Learning outcomes and behavioral changes with a pharmacy continuing professional education program.
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OBJECTIVE: To examine the results of an interactive curricular-based 3-month long pharmacy continuing professional education (CPE) program on short- and long-term learning outcomes and behavioral changes of current and potential preceptors. METHODS: A CPE program was developed that covered specific disease states and teaching skills. The goals of the course were to provide knowledge and skills needed to precept the College's new advanced rotations, and to attract more pharmacists to serve as preceptors. The course included pre-readings and 3-hour long workshops over a 3-month period of time. Learning and behavior were assessed by a pretest and posttest and follow-up survey. RESULTS: Ninety-nine pharmacists completed the course. Fifty participants completed the assessments and were included in the analysis, yielding a usable response rate of 52%. However, only 30 participants completed the follow-up survey instrument, resulting in a response rate of 30%. There was a significant increase in test scores between the pretest and posttest, but a significant decline in test scores between posttest and the follow-up survey. CONCLUSIONS: An interactive, curricular-based pharmacy CPE program is effective in increasing learning, but participants may not maintain the acquired knowledge over time. The program was not an effective mechanism to attract pharmacists to serve as preceptors. (+info)
Perceived utility of pharmacy licensure examination preparation tools.
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OBJECTIVES: To identify board examination preparation tools most commonly used by recent pharmacy graduates and determine which tools are perceived as most valuable and representative of the actual content of licensure examinations. METHODS: An electronic survey was sent to all 2004 graduates of colleges of pharmacy in Indiana. Participants identified which specific preparation tools were used and rated tools based on usefulness, representativeness of licensure examination, and monetary value, and provided overall recommendations to future graduates. RESULTS: The most commonly used preparation tools were the Pharmacy Law Review Session offered by Dr. Thomas Wilson at Purdue University, the Complete Review for Pharmacy, Pre-NAPLEX, PharmPrep, and the Kaplan NAPLEX Review. Tools receiving high ratings in all categories included Dr. Wilson's Pharmacy Law Review Session, Pre-NAPLEX, Comprehensive Pharmacy Review, Kaplan NAPLEX Review, and Review of Pharmacy. CONCLUSIONS: Although no preparation tool was associated with a higher examination pass rate, certain tools were clearly rated higher than others by test takers. (+info)
An interprofessional activity using standardized patients.
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OBJECTIVES: To describe the development and implementation of an interprofessional activity using standardized patients. METHODS: In the interprofessional standardized patient experience (ISPE), pharmacy students are teamed with medical and nursing students. This team completes an assessment of a standardized patient. During this assessment, each student has time to interview the patient according to his/her own skills and patient care perspective. After the assessment is completed, the team collaborates to develop a patient care plan. Pre-experience and post-experience surveys were conducted. RESULTS: Pharmacy students' appreciation for each profession's role in patient care increased. CONCLUSIONS: Despite multiple challenges, an interprofessional activity involving multiple health professionals from multiple institutions can be successfully implemented. Feedback from pharmacy students indicated that this activity increased students' awareness and ability to work as members of the health professional team. (+info)
Animal-centered learning activities in pharmacy education.
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OBJECTIVES: To assess the contribution of animal-centered activities to students achieving learning outcomes in a veterinary therapeutics course. DESIGN: Qualitative methods were used to assess the outcome of using "hands-on" animal interactions as tools of engagement in the course. Reflective commentary on animal-centered activities was collected and analyzed. ASSESSMENT: Animal-centered learning activities are effective tools for engaging students and facilitating their understanding and application of veterinary therapeutic knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Analysis of qualitative data revealed themes of professional caring and caring behaviors as a direct result of animal-centered activities. Elements of empathy, caring, compassion, and self-awareness were strong undercurrents in student's comments. CONCLUSIONS: Animal-centered learning activities provide an innovative learning environment for the application of veterinary pharmacy knowledge, skills, and attitudes directly to animal patients. The use of animals in the course is a successful active-learning technique to engage pharmacy students and assist them in developing caring attitudes and behaviors beneficial to future health care providers. (+info)
Adaptive and longitudinal pharmaceutical care instruction using an interactive voice response/text-to-speech system.
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OBJECTIVES: To develop a course structure that would more closely simulate the actual provision of pharmaceutical care. DESIGN: An interactive voice response/text-to-speech system (hardware and software) for obtaining patient data was designed and used in a pharmaceutical care laboratory. Students called the system to collect data, listen to progress notes, make recommendations, and update the pharmaceutical care plan for virtual patients. Laboratory time was utilized to evaluate patient progress and respond to recommendations as well as to identify and solve drug-related problems. ASSESSMENT: Students' recorded communications with the system and completed care plans were evaluated and a competency-based final examination was administered. Peer evaluations and course evaluations were administered. CONCLUSION: This innovative approach challenged students and promoted interactive learning. Student evaluations indicated we achieved our objective of creating a course that more closely simulated the actual provision of pharmaceutical care. (+info)
Engaging students in wellness and disease prevention services.
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Pharmacy education has traditionally focused on medications and treatment of disease. However, as an accessible health care professional, pharmacists can influence healthy behaviors in their patients. Encouraging/promoting healthier lifestyles in the United States is essential because the leading causes of mortality are tobacco use, poor nutrition, and inactivity. In order to prepare pharmacists for this role, student pharmacists must be taught how to implement and deliver wellness and prevention services. Community advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) occur at an ideal point in the curriculum to engage students in these activities. This article provides preceptors with guidance and tools for restructuring the community APPE at their sites to incorporate wellness and disease prevention activities. (+info)
An advanced professional pharmacy experience in a community setting using an experiential manual.
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OBJECTIVES: To determine the usefulness of a teaching and learning tool used to create structure for advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) in community pharmacy settings, and to identify differences between respondents' perspectives on the relevance and practicality of implementing specific community pharmacy-related topics during the experience. DESIGN: Community practice faculty members designed a manual that outlined a week-by-week schedule of student activities, consistent with the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) outcome-based goals, and included associated teaching, documentation, and assessment tools. The manual was distributed to site preceptors and students. ASSESSMENT: Eighty-six PharmD students responded to a questionnaire upon completion of their community APPE. Student feedback concerning the impact of the manual relative to interactions with site preceptors and their overall learning experience was relatively positive. CONCLUSION: The manual was an effective teaching and learning tool for students completing a community APPE. (+info)
Estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters based on the patient-adjusted population data.
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Population pharmacokinetic data, adjusted for patient characteristics, are recommended for the design of initial dosage regimens of some therapeutically monitored drugs in patients for whom patient-specific data are not available. However, despite widespread use by clinicians such as pharmacists, a clear understanding of the principles of population pharmacokinetics, including data collection and analysis and its limitations, is often lacking. This article describes the 2 main methods of obtaining population kinetic data, namely the two-stage method and nonlinear mixed effect model, and their applications to the pharmacokinetic-based design of dosage regimens. Additionally, some numerical examples are provided to assist the reader in understanding the material. The author uses these tools in a pharmacokinetics course taught to PharmD students. (+info)