Obtaining and providing health information in the community pharmacy setting.
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Community pharmacists are a valuable information resource for patients and other healthcare providers. The advent of new information technology, most notably the Internet, coupled with the rapid availability of new healthcare information, has fueled this demand. Pharmacy students must receive training that enables them to meet this need. Community advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) provide an excellent opportunity for students to develop and master drug information skills in a real-world setting. Preceptors must ensure that students are familiar with drug information resources and can efficiently identify the most useful resource for a given topic. Students must also be trained to assess the quality of resources and use this information to effectively respond to drug or health information inquiries. This article will discuss key aspects of providing drug information in the community pharmacy setting and can serve as a guide and resource for APPE preceptors. (+info)
Improving communication skills of pharmacy students through effective precepting.
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Pharmacy students should be given opportunities to learn and practice interpersonal communication skills during their community advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE). Preceptors have the responsibility of setting the stage for the pharmacy students during their initial encounter. During this orientation to the site, students should become familiar with the history of the practice, the types of services provided, and the staff members. Once the orientation is completed, preceptors can develop strategies for incorporating the students into the practice's patient care activities. Students should participate in patient counseling, interviewing, and educational sessions. Also, students should participate in collaborative work with other health care providers. To ensure the development of communication skills in pharmacy students, preceptors can incorporate the teaching process "see one, do one, teach one" into their teaching activities. By following these strategies, preceptors can effectively and positively impact the communication skills of their students. (+info)
Improving student professionalism during experiential learning.
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The purpose of this paper is to serve as a tool for preceptors to aid in pharmacy students' development of professionalism. Specifically, the article defines professionalism, describes it in the context of contemporary pharmacy practice, discusses the professional socialization process of students, and suggests strategies for preceptors to facilitate improvement in professionalism among students during experiential training. While numerous suggestions are presented, positive role modeling is considered the most important means of improving professionalism among students. (+info)
An assessment system for mapping CAPE outcomes in an advanced pharmacy practice experience program.
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OBJECTIVE: To implement and evaluate an assessment system based on the 1998 Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education's (CAPE) Outcomes for students in advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). DESCRIPTION: The system requires each preceptor to create a summative assessment tool by choosing the most important 20-30 CAPE competencies and sub-elements necessary for his/her pharmacy practice with each to be scored by him/her on a 4-point scale from "exceeds expectations" to "below expectations." Students' grades are determined by an examination committee based on the preceptors' assessments. The system contains a mechanism to assist students with competency deficits and permits a student's yearlong performance in the APPE program to be considered when assigning grades for individual APPE courses. EVALUATION: The assessment system permits each student's performance in individual APPE courses to be mapped to the CAPE competencies for grading purposes. It permits class performance in an APPE program to be mapped to the CAPE competencies for quality assurance and school planning. CONCLUSION: An assessment system based on the 1998 CAPE Educational Outcomes competencies has been successfully introduced for students in APPE training. (+info)
Communicating with patients: skills assessment in US colleges of pharmacy.
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OBJECTIVE: To describe current practices in assessing patient communication skills in US colleges and schools of pharmacy. METHODS: Syllabi and behavioral assessment forms were solicited and key faculty members were interviewed. Forms were analyzed to determine skills most commonly assessed in communication with simulated or role-playing patients. RESULTS: Fifty schools submitted behavioral assessment forms for patient communication skills. Individuals from 47 schools were interviewed. Colleges were found to vary in the way communication skills were assessed. Assessment forms focused more on dispensing a new prescription than monitoring ongoing therapy. Providing information was emphasized more than promoting adherence. Common faculty concerns were lack of continuity and congruence of assessment across the curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: A common understanding of the standards and procedures for determining competence is needed. Experience and assessment activities should be sequenced throughout a program to build competence. (+info)
Emotional intelligence as a predictor of academic and/or professional success.
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The concept of "emotional intelligence" has been extensively popularized in the lay press and corporate world as individuals purport the potential ability of emotional intelligence to predict various markers of success. Emotional intelligence (EI) most commonly incorporates concepts of emotional expression and regulation, self-awareness, and empathy. The concept has been criticized by some for its loose definition and parallels to personality traits. Additionally, several limitations to the instruments used to measure emotional intelligence have been identified. This review examines the foundations of the definitions of emotional intelligence as well as existing educational research involving emotional intelligence, both within the health professions and externally. Recommendations for future research and research potential are discussed. (+info)
Peer tutoring programs in health professions schools.
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OBJECTIVE: Peer tutoring programs may be one method of maintaining quality of pharmacy education in the face of growing student enrollment and a small faculty body. A critical review of the literature was performed to ascertain whether peer tutoring programs improve or maintain the academic performance of health care professional students. METHODS: Various electronic databases and abstracts from past American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's annual meetings were searched to identify pertinent research. Only those articles with quantitative data, an experimental design, and comparative statistical analysis were included for review. RESULTS: Most studies found that peer tutoring had a positive impact on academic performance. These results may not be readily generalizable as there were numerous methodological flaws and limited descriptions of the programs and participants. IMPLICATIONS: Studies with better designs and more detail are needed to answer definitively whether peer tutoring is of benefit. Details of what resources were required should be included in the study to allow the reader to determine the feasibility of the intervention. (+info)
Characteristics, prevalence, attitudes, and perceptions of academic dishonesty among pharmacy students.
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OBJECTIVES: To ascertain background factors that influence pharmacy students' willingness to cheat, describe attitudes regarding methods of cheating, assess prevalence of cheating and determine atmospheres that may aid in preventing academic dishonesty. METHODS: Third-professional year PharmD students at 4 institutions participated in a survey administered by a class representative. RESULTS: Of the 296 students who completed survey instruments, 16.3% admitted to cheating during pharmacy school. Approximately 74% admitted that either they or their classmates had worked on an individual assignment with a friend. Students who cheated during high school or in a prepharmacy program were more likely to cheat during pharmacy school (p < 0.0001). Those who possessed a bachelor of science (BS) degree prior to pharmacy school were less likely to cheat (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Academic dishonesty is prevalent among pharmacy students. While few respondents directly admitted to cheating, many admitted to activities traditionally defined as dishonest. (+info)