Prior Pharmacy Work Experience as a Predictor of Clinical and Didactic Performance for Admissions Committees.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate prior pharmacy work experience (PPWE) in admissions to predict clinical and didactic performance. METHODS: In this retrospective study, data from 3 cohorts, classes of 2020-2022, were collected. Multivariate regressions were conducted to determine the impact of PPWE on performance in first-year pharmacy (P1) Community Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPEs), second-year pharmacy (P2) institutional IPPEs, P2 & third-year pharmacy (P3) Observed Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), Drug Information class and P1, P2, P3 grade point averages (GPAs). RESULTS: Of 329 students, those who had PPWE (n = 210) worked as pharmacy technicians (78%), clerks, cashiers, drivers (10%), or other (12%). The majority worked in community settings (86%) and worked an average of 24 h weekly. PPWE was not associated with any pharmacy school GPAs. Those with PPWE scored 2.17 out of 100% points higher in Drug Information than those who did not. They also scored higher on P1 IPPE performance in communication and pharmacy operations skills; however, these notable differences did not continue in P2 IPPEs or OSCEs. Total hours worked in higher quartiles were also associated with increased scores in P1 IPPE communications skills, P1 IPPE pharmacy operations skills, and Drug Information course scores. CONCLUSION: Prior pharmacy work experience modestly improved pharmacy school performance in selected areas in the P1 year, but the effect did not continue in later years. Students who had PPWE performed better in Drug Information and P1 IPPE communication and pharmacy operations skills.

Yoga therapy knowledge in third-year pharmacy students: An education intervention.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The omission of yoga education in health professions curricula limits health professionals from understanding how to support patient well-being in an integrated manner. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a yoga therapy-based educational intervention in increasing yoga knowledge of third-year pharmacy students. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Students in the Pharmacognosy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine course received a three-hour educational intervention over two class meetings on yoga therapy during fall 2019. The pedagogical method of peer instruction was used, and pre- and post-questionnaires were administered online prior to and after the intervention. The instrument contained eight demographic, six yoga knowledge and participation, 10 yoga therapy, and 15 referral behavior questions. FINDINGS: A statistically significant increase in yoga knowledge scores from 1.43 ± 0.9 before the education intervention to 5.69 ± 1.65 after the intervention occurred (P < .01) was found. A majority believed that yoga therapy should be included in the curriculum. SUMMARY: Increases in post-questionnaire knowledge scores suggested that the educational intervention increased pharmacy students' knowledge of yoga therapy in our sample. Studies specific to yoga education in health professional students, especially in the United States, are scarce. Additionally, the impact of an educational intervention on yoga knowledge in pharmacy students has not been studied. Including yoga therapy in pharmacy curricula should be explored as greater integration of yoga in healthcare is likely to occur due to its effectiveness as an adjunct and widespread use.

Pharmacy Students' Lived Experiences of Academic Difficulty and Tinto's Theory of Student Departure.

Objective. To understand students' lived experiences of academic difficulty in pharmacy school in relation to Tinto's conceptual schema of student departure. Methods. A descriptive, single case study design was chosen to explore academic difficulty in pharmacy school, and the unit of analysis (case) in this study was the experience of academic difficulty. Four students who had experienced academic difficulty in pharmacy school were recruited to participate in the study. Data sources included admissions applications, transcripts, emails to the lead researcher, and semi-structured interviews. Prior to analysis, the researchers created a coding dictionary to operationalize codes for textual analysis. Intercoder agreement was established at 97% agreement. Research validity was supported by triangulation of data, multiple researchers, and member checking. Results. Three of the four students were retained because of the synergistic reinforcement of academic and social integration based upon Tinto's schema. A fourth student was academically dismissed and departed the college, suggesting that too many social responsibilities in pharmacy college reduces time for academic integration, thereby diminishing the reciprocal potential between academic and social integration. Among the four students, seven main themes were identified: student background, goal of becoming a pharmacist, academic integration during pharmacy school, social integration during pharmacy school, retention and departure, roles and responsibilities during pharmacy school, and wellness. Conclusion. The results suggest that Tinto's theory of student departure is applicable to students' experiences of academic difficulty. These student stories suggest that early identification of student support needs may help pharmacy programs improve student retention.

Becoming more holistic: A literature review of nonacademic factors in the admissions process of colleges and schools of pharmacy and other health professions.

BACKGROUND: The expanding role of pharmacists has influenced admissions committees to consider nonacademic factors other than grade point average (GPA) and test scores and has focused more attention on holistic admissions. METHODS: Database searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, and PsychINFO using keywords, "holistic admissions", "holistic review", and "pharmacy admissions" plus "critical thinking skills", "extracurricular", "communication skills", "essay", or "interview". Overall, 64 studies were identified, 17 were excluded, and ultimately, 47 were reviewed. RESULTS: Holistic admissions is not an industry standard in pharmacy but more so in other health professions. For critical thinking skills, the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) was not a good predictor of academic performance even though it was effective in ranking admission applicants. The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) however, was a significant predictor for clerkship and practice-related courses. It is unclear whether pharmacy admissions committees are utilizing the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) reading and writing scores, the interview, or other measures to evaluate communication skills. The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) is an effective assessment tool for measuring noncognitive attributes; however, the efficacy of unstructured interviews in evaluating noncognitive skills was less clear. IMPLICATIONS: Academic measures alone are not nuanced enough to predict success throughout the entire curriculum. An integration of factors, both academic and nonacademic, would be more relevant to predict success. Critical thinking skills and extracurricular experiences may be more significant for admissions selection and admissions ranking respectively, and more predictive of academic success during didactic and experiential stages of the curriculum respectively.

APPE Evaluations are Positively Associated with MMI, Pre-pharmacy GPA and Pharmacy GPA.

Objective. To determine factors associated with advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) performance in the pre-pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum and establish whether performance on the multiple mini interview (MMI) independently predicts APPE evaluation scores. Methods. A multi-case MMI has been used in the admissions process since 2008. Students are scored anywhere from 1 to 7 (unsatisfactory to outstanding) on each interview. Traditional factors (GPA, PCAT, etc.) are also used in the admissions determination. Pearson product-moment correlation and ordinary least squares regression were used to explore the relationships between admissions data, pharmacy GPA, and APPE evaluation scores for the graduating classes of 2011-2014. These analyses identified which factors (pharmacy GPA, PCAT, MMI score, age, gender, rurality, resident status, degree, and underrepresented minority status) related to APPE performance. Results. Students (n=432) had a mean APPE score of 4.6; a mean MMI score of 5.5; mean pharmacy GPA, PCAT and age of 3.14, 73.2, 22.6 years, respectively. Pre-pharmacy GPA and pharmacy GPA positively correlated with mean APPE scores. MMI score demonstrated positive correlations with overall APPE score; including subcategories patient care, documentation, drug information/EBM, public health, and communication. MMI scores were positively related to overall APPE scores in the multivariable regression. Variables showing negative associations with APPE scores included a pre-pharmacy GPA of <3.0 (ref= GPA >3.5) and pharmacy school GPA of >3.0 - 3.5 and GPA 2.6 - 3.0 when compared to GPAs >3.5. Conclusion. GPA (pre-pharmacy and pharmacy) and MMI positively correlate with preceptor-rated performances in the APPE year.