Backward Design to Combat Curricular Expansion in a Large, Interdisciplinary, Team-Taught Course.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, there have been calls to action to address curricular expansion, including modifying standards, using curricular analytics, and optimizing interdisciplinary collaboration, all of which focus on program-level changes. The primary objective of this study was to describe how the process of backward design can be used as a strategy to reduce curricular expansion at the individual course level while maintaining student performance and decreasing student and coordinator stress. METHODS: Backward design was applied to a large, interdisciplinary, team-taught pharmacotherapy course to identify opportunities to reduce content volume and align assessment content with course objectives. Didactic content hours were measured and compared with historical controls. Student performance on examinations was measured and compared with previous years. Student feedback on examination alignment and other course-related stressors was gathered via semester-end course evaluations and compared with previous years. Course coordinator reflections before and after implementation were described. RESULTS: The amount of didactic content hours delivered to students decreased by over 37 hours (33%), allowing space for the expansion of application-based practice, study time, and wellness breaks. Student performance on examinations was maintained, while student stress with examination content and the course design was decreased. Coordinators noted less stress and time spent negotiating didactic content time and examination content and alignment with individual instructors. CONCLUSION: Using backward design as a framework to intentionally evaluate didactic content volume and assessment alignment can address curricular expansion while maintaining student learning and decreasing student and instructor stress.

Incorporation of yoga in pharmacy education.

BACKGROUND: The well-being of pharmacists is critical to support personal and professional health. Identifying and integrating a variety of practices that promote wellness is prudent for schools/colleges of pharmacy so students may form habits before entering the profession as practitioners. Yoga, a practice that combines muscular activity with mindfulness, can be incorporated with minimal resources via numerous mechanisms within and outside of the curriculum. METHODS: The objective was to provide a summary of various strategies incorporating yoga in pharmacy professional curricula as well as detail various approaches to integrating yoga into pharmacy curricula. Literature was evaluated across professional pharmacy programs pertaining to yoga knowledge, beliefs, approaches, and benefits. RESULTS: Ten articles about yoga awareness, knowledge, beliefs, and benefits in professional pharmacy curricula were identified. Improvement in mental health and decreased stress were recognized as benefits. Within schools/colleges of pharmacy, yoga programming has been included in required as well as elective courses, co-curriculum programming, extracurricular activities, and post-graduate training. IMPLICATIONS: Schools of pharmacy can consider incorporation of yoga practice into curricula as a tool to promote well-being and resiliency.

Impact of asynchronous virtual learning on student well-being and success.

INTRODUCTION: As the world has rapidly changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' overall well-being has been prioritized. This study aimed to evaluate PharmD students' well-being and perceived academic engagement when moved involuntarily to a majority asynchronous and virtual curriculum during the 2020-2021 academic year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this study aimed to assess demographic predictors relating student well-being and academic engagement. METHODS: A survey administered via Qualtrics (SAP) was sent to three cohorts of professional students (Classes of 2022 to 2024) enrolled in the PharmD program at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. These cohorts were engaged in a primarily asynchronous and virtual curriculum due to COVID-19. RESULTS: Although students displayed mixed results on how asynchronous learning affected their well-being, students replied that they would want to continue learning via a hybrid model (53.3%) or completely asynchronous (24%), while 17.3% wanted primarily synchronous and 5.3% did not reply. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that aspects of the majority asynchronous and virtual learning environment were favored by students. Through student responses, our faculty and staff can take into consideration students' opinions when making future changes to the curriculum. We provided this data for others to consider when evaluating well-being and engagement with a virtual and asynchronous curriculum.

Concurrent validity of the Professional Fulfillment Index in a sample of pharmacy residents and preceptors.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to validate the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) for assessment of burnout and professional fulfillment in a study population of pharmacy residents and residency preceptors. SUMMARY: The historical gold standard for assessing professional burnout is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI); there is no established standard for professional fulfillment. The PFI is a 16-question assessment that has previously been validated in medical residents and practicing physicians. In this study, surveys including both PFI and MBI items were sent to active pharmacy residents and residency preceptors. To determine concurrent validity, domains of the PFI were compared to the closest related MBI domain as well as composite burnout rates measured in each portion of the survey. A total of 142 preceptors and 68 residents completed both the PFI and a version of the MBI previously validated in physicians. In assessing indicators of pharmacist burnout and fulfillment, data captured by domains of the PFI closely correlated with data captured by corresponding domains of the MBI (Pearson correlations of 0.683-0.822), with high internal consistency (Cronbach α of 0.866-0.903). CONCLUSION: The PFI is a valid method of assessing burnout in both pharmacy residents and residency preceptors. Additionally, the PFI contributes a reliable system of assessing professional fulfillment while also being highly accessible for both research and residency program monitoring applications.

Well-being Content Inclusion in Pharmacy Education Across the United States and Canada.

Objective. To describe the landscape of well-being content inclusion across schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States and Canada through identification of content implementation, incorporation, and assessment.Methods. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to all accredited schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States (n=143) and Canada (n=10). Survey questions included curricular and cocurricular timing, frequency, assessment strategies, and support for well-being initiatives, using a framework of eight dimensions (pillars) of wellness to categorize content.Results. Descriptive data analyses were applied to 99 completed surveys (65%), 89 (62%) in the United States and 10 (100%) in Canada. Well-being content was most prevalent within the cocurricular realm and incorporated into didactic and elective more than experiential curricula. The most content came from intellectual, emotional, and physical pillars, and the least content came from financial, spiritual, and environmental pillars. Less than 50% of schools and colleges of pharmacy include well-being within their strategic plans or core values. Funding is primarily at the level of the university (59%) or the school or college of pharmacy (59%). Almost half of respondents reported inclusion of some assessment, with a need for more training, expertise, and standardization.Conclusion. Survey results revealed a wide range of implementation and assessment of well-being programs across the United States and Canada. These results provide a reference point for the state of well-being programs that can serve as a call to action and research across the Academy.

Burnout and Resilience in the Community-Based Pharmacist Practitioner.

Objective: The primary objective was to assess presence of community-based pharmacist practitioner burnout and workplace stress through administration of validated tools. Methods: Pharmacists licensed in Ohio received an invitation to participate in the anonymous online assessment via Qualtrics™ using emails available via the State Board of Pharmacy listserv. The survey assessed emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment using a validated tool, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) was used to assess stressors as they relate to burnout and job stress. This study was approved by The Ohio State University Institutional Review Board. Results: There were 1,425 complete responses. Based on the study sample, 67.2% of community-based pharmacists are experiencing burnout. When asked to self-identify workplace stressors, respondents primarily described the Workload, Control, and Reward dimensions of the AWS. The most commonly reported coping mechanisms were self-care strategies (28.4%), mindfulness (17.6%), and personal time/time off (15.3%). Respondents suggested that organizations address staffing (50.2%) and development of a culture of well-being (17.2%) to promote well-being. Conclusion: This study allowed insight into workplace stressors for community-based pharmacists and strategies organizations can employ to improve their well-being. Future studies are needed to assess the efficacy of these interventions.