Examining Validity for the Pharmacy Affective Domain Situational Judgment Test.

Objective. With the integration of the affective domain in the pharmacy accreditation standards, it is important for programs to have methods for formatively assessing student competency in these areas. The objective of this study was to examine the validity evidence for a recently developed situational judgment test to assess the affective domain contained in the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards 2016.Methods. After pilot testing items in multiple pharmacy schools, a revised 15-item situational judgment test instrument was developed measuring the affective domain as it relates to the pharmacy profession. The resulting Pharmacy Affective Domain Situational Judgment Test (PAD-S) was administered to students at three institutions and internal structure validity evidence was examined using item descriptives, Cronbach alpha, and results from a Rasch measurement model.Results. There were 559 valid responses included in the study. The items were of varying difficulty, with Rasch results confirming the hierarchy of items and suggesting that items were contributing to the measure. The Cronbach alpha was 0.70, suggesting acceptable reliability. However, the reliability items from the Rasch model were lower (0.65 and 0.66), indicating that the ranking of ability was limited, which may be due to fewer items of high difficulty.Conclusion. Overall, the PAD-S performed well as a measure of the affective domain. The PAD-S may be a useful formative instrument as part of a comprehensive assessment plan and may be less resource intensive than other measures.

Students' knowledge and perceptions of social determinants of health utilizing interactive computer simulation-based learning.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess if using computer simulations as a supplemental tool for teaching social determinants of health (SDoH) would impact first-year pharmacy students' knowledge and perceptions of SDoH. METHODS: A brief lecture and online poverty game were followed by completion of two, in-class, computer-simulated SDoH clinical scenarios and corresponding case discussion. Students completed a pre- and post-quiz and perception survey with two open-ended questions. Qualitative analysis of the open-ended questions and quantitative analyses of the poverty game choices, quiz, and perception survey were conducted. RESULTS: In total, 132 students were enrolled in this study. Thematic analysis of the open-ended question asking students what they learned included empathy (42%), general SDoH knowledge (30%), culture/religion (18%), and economic impact (15%). Student perceptions for all teaching modalities had a mean score of 4. Mean quiz scores on the pre- and post-class quizzes were 2.31 (SD 0.93) and 2.51 (SD 0.89), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Computer simulations can be utilized as a supplemental tool to teach and apply clinical patient cases focused on SDoH. Strategically threading SDoH throughout the pharmacy curriculum is recommended to further develop SDoH knowledge and clinical skills.

Assessment Structure, Culture, and Resources at US AAVMC-Accredited Colleges of Veterinary Medicine.

While outcomes assessment is commonplace in colleges of veterinary medicine, no information is published on how veterinary colleges resource, administer, and view assessment. Consequently, this article has the following objectives: (a) to determine the current level of resources (personnel, committees, software) allocated toward education assessment and program evaluation in colleges of veterinary medicine, (b) to characterize any common organizational structures within colleges of veterinary medicine for assessment, (c) to determine assessment personnel (faculty and staff) perceptions regarding whether existing assessment resources and structures are sufficient, and (d) to examine the perceived strength of the culture of assessment. Our survey found that most assessment professionals had been in their position for 4 years or less and over 50% did not have formal assessment training. A majority of respondents agreed that assessment was encouraged and supported at their institution, but there was much less agreement on items related to formal plans and structures. For example, only one quarter of respondents reported that assessment was connected to planning and budgeting, and only one third reported having a formal assessment plan. We hope that our survey will be a resource tracking the development of assessment resources and climate at American colleges of veterinary medicine.

An interprofessional activity involving pharmacy and physician assistant students aimed at reinforcing the patient care process.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacy students should have the opportunity to practice applying the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP) in an interprofessional environment. The purpose of this study was to compare the change in students' confidence in their ability to complete the five steps of the PPCP before and after participation in an interprofessional activity involving physician assistant (PA) students. INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ACTIVITY: Second-year pharmacy students and second-year PA students completed an activity in teams of six (four pharmacy and two PA students per team) in which they applied the PPCP to a patient case to create a plan of care. Students completed a pre- and a post-survey regarding their confidence in completing the PPCP and their attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration, as well as a program evaluation after completion of the activity. DISCUSSION: There were 117 pharmacy and 58 PA students divided into 29 interprofessional teams. Of those, 99 (85%) pharmacy and 52 (90%) PA students completed both surveys. There was a statistically significant increase in confidence to perform the PPCP for all students, with a large effect size. There were no changes in attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration. Overall, the program evaluation reflected the activity was rated highly by students. IMPLICATIONS: The interprofessional activity demonstrated a positive effect on students' self-reported confidence in their ability to complete steps of the PPCP. While the interprofessional activity did not affect student attitudes toward interprofessional collaborative practice, the activity was rated highly and most found it to be an important part of their professional development.

Challenges to Implementation of the Co-Curriculum in Accredited Pharmacy Programs.

Objective. To determine areas of concern, and challenges to implementing and assessing the co-curriculum in accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs, along with how confident programs are in their ability to meet the co-curriculum requirement as mandated by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).Methods. A survey was administered to all ACPE-accredited pharmacy programs to collect information regarding areas of concern, challenges, and confidence in their ability to meet the co-curriculum requirement. The frequency of responses to items are presented along with comparisons based on characteristics, including institution type, cohort size, most recent ACPE accreditation review, and supporting offices.Results. The most common concerns centered on the documentation and assessment process. The most commonly reported challenges were lack of enthusiasm or buy-in from faculty, staff, and students; lack of a clear definition of co-curriculum; and faculty time and insufficient staff. Overall, programs had a high level of confidence in their ability to meet the requirements for co-curriculum. The only differences found were related to supporting offices and cohort size.Conclusion. The results suggest that having supporting offices may reduce the co-curriculum burden. Similarly, student cohort size may have an impact on the challenges for some programs, particularly those with moderate-sized cohorts reporting challenges related to faculty and staff. Further research is needed to determine how programs address these critical issues, and to explore whether programs report differently on these areas after completing an accreditation review. The study results may be useful to members of the Academy when evaluating co-curriculum.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Student Pharmacists Regarding Polypharmacy and Deprescribing: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Pharmacists play a key role in deprescribing medications. Incorporation of this concept into pharmacy school curricula is important in ensuring that graduates can address the complex needs of an aging population. The aims of this study were to assess if and how student pharmacists were exposed to deprescribing within their curriculum, to assess students' perceptions regarding their attitudes, ability and confidence in deprescribing, and to assess if reported curricular exposure to this topic resulted in improved perceptions or objective knowledge assessment scores. An electronic survey was distributed to third- and fourth-year pharmacy students at 132 schools of pharmacy. The survey included three sections including: (i) demographics and questions on their exposure to deprescribing and other experiences within their curriculum; (ii) questions regarding their attitudes, ability, and confidence regarding deprescribing on a 5-point Likert-scale; (iii) a knowledge assessment on polypharmacy and deprescribing in the form of 12 multiple-choice questions. Likert-scale questions were analyzed as scales utilizing the mean score for items measuring student perceptions regarding deprescribing attitudes, ability, and confidence. Comparisons were made on each variable between students with and without curricular exposure to deprescribing using t-tests. Ninety-one responses were included in the analysis. Only 59.3% of respondents reported exposure to deprescribing in their didactic coursework. The mean scores on the polypharmacy and deprescribing knowledge assessments were 61.0% and 64.5%, respectively. Those with exposure to deprescribing concepts within their curriculum were more likely to agree that their school's curriculum prepared them to deprescribe in clinical practice (t(89) = -2.26, p = 0.03). Pharmacy schools should evaluate their curricula and consider the addition of specific deprescribing objectives and outcome measures for didactic and experiential training.

Co-Curriculum Implementation and Assessment in Accredited Doctor of Pharmacy Programs.

Objective. To determine how accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs implement and evaluate the co-curriculum requirement as mandated by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Methods. A survey was administered to all ACPE-accredited pharmacy programs to collect information regarding how co-curriculum models were being implemented, including types of activities, structure, learning outcomes, oversight, and assessment. The frequency of responses to items were presented to describe the general features of co-curriculum models. Results. The types of co-curricular activities reported by programs were generally consistent, with the majority of programs categorizing these activities and allowing students to choose which they would engage in. Most respondents reported that the program mapped co-curricular activities to learning outcomes, primarily ACPE Standards 1-4. The structural oversight of the co-curriculum typically included a co-curriculum committee, subcommittee, or task force, and supporting offices. The most common offices/departments involved in the co-curriculum were assessment, student affairs/services, experiential education, and academic/curricular affairs. The most common assessments were reflections, self-assessment surveys, and checklists. Conclusion. In most programs, implementation of the co-curriculum was a joint effort among various individuals, committees, and offices. Given the developing nature of programs, descriptive studies should be repeated to identify how programs develop and enhance co-curriculum models. The study results may be useful to members of the Academy when evaluating the current state of co-curriculum implementation and potential areas for program development.

Implementation and evaluation of an advisement program focused on academic and career development.

INTRODUCTION: This research evaluated a formal academic and career advisement program implemented in a doctor of pharmacy program, which included a "Meet Your Advisor" luncheon and required faculty advisement sessions with an assigned faculty member. METHODS: The advising experience of students from two cohorts of first-year pharmacy students who received the formal advisement program (referred to as advisement cohort 1 and advisement cohort 2) were compared to the experience of a cohort of second-year students who entered prior to the formal advisement program (referred to as the pre-advisement cohort). All students completed a survey with both quantitative and qualitative questions regarding the advisement program. RESULTS: Our research demonstrates that the formal advisement program was successful at ensuring that nearly all students receive personalized advisement. In the pre-advisement cohort 65% of students reported receiving individual advisement, while 94% of students in advisement cohort 1 reported individual advisement and 95% in advisement cohort 2. Advisement cohort 2 responded similarly to the pre-advisement cohort on many of the advisement scales, especially the developing understanding scales, which provided evidence that two years after making the advisement program mandatory, students were having similar experiences to the smaller group of students who self-selected to receive advisement. CONCLUSIONS: A formal advisement program can be developed to include all students. Our research provides evidence that it may take time for the changes to be impactful and suggests the importance of faculty development.

A Study of the Relationship Between the PCOA and NAPLEX Using a Multi-institutional Sample.

Objective. To examine the relationship between the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) and the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) using a large, multi-institutional sample of student scores. Methods. A matched dataset was obtained from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) consisting of examination scores for the 1,460 students who completed both the PCOA and the NAPLEX between 2012 and 2015 at six schools/colleges of pharmacy (S/COPs). Bivariate correlations were estimated for total and content area scores on both examinations. Students' total NAPLEX scores were predicted using linear regression models containing total and content area scores on PCOA and dummy variables for S/COP and year. Results. Students' PCOA total score and NAPLEX total score were significantly and moderately correlated (r=0.54). All correlations between PCOA and NAPLEX total and content area scores were significant. and ranged from r=0.22 to 0.56. Regression results showed pharmaceutical and clinical sciences PCOA content scores were significant predictors of NAPLEX total score while basic biomedical sciences and social/behavioral/administrative sciences were not. The PCOA total and content scores accounted for 30%-33% of the variance in total NAPLEX score. Conclusion. Student PCOA and NAPLEX total and content area scores were significantly correlated, which is consistent with the findings of previous research. The somewhat modest proportion of variance in NAPLEX scores accounted for by PCOA scores illustrates the need for use of additional performance measures when evaluating student preparedness for the NAPLEX. This study provides important baseline data that can be used by S/COPs for comparison with their own student data as well as by researchers seeking to conduct additional analyses following recent changes in the PCOA and NAPLEX blueprints.

Surveying the current landscape of assessment structures and resources in US schools and colleges of pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION: Expectations for assessment in higher education have increased in recent decades, prompting institutions to invest additional resources in this area. This study aimed to determine the resources, structure, and perception of assessment resources in United States schools and colleges of pharmacy (S/COPs). METHODS: Assessment personnel in S/COPs were surveyed electronically. Information collected included S/COP demographics, composition of assessment positions, experience and training of assessment personnel, and structure and responsibilities of committees engaged in assessment. Respondents' perception of their S/COPs having sufficient assessment personnel, recent changes in assessment, and the factors that prompted assessment changes were also surveyed. RESULTS: Respondents included individuals from 113 S/COPs (84% response rate). Most S/COPs had 1-2 assessment positions and 1-2 assessment-related committees. The most common assessment position titles were assistant/associate dean, director, coordinator/specialist, and administrative assistant. Dean-level administrators typically had worked in assessment the longest, whereas directors were more likely to have formal assessment training. Most respondents (75%) agreed they had sufficient assessment personnel to meet the 2007 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards. Nearly two-thirds of respondents agreed they had sufficient personnel to meet the 2016 Standards and support their current assessment plan/process. Most S/COPs had a formal assessment committee (93%) and an average of two committees overseeing assessment. CONCLUSION: Most S/COPs reported having sufficient resources to support assessment activities. Although there were some consistent themes, there does not appear to be a single model for structuring assessment resources or committees. Effectiveness of various assessment structures represents an area for future research.

Factors associated with cultures of assessment at US schools and colleges of pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacy education has standards for assessment that must be met, prompting many programs to develop cultures of assessment. This study assesses the extent to which assessment personnel perceive that a culture of assessment has been established within their schools/colleges of pharmacy (S/COPs) and determines whether a relationship exists between assessment structure and the perceived strength of the culture of assessment. METHODS: An electronic survey was administered to assessment personnel at 134 S/COPs. Respondents were asked about changes within the past five years pertaining to assessment personnel/committees and factors prompting these changes. They were also asked to rate items related to support for institutional assessment (SIA scale) and faculty engagement with assessment (FEA scale). The reliability of each scale was estimated using Cronbach alpha and bivariate correlations were conducted to estimate the relationships among the two scales and other survey items. RESULTS: The S/COP response rate was 84% (113/134). Most (58%) noted the formation or re-structuring of the assessment office, with 26% creating one or more new assessment positions. The most common source of change was new accreditation standards (55%) followed by a new leadership position created in assessment (40%). Cronbach alpha for the SIA scale was 0.79 and 0.84 for the FEA scale. Program size was strongly negatively correlated with school age (rs = -0.58) and the FEA scale (r = -0.21). CONCLUSIONS: There was a strong relationship between SIA and FEA. Future studies are warranted to determine the interdependency of support for assessment and faculty engagement with assessment.