Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Community-Based Pharmacies: A Scoping Review.

As pharmacy practice shifts its focus toward population health care needs that serve public health, there is a need to understand community-based pharmacies' contributions to the reduction in health disparities. A scoping review was conducted to identify what community-based pharmacies in the United States are doing to target racial and ethnic disparities in community-based pharmacies. Forty-two articles revealed that community-based pharmacy services addressed racial and ethnic inequities in a variety of ways, including the types of interventions employed, as well as the ethnicities and conditions of the sample populations. Future work should focus on ensuring interventions are carried out throughout pharmacy practice and accessible to all racial and ethnic minoritized populations.

The Relationship Between a Multiple Mini-interview and Situational Judgment Test for Admissions.

Objective. To explore the relationship between a multiple mini-interview (MMI) and situational judgment test (SJT) designed to evaluate nonacademic constructs.Methods. A 30-question ranked-item SJT was developed to test three constructs also measured by MMIs during a pharmacy school's admissions process. First-year pharmacy students were invited to complete the SJT in fall 2020. One hundred four students took the SJT (82.5% response rate), with 97 (77% of possible participants) having MMI scores from the admissions process. Descriptive statistics and other statistical analyses were used to explore the psychometric properties of the SJT and its relationship to MMI scores.Results. Seventy-four percent of students identified as female (n=72), and 11.3% identified with an underrepresented racial identity (n=11). The average age, in mean (SD), was 21.8 (2.1) years. Students' mean (SD) scores were 85.5 (3.1) (out of 100 points) on the SJT and 6.1 (1.0) (out of 10 points) on the MMI. Principal components analysis indicated that the SJT lacked construct validity and internal reliability. However, reliability of the entire SJT instrument provided support for using the total SJT score for analysis (α=.63). Correlations between total SJT and MMI scores were weak (r p<0.29).Conclusion. Results of this study suggest that an SJT may not be a good replacement for the MMI to measure distinct constructs during the admissions process. However, the SJT may provide useful supplemental information during admissions or as part of formative feedback once students are enrolled in a program.

Implementation and evaluation of pharmaly houses as learning communities to promote community, wellness, and advising.

INTRODUCTION: Although medical education has demonstrated learning communities promote wellness and community while supporting advising and mentoring, its application in pharmacy is limited. This study explored faculty and student perceptions of pharmacy learning communities (PLC), including structure, member interactions, and curriculum topics. METHODS: PLCs involving first-year (PY1) student advisees, third-year (PY3) peer mentors, and faculty coaches were implemented. The PLC model included Pharmaly Houses, which were compromised of multiple Pharmalies, with each Pharmaly consisting of one faculty coach, two PY3 peer mentors, and approximately 10 PY1 advisees. PLC members were invited to participate in semi-structured focus groups, and transcripts were analyzed using inductive coding. RESULTS: Three major themes and related subthemes emerged: strengths of the PLC structure (e.g., multiple perspectives, community, networking); interactions of Pharmaly members (i.e. faculty coaches, PY3 peer mentors, PY1 advisees); and feedback on PLC curriculum topics (e.g., topic consultation, continued learning). Participants indicated the multiple perspectives provided by Pharmaly members was a strength and highlighted the PLC structure facilitated a sense of community and belonging among Pharmaly members while promoting expanded networking within the House. While the PLC expanded networks, faculty and PY1 advisees desired more one-to-one interactions. Further, students reflected on how current PLC curriculum topics (e.g., wellness) prompted continued learning, reflection, and discussion outside the House or Pharmaly meeting. CONCLUSIONS: Participants indicated PLCs can support student access to mentoring and advising, promote wellness, and foster a sense of community and belonging. The unique peer mentoring model further promoted community.

Interested in situational judgment tests? Preparing pharmacy educators for potential challenges.

PURPOSE: There is a growing interest in situational judgment tests (SJTs) for assessments and the authors offer their insights to help others develop and utilize these instruments while navigating common challenges. DESCRIPTION: This manuscript provides important considerations to those interested in SJTs using the "What? So What? Now What?" reflection framework. The authors offer their experience developing, implementing, and evaluating SJTs designed to measure empathy, adaptability, and integrity. ANALYSIS/INTERPRETATION: Effective SJT design can be organized around five key steps: attribute definition, item design, key development and scoring, test administration, and data analysis and interpretation. There are general recommendations to optimize SJT design to enhance reliability and validity of the results; however, there are often other challenges that have not been previously described. CONCLUSIONS: SJTs offer an exciting tool for measuring social and behavioral attributes; however, their infancy in health professions education warrants caution. Like any assessment, there are several challenges to consider when designing, implementing, and evaluating SJTs in pharmacy education. IMPLICATIONS: Individuals interested in SJTs are encouraged to ensure the construct measured is well-defined, there are clear and supported decisions around item and key design, and the appropriate psychometric analyses are conducted.

Exploring the Career Engagement, Interests, and Goals of Pharmacy Students Identifying as Underrepresented Racial Minorities.

Objective. To examine pharmacy career engagement, interest, and confidence in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students identifying as underrepresented racial minorities (URMs).Methods. A 15-item survey about career engagement, confidence, and goals was administered at a business session of a national conference. The survey included demographic items and items about career exposure prior to and during school, career aspirations after graduation, frequency of engagement in various settings, career factors, and career confidence. Cronbach alpha was used to examine survey reliability. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistical tests were used to analyze survey responses.Results. Sixty-nine URM students completed the survey. Most indicated frequent engagement with community pharmacy prior to and during school; no engagement with hospital pharmacy prior to school, yet occasional or frequent engagement during school; and no engagement with the pharmaceutical industry prior to and during school. Most selected hospital pharmacy as their career aspiration, followed by community pharmacy and industry. Approximately half indicated an interest in completing a postgraduate fellowship. Items selected as important to career choice included patient care, job security, and level of stress. Group differences were found by gender and year in school.Conclusion. Despite calls for diversity in pharmacy, there is a paucity of research in this area. This study provides a first glimpse into the career engagement, confidence, and goals of students identifying as URMs, raising a number of critical issues for pharmacy education. Moving forward, schools, employers, and researchers must work to better understand the career development of URM students, including barriers and facilitators to access and success.