Hello Operator? A Pharmacy Practice Simulation to Increase Student Confidence in Telephone Communication Skills.

Background: Communicating interprofessionally using the telephone is an essential skill within pharmacy practice. Student pharmacists' ability to perform this task effectively and efficiently may be hindered by generational changes, social anxiety, and very few opportunities to practice these skills. Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a simulation allowing students to practice interprofessional communication and assess the simulation's impact on students' confidence in providing pharmacy-related interventions to another health care professional via telephone. Methods: Faculty developed a simulation focused on interprofessional telephone communication. Baseline student information was collected to quantify pharmacy work experience in terms of practice setting, duration of employment, and skills. Presimulation and postsimulation surveys evaluated self-assessed telephone-related skills, attitudes, and confidence. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were evaluated through a thematic analysis of students' reflective responses to 2 open-ended questions. Results: Of the 53 pharmacy students that participated in the simulation, 44 (83%) and 43 (81%) completed the anonymous presimulation and postsimulation surveys. Students significantly improved as reflected in the following response: "I have confidence in my ability to provide pharmacy-related interventions to another health care professional in a logical and concise manner via telephone call." Significant improvement also occurred in the ability to work independently, communicate an order change to another health care professional, justify recommendations, answer a drug information question, and discuss recommendations in a logical and concise manner. Conclusion: The simulation discussed in this article provided students an opportunity to practice interprofessional telephone communication in a low-risk environment and resulted in significant growth in confidence and skills.

An Introductory Over-the-Counter Simulation for First-Year Pharmacy Students Using a Virtual Pharmacy.

Objective. First-year pharmacy students at two institutions were required to complete a virtual over-the-counter (OTC) simulation during their community pharmacy practice skills laboratory course. The simulation was designed to introduce first-year pharmacy students to OTC product selection and consultation prior to didactic coursework and community introductory pharmacy practice experiences. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the OTC simulation on students' knowledge and confidence of OTC medications and overall perceptions of the activity.Methods. Patient simulation cases in the virtual community pharmacy setting were developed and delivered to students using the MyDispense platform. Students concurrently completed a Google Form that provided directions for the virtual activity, including a combination of didactic and active learning strategies within the online platform. Student surveys assessed knowledge and confidence before and after the activity, with perceptions added to the postsurvey.Results. Total knowledge scores for the 142 students from two institutions who completed both the pre- and postsurvey significantly improved and, when assessed individually, improved for seven out of 10 individual knowledge questions. All five confidence statements significantly increased after students completed the OTC simulation. Student perceptions were overall very positive.Conclusion. Introduction of OTC counseling processes to first-year pharmacy students through a virtual pharmacy simulation resulted in increased student knowledge and confidence in providing OTC recommendations. Students perceived the activity favorably.

Cooperative wikis used to promote constructivism and collaboration in a skills laboratory course.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study was designed to promote students' engagement with course material through use of a wiki and to assess students' perceptions of and experience with wikis. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Students used a wiki to complete course assignments. A post-survey evaluated their experience and measured four constructs related to use of the wiki: perceived learning, communication and reflection, satisfaction, and frustration. Previous experience, demographic information, and comments regarding benefits and drawbacks were also recorded. Descriptive statistics and Cronbach's alpha were used to evaluate data. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate open-ended responses. FINDINGS: Twenty out of 68 (29.4%) students participated in the study. Mean scores for attitude constructs were: perceived learning (mean = 4.0, SD = 1.3); communication and reflection (mean = 3.9, SD = 1.2); satisfaction (mean = 3.7, SD = 1.4); and frustration (mean = 4.2, SD = 1.6). Thematic analysis revealed students' feelings that the wiki was useful for collaborating, was helpful for keeping information organized, and created a valuable study tool. In contrast, students felt the wiki was not user friendly, and collaboration was limited. SUMMARY: Students felt the wiki encouraged collaboration and was a useful way to organize and study course information. However, students reported low satisfaction with wiki assignments. Choosing a wiki that enhances course material is necessary to successfully support student learning.