The effect of repeated testing of pharmacy calculations and drug knowledge to improve knowledge retention in pharmacy students.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Repeated testing has been shown to improve knowledge retention in students. However, there is limited literature on the effect of repeated testing in pharmacy students. Our objective was to determine if repeated testing improved retention of pharmacy calculations and drug knowledge. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Second, third, and fourth year pharmacy students were invited to participate in this voluntary study. Participants were divided into GPA categories and randomly assigned to a control or study group. Seven quizzes were given to the study group over one academic year. No quizzes were given to the control group. Both groups had access to the question bank from which the quizzes were constructed. A final exam and survey were given to both groups at the end of the study. FINDINGS: We did not find an effect of repeated testing on knowledge retention for the study group compared to the control group in the study. However, when fourth year students were excluded from the analysis, we observed a benefit of repeated testing for lower-performing students. Over 90% of survey respondents agreed that repeated testing promoted long term knowledge and that students should test themselves repeatedly. However, approximately 60% of students admitted to not testing themselves repeatedly. Nearly 85% of survey respondents agreed that the school should implement a repeated testing program. SUMMARY: Overall, students believe repeated testing is beneficial, but few do it on their own. Repeated testing showed a benefit in at-risk students. Implementing a program of repeated testing can help low-performing students succeed academically.

Building Cultural Sensitivity and Interprofessional Collaboration Through a Study Abroad Experience.

BACKGROUND: Study abroad (SA) experiences for health professions students may be used to heighten cultural sensitivity to future patients and incorporate interprofessional education (IPE). METHOD: Two groups of nursing and pharmacy students participated in an SA elective over a 2-year period, traveling to China and India. RESULTS: Both groups improved significantly in knowledge, awareness, and skills following the travel experiences. Student reflections indicate that the SA experience was transformative, changing their views of travel, other cultures, personal environment, collaboration with other health professionals, and themselves. CONCLUSION: Use of SA programs is a novel method to encourage IPE, with a focus on enhancing the acquisition of cultural competency skills.

Development and implementation of a curricular-wide electronic portfolio system in a school of pharmacy.

The Feik School of Pharmacy collaborated with a commercial software development company to create a Web-based e-portfolio system to document student achievement of curricular outcomes and performance in pharmacy practice experiences. The multi-functional system also could be used for experiential site selection and assignment and continuing pharmacy education. The pharmacy school trained students, faculty members, and pharmacist preceptors to use the e-portfolio system. All pharmacy students uploaded the required number of documents and assessments to the program as evidence of achievement of each of the school's curricular outcomes and completion of pharmacy practice experiences.

A review of remediation programs in pharmacy and other health professions.

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Accreditation Standards and Guidelines 2007 states that colleges and schools of pharmacy must have a remediation policy. Few comparative studies on remediation have been published by colleges and schools of pharmacy, making it challenging to implement effective and validated approaches. Effective remediation policies should include early detection of problems in academic performance, strategies to help students develop better approaches for academic success, and facilitation of self-directed learning. While the cost of remediation can be significant, revenues generated either cover or exceed the cost of delivering the remediation service. Additional research on remediation in pharmacy education across the United States and abroad is needed to make sound decisions in developing effective policies. This paper provides a review of current practices and recommendations for remediation in pharmacy and health care education.