Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Emotional Intelligence of Student Pharmacist Leaders.

Objective. To assess changes in Emotional Intelligence Appraisal (EIA) scores following the COVID-19 pandemic for pharmacy students within a voluntary cocurricular leadership development program.Methods. Participants from the class of 2021 (pandemic group) completed an EIA self-assessment near the beginning of the leadership program in August 2019 (pre-pandemic) and at the end of the program in July 2020 (during peak first-wave COVID-19 activity) and wrote an accompanying self-reflection. To determine changes in students' emotional intelligence potentially attributable to COVID-19, differences in EIA scores from the pandemic group were compared to the pooled results of previous program cohorts (classes of 2017-2019). Prevalent themes in student self-reflections were also highlighted.Results. Thirty-five student leaders comprised the pandemic group, with 166 students included within the control group. The proportion of students with final EIA scores indicating high emotional intelligence was greater within the pandemic group (74.3% vs 50.6%). While both groups had increased final EIA scores compared to baseline values, score increases were significantly higher among students in the pandemic group with respect to overall emotional intelligence and relationship management. Students commented that the pandemic highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence during stressful situations, although the lack of in-person interaction was noted as a limitation for social development.Conclusion. Pharmacy students participating in a leadership development program during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced greater increases in emotional intelligence than did the program's pre-pandemic cohorts. This may support the ability of health professional students to maintain resiliency through the pandemic and develop both personal and interpersonal relationship-building skills.

Enhancing the Emotional Intelligence of Student Leaders Within an Accelerated Pharmacy Program.

Objective. To determine student pharmacists' perceptions of a leadership development program for student organization officers and report the changes in their Emotional Intelligence Appraisal (EIA) scores.Methods. Between 2015-2018, three different cohorts of Doctor of Pharmacy students participated in a voluntary leadership development program that spanned six academic quarters. The program included a variety of self-assessments and large-group topic discussions, followed by quarterly individual written reflections with feedback from faculty mentors. These activities primarily addressed the topics of emotional intelligence, strengths-based leadership, and continuous leadership development. Participants' EIA scores near the beginning and end of the program were compared. An anonymous online survey of participant perceptions was administered at the end of the program.Results. One hundred sixty-six student pharmacists completed all program activities. Each cohort's final mean overall, self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness EIA scores were higher than their corresponding mean initial scores. The overall response rate for the online survey was 61%. All respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that participating in the program enhanced their leadership skills. The majority of respondents additionally rated each of the program's activities as being either beneficial or very beneficial. The emotional intelligence assessment and strengths-based leadership assessment were the activities that were most frequently cited as being very beneficial.Conclusion. The pilot implementation of this leadership development program appears to have been both impactful and well received. Programs structured like this one may provide an effective way of increasing the emotional intelligence of student pharmacists, particularly within accelerated pharmacy programs.

A Pilot Study on an Interprofessional Course Involving Pharmacy and Dental Students in a Dental Clinic.

Objective. To assess the effect of a dental clinical rotation program involving pharmacy students and dental students. Methods. An interprofessional education (IPE) course was offered as an elective to second-year pharmacy students and required for third-year dental students. The course included two in-class sessions, one online lecture, and five clinic sessions. Program evaluation analyses included a comparison of participating versus nonparticipating students on a knowledge survey of pharmacotherapy and IPE, and a descriptive analysis of IPE course evaluation results. Results. Among pharmacy students, mean scores were significantly higher for participants than nonparticipants on the 31-item pharmacy knowledge component of the survey. On the eight-item IPE component of the survey, scores were significantly higher for participants than for nonparticipants, both among pharmacy students and among dental students. Awareness and attitudes about IPE were generally high among course participants. Conclusion. An IPE course that integrates second-year pharmacy students with third-year dental students in the dental clinic to provide medication history, education, and identification of potential drug-related problems improved pharmacy students' knowledge of pharmacotherapy related to or associated with dental conditions and improved pharmacy and dental students' knowledge and attitudes about IPE.