The academic formation challenges: what does retail expect from higher education institutions in pharmacy?

BACKGROUND: The drug retail represents the main area of activity for pharmacists worldwide. In Brazil, this sector is responsible for employing around 80% of professionals. Before this reality, the academic training of pharmacists requires specialized skills and knowledge so they can fulfill their tasks. In this sector, considering the influence of managers and mentors on the model of pharmaceutical practice, their perceptions about the demands of the market can help discussions related to the training of pharmacists. AIM: To analyze the academic training of pharmacists for the drug retail market from the perspective of managers and mentors. METHOD: This is a qualitative study conducted with managers and mentors of the drug retail market. A semi-structured interview guide was prepared and applied to the intentionally selected participants. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee under the number 4,169,752. The interviews were conducted through videoconference by an experienced researcher. The data obtained were analyzed using Bardin's analysis technique, following the steps of categorical thematic content analysis using the ATLAS.ti software. RESULTS: 19 interviews were carried out. Among the reports, the interviewees highlighted the importance of retail in the employability of pharmacists, as well as inconsistency in the academic training for this sector, originating the following categories: curriculum reform to include the market demands, follow-up and career plan, training for entrepreneurship and sales, practical application of knowledge, and encouragement of experience. CONCLUSION: Pharmaceutical academic training is linked to several challenges, whether organizational, structural, or budgetary. To overcome these challenges, it is necessary to unite the interested parties in the formulation and implementation of a strategy for the professionalization of pharmacists, considering their social role in patient care, aligned with the company's sustainability, so that both coexist.

Effect of a training intervention for finding the missed cases of tuberculosis amongst patent medicine vendors in Delta State, Nigeria.

Context: The undiagnosed and untreated tuberculosis (TB) cases underpin the experience of accelerating deaths. Everyone should be engaged in managing TB patients to revert the current trend. Aims: In this context, we assessed the outcome of an education intervention on the knowledge of TB and referral practice of presumptive TB cases to directly observed therapy strategy amongst patent medicine vendors (PMVs). Settings and Design: The study was quasi-experimental, conducted amongst 647 PMVs in Delta State, Nigeria. Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to obtain baseline data on knowledge of TB. An educational intervention on knowledge of TB was then given. A post-intervention assessment of TB knowledge was subsequently conducted using the same questionnaire. The exact number of referrals of presumptive TB cases by PMVs and the number that tested positive amongst the referred presumptive TB cases, 3 months before and after the training were obtained from the state TB database. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS v. 26 was used for data analysis. Results: The pre-training knowledge average score was 15.45 ± 6.45, while the post-training average score was 19.44 ± 7.03 (P < 0.001). The pre-training average number of presumptive cases referred was 146 ± 124.7, and the post-training was 205.67 ± 255.4, P = 0.41. The pre-training average number of cases that turned out positive was 9.5 ± 6.3, and the post-training was 13.5 ± 11.3, P = 0.42. Conclusion: There was a significant improvement in PMVs' knowledge of TB post-intervention. However, while an increase in the number of cases referred and positives detected was observed, this was not significant. Periodic training and updates to PMVs in keeping with current trends and best practices in TB management are recommended.

Think and Talk Like You Went to Business School.

Most orthopaedic surgeons do not have formal training in business education. We have learned that success comes to those who study hard, choose the correct answer on multiple-choice tests, and focus on patient care and operating. In contrast, business school graduates learned that success comes to those who apply interpersonal skills to build relationships and trust, in addition to taking risks. Medical school and business school teach one to confront the "real world" with quite a different perspective. In this manuscript, we will touch on a few things that we can learn from business school graduates.

Students' values, professional socialization and the mental gap of corporate social responsibility perceptions.

This paper examines how values and professional socialization in business schools impact the formulation of students' contextualized view of social responsibility. We propose the empirical concept of a mental gap between the existing and the wished-for level of a business school's corporate social responsibility and estimate it empirically by using a sample of business school students from Central and South East Europe. Results show that students wish their business schools to reduce their current orientation toward economic outcomes and focus on environmental and social responsibilities. We interpret those empirical results in terms of the students' wish to balance achieving economic prosperity and enjoyment of life with the prosocial outcomes of their education. New student generations' perception of corporate social responsibility is not shaped by the professional socialization patterns but rather by the own perceptions, which can be influenced by experiential approaches to academic teaching and learning. Based on these empirical results, implications for academic practice and future research are explored.

Fostering Stress Resilience Among Business Students: The Role of Stress Mindset and Self-Connection.

Educators are becoming increasingly concerned about the high rates of burnout among their students. Although the solution may appear to be reducing the stress their students experience, simply reducing stress is a temporary solution and does not help students when they enter the workforce and encounter increased stressors. A better option may be to consider the ways in which students can increase stress resilience in ways that will help them long after they leave the classroom. With this idea in mind, we tested for relationships between two individual difference variables, stress mindset and self-connection, and burnout and life satisfaction among business students. The results showed there was a positive relationship between viewing stress as debilitating and prevalence of both personal and school-related burnout. Additionally, self-connection was negatively related to personal burnout and greater life satisfaction. Stress mindset and self-connection also interacted to predict both personal and school burnout. The results suggest that promoting adaptive views of stress and becoming more self-connected may lead to a better student experience.

The MBA in Medical Education: Current MD/MBA Student Aspirations, Perceptions, and Motivations.

BACKGROUND: As combined Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration (MD/MBA) programs gain popularity, it is critical to understand the motives, perceptions, and interests of MD/MBA students. The purpose of this study was to investigate career aspirations of MD/MBA students, skills they perceive to gain from the dual degree, and reasons why students enroll in MD/MBA programs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All 73 MD/MBA programs in the United States were invited to participate in a twelve-question, online survey. Responses were collected between August 2019 and February 2020 from students enrolled during the 2019-2020 academic year. The questions were designed to examine career aspirations, program perceptions, and personal motivations. Data were aggregated into descriptive summary statistics and rank orders. RESULTS: A total of 18 MD/MBA programs agreed to participate in this study, of which 14 met criteria for final analysis. From these programs, 67 of 175 students responded (38%). Among respondents, 100% planned to pursue residency. The most common career interests included the following: clinical practice at an academic hospital (85%), executive leadership in a hospital network (76%), and clinical practice in a community hospital (65%). Students ranked "making a broader impact on health care" and "pursuing leadership in clinical practice" highest among reasons to pursue an MD/MBA. Students reported high rates of acquiring MBA-oriented skills. CONCLUSIONS: MD/MBA students in this study focused on pursuing clinical careers. Students appear satisfied with their education, reporting high rates of skill acquisition. Residency programs interested in MD/MBA students can incorporate leadership and entrepreneurial opportunities to foster students' broad interests.

Learning Alone or Learning Together: Is It Time to Reevaluate Teacher and Learner Responsibilities?

Medical schools across the United States and Canada constantly consider how to improve their curricula and their pedagogical strategies. The authors found it informative to compare how students in 2 professional schools, medicine and business, are taught. The authors believe that creating the best future physicians requires students and faculty to be physically together to learn essential skills. Increasing student interactions with peers and faculty enhances learning, and the classroom is a natural place for these interactions to take place. Requiring medical students to attend teaching sessions in the preclinical curriculum should help foster their development of core competencies, including critical decision making, clinical reasoning, and patient-centered care.

The Missing Link: The Business of Plastic Surgery.

The practice of plastic surgery has become more complex. As plastic surgeons face the postgraduate realities of contracts, negotiations, and health system employment, they are frequently unprepared to effectively manage these challenges. Furthermore, many plastic surgery training programs do not emphasize real-world business and policy concerns in residency training. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery endeavors to provide robust conceptual education and guidance in business and policy to help both private practice and academic plastic surgeons participate in, lead, and shape the future of health care.

Business Leadership Education: Beyond Position and Profit.

Over time, the study of business and management has become increasingly specialized, to the point where leadership is understood to be a process, not a position. To understand how to teach this "influence process" perspective of leadership, we outline three priorities-rigor, reality, and relevance-and begin a conversation on challenges and opportunities for business leadership educators.

The effect of job aids on knowledge retention among Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors trained to administer injectable contraceptives: longitudinal results from implementation science in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: To increase access to voluntary family planning (FP) services, Nigerian policymakers are debating how to task share injectable contraceptive services to drug shop owners known as Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs). Task sharing FP services to drug shops is a promising practice, but information is needed on how to ensure high quality FP services. This analysis assesses the effects of job aids on PPMVs' knowledge of injectable contraceptives 9 months after receiving a standardized training. METHODS: One hundred ninety-four PPMVs were trained on FP counseling and administration of injectable contraceptives in Bauchi, Cross River, Ebonyi and Kaduna states. PPMVs were interviewed before, after, and 9 months after the training. Three variables were used to assess injectable contraceptive knowledge: 1) intramuscular depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM) knowledge: a combination of three questions related to device type, injection location, and reinjection frequency; 2) subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC) knowledge: a combination of the same three questions but for DMPA-SC; and 3) knowledge of at least 4 of the 7 common injectable side effects. Three separate adjusted logistic regression models were conducted to determine the factors that influence PPMV knowledge of injectable contraceptives 9 months after the training. RESULTS: Over half of PPMVs (56%) reported using at least two job aids at 9 months. PPMVs' knowledge of DMPA-IM, DMPA-SC and side effects were low before the training but increased immediately after. Nine months later, knowledge remained higher than pre-test levels but generally reduced compared to posttest levels. PPMVs who reported using at least two FP job aids were 2.6 (95% CI: 1.4-5.1) times more likely to have DMPA-IM knowledge 9 months after the training compared to those who used one or no job aids, while adjusting for PPMV characteristics. Similar results were observed for knowledge of DMPA-SC (AOR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.2-4.6) and side effects (AOR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.3-4.8). CONCLUSION: PPMVs who used at least two FP job aids were more likely to correctly answer key injectable contraceptive questions 9 months after training. Incorporating proven job aids into routine trainings is a low-cost strategy that can reinforce knowledge and help PPMVs to retain information.

Students' Perceptions on a Business Plan Assignment for an Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Elective.

Objective. To evaluate a business-centered assignment implemented in a pharmacy elective course at two different institutions and analyze student perceptions of the delivery platforms used and the value and utility of the assignment. Methods. The ambulatory care electives at Butler University and Samford University introduce students to the expanding role of the ambulatory care pharmacist, emphasizing business plan development for new ambulatory care pharmacy services. As part of the elective, students are asked to work in groups to complete a business plan for a new ambulatory care service of their choosing. A survey was conducted to assess student perceptions on the assignment. Results. Of the 58 students who completed the business plan assignment, 49 completed the survey and were included in the data analysis. Overall, 100% of Samford students and 97% of Butler students either strongly agreed or agreed that the business plan was an innovative assignment unlike others completed in the curriculum. Samford students strongly agreed (100%) that if asked by a future employer to develop a new pharmacy service, concepts learned from this assignment would be useful, compared to 59% of Butler students who felt this way. While both the web and written delivery platforms had identical learning outcomes, the written business plan was the approach that the majority of students were more comfortable using. Conclusion. The business plan assignment was used as a method to familiarize students with the process of developing new ambulatory care pharmacy services. Based on survey results, the students perceived this to be an innovative assignment that allowed them to feel confident in developing and communicating ambulatory care business plans. As the practice of ambulatory care pharmacy expands, assignments such as this can be included in the pharmacy curriculum to meet the need for teaching effective business strategies to future pharmacists.

An update on characteristics of dual PharmD/MBA programs in the United States: 2016-2017.

INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to update current literature on the characteristics of dual doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) and master of business administration (MBA) programs in the United States. METHODS: After a preliminary search of institutions' websites for public information regarding PharmD/MBA programs, an email was sent to representatives of each school requesting additional promotional or program information that was not found online. After the data was collected and organized, an electronic survey was sent to each representative. Characteristics obtained include those related to program history, student and school demographics, enrollment requirements, and program structure. RESULTS: Sixty-six schools of pharmacy were included in the study and asked to complete an electronic survey, and 36 (54%) programs responded. The oldest program was established 29 years ago, while most of the programs (43%) have been active for 11 to 20 years. Programs were similar in enrollment requirements, point of entry, and time to dual degree completion. Programs varied in the program structure, including how dual degrees are awarded. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides updated information about the characteristics of dual PharmD/MBA programs across the United States. This information may be useful to programs interested in developing or modifying existing dual programs and to students deciding whether to pursue a dual PharmD/MBA.

Business administration training for dermatology residents: preparing for the business of medicine.

Previous studies have evidenced the lack of practice management and business training components in the residency curriculum, and that satisfaction with this training, when provided, was low. Whether considered good or bad, medicine has been moving increasingly toward becoming more business centric. Dermatology represents a unique field, because most residents choose to pursue private practice, where competent business skills are helpful to running a successful clinic. Our study examines the current state of business administration training for dermatology residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-approved programs as of 2017 to 2018. Our results show that residents both value and desire business administration training; however, the current training provided is considered to be insufficient and inadequate. Promoting and encouraging the teaching of business administration skills, while still balancing core competencies, may help to prepare residents in navigating the future of our field.