharmacy students and may significantly impact their performance on a variety of traditional student success measures, including the NAPLEX. Pharmacy educators should consider further use and adoption of test anxiety measurements to identify and assist potentially struggling students.

Evaluation of a novel process for selecting advanced pharmacy practice experiences.

INTRODUCTION: Matching an increasing number of pharmacy students with a limited number of advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) sites has become challenging for pharmacy schools. Selective tiered optimization (STO), a process for matching students with competitive APPE electives, was implemented by The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) in 2015 to address these concerns. This pilot study sought to evaluate student and preceptor satisfaction with the process. METHODS: Electronic surveys were sent to students enrolled in APPEs and individuals who precepted APPE students at the UMSOP from 2016 to 2019. The surveys were designed to gauge satisfaction with STO's process, goals, utility, and fairness. RESULTS: There were 63 responses from 149 preceptors (42% response rate) and 70 respondents from 314 students (22% response rate). Overall, both students and preceptors expressed satisfaction and found value in participating in STO. Both groups indicated that the benefit they received from participating in STO outweighed the extra effort required. Preceptors indicated that students who participated in STO were of higher quality and more focused, hardworking, and interested than those who did not participate. CONCLUSIONS: Respondents were satisfied with the STO process and experience. The process was perceived by preceptors to be fair for all students and worthwhile for its participants. Our results also demonstrated that this process is effective for easing the competitive APPE selection process. Schools and colleges of pharmacy should consider utilizing this process to alleviate applicable challenges with APPE selection.

The Impact of COVID-19 Through the Eyes of a Fourth-Year Pharmacy Student.

This commentary, written primarily by a recent pharmacy graduate, discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the class of 2020. Everyone has been impacted by COVID-19, but pharmacy students have been affected by and experienced COVID-19 in unique ways. This was the first class to complete pharmacy practice experiences in an online format, miss out on milestone events including graduation, and face uncertainty about becoming licensed and entering the job market in the midst of a pandemic. However, instead of discouraging them, these events have in many ways strengthened the resilience of the class of 2020. Additionally, COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of continued advocacy for the profession and articulation of the pharmacist's expanded role and value to the health care team, and inspired the class of 2020 to join the ranks of colleagues nationwide in raising awareness in these areas. Nevertheless, uncertainty over their future and that of their peers lingers as COVID-19 has forever changed pharmacy education and practice.

Applying safety lessons from aviation to pre-licensure health professions education: A narrative critical review.

BACKGROUND: Significant numbers of patients continue to be harmed annually by healthcare systems in the United States (US) and around the world. Through a lens of safety, the fields of aviation and healthcare share many similarities in the non-technical skills required by team members, including situational awareness, communication, problem-solving, and leadership. Despite these links and evidence of effective interventions in the clinical setting, there is a lack of a guidance on how to incorporate non-technical skills training into pre-licensure health professions curricula. METHODS: Following guidance for a narrative critical review, a comprehensive literature search was conducted looking for studies incorporating non-technical skills training including crew resource management (CRM) and human factors and ergonomics (HFE) into pre-licensure health professions curricula. RESULTS: Eleven example articles were organized into three broad themes: (1) changing the teaching paradigm around errors, (2) targeted curricular interventions, and (3) interprofessional team training. Several useful tools for evaluating training effectiveness were highlighted, but consistent measures of efficacy for CRM/HFE training are lacking. Interprofessional team training may have the most tangible and broadly applicable link to pre-licensure curricula. IMPLICATIONS: Additional research is needed to identify best practices for consistent incorporation of non-technical skills into pre-licensure curricula. A cultural shift to focus on error management (vs. solely error avoidance) is also needed early in training with development of a common language to discuss patient safety issues and opportunities for improvement across various healthcare settings.

The use of exam wrappers to promote metacognition.

INTRODUCTION: Self-directed learning, self-awareness, and metacognition are becoming more heavily emphasized in healthcare education. Metacognitive activities may be used to promote self-awareness and development of effective self-directed learning strategies. Exam wrappers (wrappers) are a metacognitive tool utilized in other areas of higher education that offer students the ability to learn from exam performance by reviewing missed items in a reflective manner. Wrappers encourage structured reflection and planning for future learning. METHODS: Pharmacy students enrolled in a pathophysiology course were provided structured exam reviews with an opportunity to utilize a wrapper. A baseline questionnaire was given two weeks before the first exam to assess baseline characteristics. Wrappers were provided before Exams 2, 3, 4, and 5, and the effects on exam performance were measured. Mixed effects modeling was utilized for final analysis of effect on student performance. RESULTS: Exam wrapper vs. non-wrapper groups were self-selected, with 53 students participating in at least one wrapper and 35 never utilizing a wrapper. Mixed effects modeling analysis found a non-significant increase in average exam performance (p = 0.142). CONCLUSION: Wrappers have potential as an additional metacognitive tool for exam review. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness and impact more broadly in pharmacy education.

Are fishbowl activities effective for teaching pharmacotherapy and developing postformal thought in pharmacy students? A pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Case based learning is a commonly used pedagogy to facilitate active learning and development of problem-solving skills, however its utility may be limited in a large lecture environment. Fishbowl activities have been utilized in higher education to encourage discussion and postformal thinking and may be useful in engaging large class sizes in collective problem-solving activities. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: The fishbowl activity took place in a second-year six-credit hour infectious disease course delivered in the spring of 2017, consisting 95 students. A pre-post survey was administered via Google® forms and consisted of demographic items (age, race, gender), students' self-reported level of preparation, perceived benefits of the activity, strengths and weakness of the fishbowl activity, and postformal thought using the Complex Postformal Thought (PFT) questionnaire. FINDINGS: Aggregate mean postformal thinking score was 51.98 in the pre-survey and 56.26 in the post-survey (p < 0.05). A majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the activity helped them learn, was better than traditional lecture, and helped them prepare for material that would be on the exam. DISCUSSION: Overall, this activity was generally well received by the students and may have positively impacted their postformal thinking. It appears that the fishbowl activity concept may transfer easily to pharmacy education and be an additional active learning tool for pharmacy educators based on these limited pilot results. SUMMARY: Fishbowl activities may be a valuable educational tool for the development of postformal thinking skills in pharmacy students. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of using this active learning approach in pharmacy education.

Development, implementation, and impact of a collaborative junior faculty engagement and professional growth program: The Young Faculty Leadership Initiative.

PURPOSE: To develop, implement, and evaluate the effect of a faculty engagement and professional growth program targeted at junior faculty members. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY: A faculty engagement and growth program based on adult learning theory was piloted in a clinical sciences department. Effect of the model was evaluated using a pre/post-survey evaluating faculty output and work engagement using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). FINDINGS: Average number of publications/projects with cross-campus collaboration increased (0.58 versus 1.25, P = 0.03, 95%CI 0.059-1.264). Involvement in national/state organizations, number of accepted poster presentations, and grants submitted and/or funded all increased (p>0.05). Total UWES score increased (4.13 vs. 4.495 p = 0.21) with the greatest subscale increase in vigor (3.833 vs 4.347, P = 0.1). SUMMARY: A faculty engagement and growth program targeting junior faculty members using adult learning theory as a framework may provide a novel and economic way for schools to support the development of these critical team members.

Measurement of Grit and Correlation to Student Pharmacist Academic Performance.

Objective. To describe grittiness of students from three pharmacy schools and determine if grit is associated with academic performance measures. Methods. Pharmacy students completed an electronic questionnaire that included the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S). Associations were determined using logistic regression. Results. Grit-S total score was a significant and independent predictor for participants who reported a GPA ≥3.5, and Consistency of Interest (COI) and Perseverance of Effort (POE) domain scores were significantly higher compared to participants with a GPA of 3.0-3.49. Participants reporting a D or F had slightly lower average total Grit-S scores and COI domain scores compared to participants who did not. In addition, the group who reported a GPA <3.0 had lower scores in the POE domain compared to those with a GPA of 3.0-3.4. Conclusion. Grittiness may be associated with student pharmacist academic performance and the Grit-S Scale may have substantive implications for use in pharmacy programs.

Design, implementation, and evaluation of an online elective course on current topics in pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION: To describe the design and implementation of the Current Topics in Professional Pharmacy online elective course and evaluate the degree to which the course improved student pharmacists' awareness of and interest in current topics affecting the profession of pharmacy. METHODS: A one-credit hour online summer elective included weekly modules of current topics affecting the profession of pharmacy, along with a longitudinal final project in which students created their own current topic module. Each module consisted of assigned reference materials and online discussion forum posts to answer discussion questions and share professional opinions. Student achievement of curricular outcomes and course-specific objectives was measured utilizing pre- and post-course surveys, assessment of weekly module forum posts, and a final course knowledge and comprehension quiz. RESULTS: Student self-rated awareness and desire to stay updated on current topics in pharmacy increased significantly from pre-survey to post-survey (39.7% to 98.3% agree or strongly agree, p<0.001; 25.9-87.9%, p<0.001, respectively). Student confidence in their ability to formulate and effectively express their professional opinion also significantly improved (67.2% to 93.1%, p<0.001). Seven of the 12 course competencies assessed by the survey significantly improved from pre- to post-course. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that the course adequately addressed all 12 pre-selected Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Appendix B content areas. CONCLUSIONS: Performance assessment and survey results demonstrated achievement of curricular outcomes and course objectives. Students completing the course showed an increased interest and awareness related to current topics affecting the profession of pharmacy.

Evaluation of a Tabletop Emergency Preparedness Exercise for Pharmacy Students.

Objective. To describe the implementation and effect of an emergency preparedness laboratory activity on student knowledge, willingness to participate in emergency preparedness training, current level of preparedness, and the importance of a pharmacist's role in disaster response. Design. Second-year pharmacy students in the infectious disease module participated in a laboratory activity based on a basic disaster response tabletop exercise format. Three case-based scenarios involving infectious diseases were created by participating faculty members. Assessment. Surveys before and after the laboratory were used to assess the activity's effect on student knowledge, willingness to participate in emergency preparedness training, current level of preparedness, and the importance of a pharmacist's role in disaster response. In addition, the postsurvey assessed student perceptions of the activity's success at accomplishing faculty-specified outcomes from Appendix B of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's (ACPE) Standards. Conclusion. Implementation of an emergency response laboratory activity may improve overall students' knowledge of, confidence in, and understanding of their role as pharmacists in an emergency response, while incorporating a variety of skills and knowledge outcomes.