ABSTRACT
A drop in confidence in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) readiness was observed in students in the Class of 2022 prior to starting APPEs. We aim to investigate potential causes of students' low confidence in APPE preparedness to provide solutions and to prevent this outcome with future students. We evaluated students' perceived confidence to start APPEs and compared this to curricular changes, employment obligations, and the impact of COVID-19 on delivery of the pre-APPE and APPE curriculum. Students' low confidence with APPE readiness was not indicative of the following factors: (1) delivery of the didactic curriculum, (2) students' performance in the didactic curriculum, or (3) number of summative assessments in key didactic courses. Rather, the low confidence perception may have been due to differences such as a fully remote didactic experience in the P3 year, more virtual Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs), a reduced course load in the P3 spring semester, and changes to a pre-APPE preparatory course compared to other class years. The students' self-reported midpoint scores during their first APPE block and preceptor's evaluations on their performance contrasted their pre-APPE perceptions. Frequent in-person and on-site skills assessments throughout the didactic curriculum seem to reinforce confidence before APPEs.
ABSTRACT
The global COVID-19 pandemic has not only posed a challenge to education but created an opportunity to spearhead a digital transformation and the novel delivery of a Pharm.D. curriculum. The process to transform the curriculum in a sustainable and iterative manner involved multiple steps including: (1) Communication, (2) Maintaining faculty engagement, (3) Allowing outside the box thinking, (4) Providing resources and tools and (5) Creating accountability and timelines. At our institution, we have been interested in digital transformation since completing our interview of global leaders. We began our journey using the current COVID-19 pandemic as an accelerant for change. Digital transformation in any industry is not a simple undertaking. However, with planning, aligned organizational interests, consistent and regular communication, provision of resources and tools, engaging faculty and creating accountability and timelines with deliverables the implementation can be successful. When the global pandemic wanes and educational institutions commence in-person classes, having undergone the stages of digital transformation, we will be able to embrace these changes and transform education, not having to reproduce pre-pandemic educational systems.