Assessing experiential education factors contributing to a PGY1 residency match: Pharmacy residency program director and comparative student survey.

OBJECTIVE: To compare and contrast experiential education perceptions of pharmacy residency program directors (RPDs) and doctor of pharmacy students in their last year of the curriculum for residency application considerations. METHODS: The New England Regional Departments of Experiential Education (NERDEE) consortium developed a 17-question survey to assess residency factors, including those related to experiential education. The survey was dispersed to advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students from six colleges/schools of pharmacy and RPDs nationwide. RESULTS: Students have different values on experiential preferences compared to RPDs. Sample findings include internal medicine and specialty clinical elective experiences prior to American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear were extremely important to important for students, while RPDs viewed these experiences as somewhat important at best (p < 0.02). The majority of RPDs (67%) have no APPE schedule preference, while most students (77%) feel that certain APPE schedules may influence acceptance into residency. CONCLUSION: Based on findings, information outlined can be used to dispel and/or validate common beliefs held by students regarding experiential factors that help or hinder a successful postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) residency match.

Self-efficacy and self-esteem in third-year pharmacy students.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the experiential and demographic factors affecting the self-efficacy and self-esteem of third-year pharmacy (P3) students. METHODS: A 25-item survey that included the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale, as well as types and length of pharmacy practice experiences and demographic information was administered to doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students from 5 schools of pharmacy in New England at the completion of their P3 year. RESULTS: The survey response rate was approximately 50% of the total target population (399/820). Students with a grade point average (GPA)≥3.0 demonstrated a higher significant effect from unpaid introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) on their self-efficacy scores (p<0.05) compared to students with lower GPAs. Students who had completed more than the required amount of pharmacy experiences had higher levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem (p<0.05). Ethnicity also was related to students' levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem. CONCLUSION: Self-efficacy and self-esteem are two important factors in pharmacy practice. Colleges and schools of pharmacy should ensure that students complete enough practice experiences, beyond the minimum of 300 IPPE hours, as one way to improve their self-efficacy and self-esteem.