A longitudinal online interprofessional education experience involving family nurse practitioner students and pharmacy students.

Interprofessional education (IPE) continues to gain traction worldwide. Challenges integrating IPE into health profession programmes include finding convenient times, meeting spaces, and level-appropriate assignments for each profession. This article describes the implementation of a 21-month prospective cohort study pilot programme for the Master of Science in nursing family nurse practitioner (FNP) and doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students at a private university in the United States. This IPE experience utilised a blended approach for the learning activities; these students had initial and final sessions where they met face-to-face, with asynchronous online activities between these two sessions. The online assignments, discussions, and quizzes during the pilot programme involved topics such as antimicrobial stewardship, hormone replacement therapy, human papilloma virus vaccination, prenatal counselling, emergency contraception, and effects of the Affordable Care Act on practice. The results suggested that the FNP students held more favourable attitudes about online IPE and that the PharmD students reported having a clearer understanding of their own roles and those of the other participating healthcare students. However, the students also reported wanting more face-to-face interaction during their online IPE experience. Implications from this study suggest that effective online IPE can be supported by ensuring educational parity between students regarding the various topics discussed and a consistent approach of the required involvement for all student groups is needed. In addition, given the students desire for more face-to-face interaction, it may be beneficial to offer online IPE activities for a shorter time period. It is anticipated that this study may inform other programmes that are exploring innovative approaches to provide IPE to promote effective collaboration in patient care.

Pharmacy Students' Perspectives on Human Resource Management: An Examination of Knowledge and Attitudes.

(1) Background: This study aims to examine pharmacy students' perceptions of their knowledge and competencies in human resource management (HRM) while also investigating their attitudes toward the educational content provided in a didactic HRM course. (2) Methods: A survey evaluating both course knowledge (pre and post) and attitudes was administered to students enrolled in an HRM class. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and measures of associations. (3) Results: All 98 course enrollees completed the survey (N = 98), revealing statistically significant knowledge growth across HRM topics from pre- to post-survey (p < 0.05). Notably, emotional intelligence, workforce diversity, conflict resolution, and recruitment strategies exhibited the most substantial increases. The expert panel session proved highly effective, with 71% reporting it as the most knowledge-enhancing activity. "Global and cultural effectiveness" emerged as the most valued competency, reflecting a positive overall attitude towards HRM. (4) Conclusions: HRM competency is one of the most fundamental skills for pharmacists, as many problems faced by pharmacy organizations and their solutions stem from the workforce. Pharmacy schools should therefore assess their curriculum to ensure that HRM is adequately addressed to meet accreditation standards and to prepare students to navigate HRM challenges in their workplaces post-graduation.

Ascertaining and promoting effective study skills and learning habits of first-year pharmacy students.

INTRODUCTION: Many pharmacy students struggle academically in their initial professional year. This research ascertained first-year pharmacy (P1) students' study skills and learning habits both before and after employing interventions about effective study strategies. METHODS: In 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, P1 students completed a study skills inventory at baseline in August and at endpoint in April. Interventions included instruction about the science of learning and effective study techniques as well as the use of a cognitive wrapper regarding their first assessment. RESULTS: Students' perceived habits that improved were those of organizing their ideas, studying at their peak time, and really wanting to learn the content. Perceived habits that declined included time spent doing their assigned readings, seeing the need to always attend class, and reviewing course material each day. Regarding the cognitive wrapper, 90% of students thought they were prepared for their assessment, yet 21% received a lower grade than expected and 10% did not work on practice problems at least 2 days before the quiz. CONCLUSIONS: This endeavor elucidated several important areas about the study skills and learning habits of P1 students. Some students' perceptions of their study skills and learning habits strengthened and others decreased during their first year. The cognitive wrapper provided a targeted way for students to reflect on their preparation and performance as well as consider their future study plans. Faculty can use this information to help students employ effective learning practices to promote students' metacognition throughout the first year of their program.

Pharmacist Interventions in the Management of Blood Pressure Control and Adherence to Antihypertensive Medications: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: Pharmacists are ideally positioned to promote optimal use and assess the adherence of prescription medications in patients with chronic diseases. This systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ascertains the effectiveness of pharmacist interventions to improve blood pressure (BP) control and medication adherence in patients with hypertension. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases were searched for studies in English published between January 1, 1995, and January 31, 2018. Eligibility criteria included patients with a diagnosis of hypertension tested with RCT where pharmacist-led interventions occurred. The primary outcome was BP control and the secondary outcome was adherence to hypertensive medication. Quality of studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. DATA SYNTHESIS: Thirty-five studies met the inclusion-exclusion criteria and were included in this study. Major themes included pharmacist-led interventions with medication counseling, patient education, distribution of interventions materials, individualized care plans, and check-in meetings. The vast majority of trials (n = 29) showed statistically significant improvement in BP in the intervention groups at follow-up. Of the 35 studies, most (n = 20) assessed medication adherence; several trials (n = 9) showed statistically significant improvement in medication adherence in patients receiving additional pharmaceutical care services. None of the RCTs was considered to have a high risk of bias. CONCLUSION: Pharmacist-led interventions improved BP control and medication adherence through education, counseling, or a combination of both. Future research is needed to determine the most effective pharmacists' interventions in managing hypertension and to assess the cost-effectiveness of these interventions.

Pharmacy students' attitudes toward death and end-of-life care.

OBJECTIVES: To assess pharmacy students' attitudes toward death and end-of-life care. METHODS: Third-year pharmacy students enrolled in the Ethics in Christianity and Health Care course were administered a survey instrument prior to introduction of the topic of end-of-life care. Students' attitudes toward different professions' roles in end-of-life care and their comfort in discussing end-of-life issues were assessed. The survey instrument was readministered to the same students at the end of their fourth year. RESULTS: On most survey items, female students responded more favorably toward death and end-of-life care than male students. One exception was the perceived emotional ability to be in the room of a dying patient or loved one. Post-experiential survey responses were generally more favorable toward death and end-of-life care than were pre-discussion responses. CONCLUSIONS: In general, when surveyed concerning death and end-of-life care, female students responded more favorably than male students, and responses at the end of the fourth year were more favorable than at the beginning of the course.

Interprofessional education: definitions, student competencies, and guidelines for implementation.

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an important step in advancing health professional education for many years and has been endorsed by the Institute of Medicine as a mechanism to improve the overall quality of health care. IPE has also become an area of focus for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), with several groups, including these authors from the AACP Interprofessional Education Task Force, working on developing resources to promote and support IPE planning and development. This review provides background on the definition of IPE, evidence to support IPE, the need for IPE, student competencies and objectives for IPE, barriers to implementation of IPE, and elements critical for successfully implementing IPE.

A longitudinal comparison of pharmacy and medical students' attitudes toward the medically underserved.

OBJECTIVE: To longitudinally assess pharmacy and medical students' attitudes toward the medically underserved. METHODS: The Medical Students' Attitudes Toward the Underserved (MSATU) survey was administered to the entering classes at the schools of pharmacy and medicine at 2 universities in the South. This self-report measure was then completed by these students in each year of the professional curriculum. Data were compared longitudinally to assess students' attitudes toward the underserved. RESULTS: Pharmacy students' attitude scores towards the underserved remained relatively stable over time (MSATU attitudes scores: Year 1 = 45.2, Year 2 = 48.3, Year 4 = 45.7), while medical students' attitude scores declined significantly (MSATU attitudes scores: Year 1 = 55.5, Year 2 = 52.4, Year 4 = 46.4). No differences in scores were associated with gender. CONCLUSION: This initial study comparing pharmacy and medical students' attitudes toward the underserved can serve as a baseline as healthcare professionals seek for solutions to better care for the medically underserved.