Bridging the gap between pharmacy student and professional with a student developed pocket reference.

INTRODUCTION: The challenging transition from learner to practicing pharmacist is frequently cited in the literature. This difficulty is due in part to a prodigious shift from utilizing class notes to assessing national guidelines. Students who create and use a pocket reference that combines their lecture material with current guidelines may become more proficient at navigating guidelines and adhering to treatment algorithms when on rotations, in residency, and as a professional. Therefore, it is important to address this identified gap of transitioning from pharmacy student to professional. COMMENTARY: Many practicing pharmacists create and use pocket references to hone their ability of extracting information and familiarize themselves with the content of each individual guideline. Students would benefit from the experience of developing their own pocket reference in regard to content development, clinical research, and guideline application. IMPLICATIONS: Schools of pharmacy should implement a structured program for creating a personalized pocket reference that would facilitate the transition of their students to practicing professionals. Creating a customized and self-developed, tangible clinical resource will also strengthen vital skills related to clinical research, resource development, and guideline application. These skills will better prepare the student to emerge from the classroom ready to apply their knowledge.

Non-compliance with graduated driver licensing (GDL) requirements: changes in GDL-related conviction rates over time among 16-17-year-old California drivers.

INTRODUCTION: Self-reports by novice teen drivers in California and elsewhere suggest that many violate graduated driver licensing (GDL) nighttime and passenger restrictions, and to a lesser extent, drive on learner permits without being supervised. Is this corroborated by their traffic conviction records? METHOD: We examined historical aggregated conviction rates for GDL-related violations before and after GDL, and Poisson regressions of conviction rates over time among 16-17-year-old California novices. RESULTS: During the year before they received their provisional licenses, <1% of 16-year-old novices and <2% of 17-year-old novices were convicted of driving unlicensed or unsupervised on their learner permits. Statewide historical conviction rates for these offenses were not higher after GDL was implemented, despite the longer holding period. Convictions for violating GDL nighttime or passenger restrictions were highest almost immediately after provisional licensure, though only about 3% of 16-year-old novices and 2% of 17-year-old novices were ever convicted of violating either restriction. DISCUSSION: California 16-17-year-old novice drivers were very rarely convicted of GDL-related violations. The contradictive, large differences between the current findings and self-report surveys are likely due in part to the fact that most self-reports assessed only whether teens had ever violated a GDL-related requirement, which exaggerates prevalence. Our conviction findings are more similar to estimates of non-compliance with GDL-related requirements from naturalistic driving studies that monitor actual driving behavior and take exposure into account, but are lower likely due to issues related to detection, enforcement, and adjudication of violations, as well as limitations of existing naturalistic studies.

Crash and traffic violation rates before and after licensure for novice California drivers subject to different driver licensing requirements.

INTRODUCTION: How do crash and traffic violation rates for novice 16-17-year-old drivers change over the months before and after licensure under a graduated driver licensing (GDL) program relative to those for older novices who are not subject to GDL? METHOD: Plots and Poisson regression comparing overall rates and subtypes of crashes and traffic violations among California novice drivers ages 16 to 35 years over time before and after unsupervised licensure. RESULTS: Majorities of 16-year-olds (57%) and 17-year-olds (73%) actually hold their learner permits longer than the required 6 months; majorities (67%-81%) of age 18 or older novices hold their learner permits less than 6 months. Crash rates of novice 16- and 17-year-olds-as well as most other age groups-are highest almost immediately after they are licensed to drive unsupervised, after which their rates decline quickly during their first year of licensure and at a slower rate for the second and third years. Novice 16- and 17-year-olds' traffic violation rates reach their zenith long after their total crash rates peak and decline, whereas violation rates for older novices peak during their first year of licensure. Over 70% of 16- and 17-year-old novices are crash-free for the first 3 years of licensure. CONCLUSIONS: While novice 16- and 17-year-olds' highest crash rates occur almost immediately after they are licensed, their peak traffic violation rates are delayed until around the time they turn age 18. Both pre-licensure crash rates and post-licensure crash peaks were more pronounced for some older age groups of novices than was the case for 16-17-year-olds. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Extending learner permit holding periods for 16-17-year-old novices appears consistent with their actual behavior; requiring older novices-particularly those ages 18 to 20-to hold permits for minimum periods may reduce their initial crash rates.

The effectiveness of home-study driver education compared to classroom instruction: the impact on student knowledge and attitudes.

PROBLEM: Home-study driver education programs exist in several states, but none have been scientifically evaluated to determine if such courses are as effective as classroom courses for teaching driver education. METHOD: Over 1,300 students were randomly assigned to classroom instruction, or CD ROM, workbook, or Internet/workbook home-study courses and compared on proctored exit examination knowledge and attitude scores, and written knowledge test outcomes. RESULTS: Few differences were found on exit examination knowledge and attitude scores, but they tended to favor the CD and Internet/workbook home-study courses over the classroom or workbook courses. Differences favoring the classroom on written knowledge test outcomes likely reflect a bias in classroom courses toward teaching test-specific material. DISCUSSION: The findings present no compelling evidence that home-study courses are less effective than classroom courses for teaching driver education. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The findings could result in more widespread use of home-study courses. Also, the use of low-cost home-study courses as the first course of a two-stage driver education and training system could make integrating such programs with graduated driver licensing more feasible and acceptable to the public.