A Deeper Reflection on the Integration of the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process.

OBJECTIVE: Given the importance of developing student understanding and application of the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP), programs may be able to use successful approaches from other institutions to enhance their curricular and experiential learning and assessment of student outcomes. The study objective was to explore successful methods of integrating the PPCP and outline areas of challenge. METHODS: This study used a qualitative study design with semistructured interviews to gain insight from participants' lived experiences. Pharmacy faculty members participating in a national survey or who were authors of articles about PPCP initiatives were recruited to provide greater detail about building successful and innovative curricula. Thematic analysis identified commonalities and differences among the interviewed participants. RESULTS: A total of 10 interviews were conducted. The following 4 overarching themes arose from the data: discussions around intentional integration of the PPCP across multiple core courses may foster innovations in teaching strategies; intentional integration alone does not equate to PPCP integration across the curriculum; intentional integration may enhance program assessment; and PPCP data from experiential coursework may not be widely used in curricular continuous quality improvement. CONCLUSION: Pharmacy programs will ideally involve the entire faculty, including experiential and basic and social/administrative science members, in weaving the PPCP throughout the curriculum. Rigorous assessment can better inform interventions related to student competency in various steps of the PPCP. Pharmacy programs should also clarify how data obtained from preceptors observing student performance in each of the PPCP steps are used to assess student mastery of this critical skill.

The Intersection of Growth Mindset and Accreditation in Pharmacy Education.

OBJECTIVES: To describe existing growth mindset literature within pharmacy and health care education, describe how a growth mindset can be beneficial in the accreditation process, and propose potential ways to promote a growth mindset in faculty, preceptors, students, and staff within pharmacy education. FINDINGS: To help pharmacy learners develop a growth mindset, existing literature emphasizes the need for a shift toward and aligning assessment with a growth mindset, helping to create self-directed adaptive learners, leading to health care providers who can adjust their practice to tackle expected and unexpected challenges throughout their careers. Strategies to create a culture of growth mindset identified include training faculty and learners on growth mindset and developing new assessments that track a learner's growth. Recommendations for pharmacy educators include encouraging educators to assess their own growth mindset and use a variety of teaching methods and provide feedback on learner effort that encourages the process of learning rather than focusing on individual attributes, traits, and results. SUMMARY: Growth mindset intersects with accreditation standards for both professional degree programs and providers of continuing pharmacy education. Continuing professional development process is one way to encourage faculty, staff, and students to develop a growth mindset. While a growth mindset can have many positive impacts on pharmacy accreditation, it is essential to recognize that achieving and maintaining accreditation is a multifaceted process involving numerous factors. A growth mindset can positively influence pharmacy education accreditation by fostering a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, resilience, student-centeredness, data-driven decision-making, collaboration, and effective leadership.

Meaningful Connections: Exploring the Relationship Between Empathy and Professional Identity Formation.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the literature on the connections between empathy and professional identity formation (PIF) in pharmacy and other health professions education. A PRISMA-Scoping Review methodology was used for this study. Searches were conducted in PubMed and CINAHL from 2010 to January 12, 2023, with English added as a limiter. Articles had to address empathy and PIF, whether implicitly or explicitly. "Theory talk" was modified and utilized with 6 levels of connectedness to assess article quality. FINDINGS: A total of 419 articles were reviewed for inclusion into the study with a total of 45 articles being included. Seventeen (37.8 %) and 12 articles (26.7 %) included a definition for empathy and PIF, respectively. Thirty-eight articles (84.4 %) implicitly discussed a connection between PIF and empathy. Educational initiatives that fostered connections between empathy and PIF focused on classroom activities, clinical rotation activities, and assessments. Key elements to enhance empathy and PIF development across articles focused on mentorship, role models, and reflective practice, alongside intentional curricular integration. Similarly, barriers to empathy and PIF are multifaceted. SUMMARY: Despite educational initiatives in the literature that attempt to foster connections between empathy and PIF in classroom activities, clinical rotation activities, and assessments, most connections are implicit, as opposed to explicit. This may be due to the multiple barriers, such as the hidden curriculum, which make the connection between empathy and PIF difficult. This area needs further research and development given the importance of empathy in all health care provider interactions.

Evaluation and Revision of the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale.

Objective. This study aimed to provide further validity evidence for the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale (KCES) by analyzing data collected from multiple administrations of the scale and conducting cognitive interviews of students in pharmacy and nursing programs to identify needed revisions.Methods. De-identified data from previous administrations of the KCES were used to evaluate the scale. Evidence of response process was enhanced through cognitive interviews with 20 pre-pharmacy and pharmacy students at Cedarville University. After survey revisions, the cognitive interview process was repeated with 10 University of Wyoming nursing students.Results. Based on psychometric data and cognitive interviews, the KCES was revised as follows: key components of cognitive and affective empathy were retained, scaling was changed to reflect necessity and empathy ability, negatively worded items were removed, and the single scale was converted into two parallel subscales.Conclusion. This study used data from thousands of geographically and professionally diverse samples. Based on potential problems identified in quantitative analyses, cognitive interviews with nursing and pharmacy students were conducted, and modifications to the KCES were made. Further psychometric validation is needed regarding the KCES-R.

Establishing Validity Evidence for Parallel Patient-Provider Empathy Scales to Drive Self-reflection.

Objective. Student pharmacists must cultivate self-awareness to ensure that they can assess their skill development and abilities, including affective domain skills such as empathy. External feedback can augment development, but validated assessments are needed for accuracy. Thus, the objectives of this study were to establish validity evidence for the revised version of the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale (KCES-R), compare student self-perceptions and simulated patient perceptions of student empathy using a parallel patient scale (KCES-PV), and evaluate student reflections on the encounter.Methods. Student pharmacists completed an assessment of their self-perceptions of empathy (KCES-R) before and after the patient encounter. Simulated patients completed the KCES-PV regarding the student pharmacists' empathy immediately after the encounter. Student pharmacists also watched their encounter videos and completed a self-reflection on their use of empathy. Responses were analyzed using statistical tests, whereas students' reflections were examined using thematic analysis.Results. Results showed that the KCES-R contains two factors with high internal consistency and can detect changes in empathy. Student pharmacists' self-perceptions of their empathy abilities appeared higher than when their empathy abilities were evaluated by simulated patients. Student pharmacists had a strong belief in the importance of expressing empathy during patient encounters and indicated a need for further development.Conclusion. This study provides validity evidence for the use of the KCES-R and presents a parallel scale that may be used by simulated patients. Validated parallel scales along with reflective practice could be a potential avenue to grow self-awareness and empathy by allowing students to receive feedback and then reflect on their perceived versus actual demonstration of the skill.

Inclusion of the Pharmacist Patient Care Process in Doctor of Pharmacy Curricula.

Objective. With the inclusion of the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP) in the most recent Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education standards, institutions must determine how best to vertically and horizontally integrate and assess the PPCP in the curriculum. The objective of this study was to identify the breadth and depth of PPCP implementation as well as faculty involvement in teaching the PPCP at ACPE-accredited institutions.Methods. A survey to address the study objectives was developed, piloted, and distributed electronically to all US pharmacy institutions in candidate or accredited status. Electronic reminders were implemented to improve response rates. The data were analyzed descriptively.Results. Approximately 70% of institutions responded to the survey. Integration of the PPCP was most often championed by an individual faculty member and/or a committee. Practice faculty taught PPCP at nearly all institutions, while only a third of survey respondents reported that foundational and social administrative faculty taught the PPCP. Development related to PPCP curricular integration mainly focused on preceptors. Most institutions integrated the PPCP through the didactic and experiential curriculum in an approach that allowed for reinforcement or mastery of concepts. There were limited integration efforts into interprofessional education. Institutions had a plan for assessing the effectiveness of the integration, but were varied in their approach.Conclusion. Institutions have embraced integrating the PPCP into their curricula, didactically and experientially. Progress still needs to be made regarding inclusion of all faculty in teaching the PPCP as well as integrating the PPCP into other key curricular areas, such as interprofessional learning. Faculty development efforts may be beneficial to address these aspects.

Moving out of disciplinary silos - Integration of the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process.

INTRODUCTION: In order to better delineate the specific roles of the pharmacist in generating positive health outcomes, pharmacy programs have incorporated the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP). However, there has been limited integration in disciplines outside of pharmacy practice. PERSPECTIVE: This article makes the case that schools need to commit to fully integrating the PPCP that is inclusive of all disciplines. By fostering such integration, all faculty can recognize their role in creating practice-ready, team-ready pharmacists that are consistent, collaborative, and drive positive patient health outcomes. There also is likely innovative integrative efforts being done related to the PPCP in non-practice disciplines, and this article provides some ideas for future scholarly efforts. IMPLICATIONS: If the academy embraces the PPCP fully, we can unite and demonstrate how pharmacists contribute value to the healthcare team.

Evaluation of a nursing and pharmacy student educational activity promoting interprofessional learning.

BACKGROUND: Nurses and pharmacists are essential healthcare team members and must collaborate to provide safe and effective patient care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nursing and pharmacy student views on interprofessional collaboration after completing an educational activity. INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ACTIVITY: Students participated in an interprofessional activity designed to improve empathy toward older adults and completed an open-ended questionnaire post-activity regarding their experience and views on interprofessional collaboration. Content analysis identified themes grounded in the responses. Students (n = 216) felt communication needed improvement (n = 31, 16.8%), were frustrated with fragmented care (n = 31, 16.8%), found interprofessional collaboration necessary (n = 37, 20.1%), and enjoyed the interprofessional experience (n = 17, 9.2%). DISCUSSION: Study results provide evidence for the inclusion of additional structured interprofessional activities into all health professions curriculum to emphasize collaboration, improve communication, and modify views in preparation for interprofessional practice.

Assessment of student pharmacists' ethical decision-making.

INTRODUCTION: In previous research, investigators have expressed concern about the ethical ambivalence of pharmacists in decision-making. The objectives of this study were to examine student pharmacists': 1) attitudes and responses regarding specific common ethical situations and 2) perceived level of difficulty in making ethical decisions. METHODS: A self-administered 38-item survey was given to second and third year student pharmacists at Purdue University. The survey comprised five sections, including: 1) attitudes towards common ethical situations, 2) responses to specific ethical scenarios, 3) emergency lending, 4) perceived level of difficulty in resolving ethical dilemmas, and 5) demographics. RESULTS: Over 90% of students agreed or strongly agreed that pharmacists have the right to refuse to dispense a medication for clinical reasons, while 45.3% agreed or strongly agreed that pharmacists had the right to refuse to dispense for moral or religious reasons. Greater than 20% of students were undecided about dispensing syringes without a prescription, pseudoephedrine tablets to a frequent purchaser, and lethal doses of narcotics. In eight out of nine cases involving ethical decision-making, over 70% of students perceived the decision to be somewhat problematic. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Exploration of student pharmacists' perceptions of specific ethical situations assists in identifying areas of uncertainty in decision-making and informing educational interventions that may foster ethical development of future pharmacy professionals.

Comparison of student confidence and perceptions of biochemistry concepts using a team-based learning versus traditional lecture-based format.

PURPOSE: To evaluate differences in student confidence and perceptions of biochemistry concepts using a team-based learning (TBL) format versus a traditional lecture-based format at two universities. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY: Two pedagogies (TBL vs lecture-based) were utilized to deliver biochemistry concepts at two universities in a first-professional year, semester-long biochemistry course. A 21-item instrument was created and administered pre-post semester to assess changes in confidence in learning biochemistry concepts using Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (eight items, 5-point, Likert-type) and changes in student perceptions of biochemistry utilizing the theory of planned behavior (TPB) domains (13 items, 7- point, Likert-type). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to evaluate pre-post changes, and Mann Whitney U tests for differences between universities. FINDINGS: All students (N=111) had more confidence in biochemistry concepts post-semester, but TBL students (N=53) were significantly more confident. TBL students also had greater agreement that they are expected to actively engage in science courses post-semester, according to the perceptions of biochemistry subscale. No other differences between lecture and TBL were observed post-semester. SUMMARY: Students in a TBL course had greater gains in confidence. Since students often engage in tasks where they feel confident, TBL can be a useful pedagogy to promote student learning.

The impact of a research course on pharmacy students' perceptions of research and evidence-based practice.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists need be able to understand and utilize evidence from the literature to provide optimal patient care as well as participate in research to improve care. Thus, it is important for pharmacy students to acquire skills in research and evidence-based practice (EBP). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the changes in pharmacy student (1) perceptions of research and EBP, (2) interest in research participation, and (3) confidence in understanding the research process and developing a research proposal after completing a research course. METHODS: First-year professional pharmacy students completed a required one-semester research course. Study objectives were assessed pre- and post-semester using a survey that contained seven demographic items, nine Research Perceptions items, and 17 Confidence in Research items (5-point Likert scale; 1 = not at all confident, and 5 = extremely confident). Two years of data were collected (2012: N = 49, 2013: N = 53) and analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Mann-Whitney U tests as appropriate. RESULTS: Significant improvements were seen in students' perceptions of the importance (2012: p = 0.022, 2013: p = 0.042) and usefulness of research (p = 0.022). Students' confidence significantly increased on all items for both years (p < 0.001). There was no significant change in student plans to perform or participate in future research. More students planned to use EBP in their practice post-semester in 2013 (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: A research course can be an effective way to increase student confidence in research and improve perceptions on the importance and usefulness of research and EBP. It may not be an effective way to increase student interest in research as a career.

Changes in nursing students' perceptions of research and evidence-based practice after completing a research course.

BACKGROUND: Nurses need a sound education in research and evidence-based practice (EBP) to provide patients with optimal care, but current teaching methods could be more effective. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the changes in nursing students 1) perceptions of research and EBP, 2) confidence in research and EBP, and 3) interest in research participation after completing a course in research and EBP. DESIGN: A pre-post assessment design was utilized to compare changes in students. SETTINGS: This project was conducted at a small, private liberal arts institution with Bachelor of Science (BSN) students. PARTICIPANTS: Two cohorts of third-year BSN students (Year 1 N=55, Year 2 N=54) who were taking a required, semester-long Nursing Research and EBP course. METHODS: Students' perceptions of and confidence in research and EBP were assessed pre- and post-semester using the Confidence in Research and EBP survey, which contained 7 demographic items, 9 Research Perceptions items, and 19 Confidence in Research items (5-point Likert scale; 1=Not at all confident, 5=Extremely confident). Two years of data were collected and analyzed in SPSS v.24.0. Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests and Mann-Whitney-U tests were utilized to examine the data. RESULTS: Students had significant improvements in perceptions of and confidence in research and EBP (p<0.05). They were more likely to agree to plan to use EBP in the future (p=0.007), yet there were no significant improvements on students' plans to perform research or plans to participate in research in the future. CONCLUSIONS: A Research and EBP course is an effective way to improve student perceptions of and confidence in research and EBP, increasing the likelihood of applying these skills to future nursing practice.

Student Perceptions of and Confidence in Self-Care Course Concepts Using Team-based Learning.

Objective. To evaluate changes in student perceptions of and confidence in self-care concepts after completing a team-based learning (TBL) self-care course. Methods. Team-based learning was used at two universities in first professional year, semester-long self-care courses. Two instruments were created and administered before and after the semester. The instruments were designed to assess changes in student perceptions of self-care using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) domains and confidence in learning self-care concepts using Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to evaluate pre/post changes, and Mann Whitney U tests were used to evaluate university differences. Results. Fifty-three Cedarville University and 58 Manchester University students completed both instruments (100% and 92% response rates, respectively). Student self-care perceptions with TPB decreased significantly on nine of 13 items for Cedarville and decreased for one of 13 items for Manchester. Student confidence in self-care concepts improved significantly on all questions for both universities. Conclusion. Data indicate TBL self-care courses were effective in improving student confidence about self-care concepts. Establishing students' skill sets prior to entering the profession is beneficial because pharmacists will use self-directed learning to expand their knowledge and adapt to problem-solving situations.

Fostering Interdisciplinary Communication between Pharmacy and Nursing Students.

Objective. To evaluate pharmacy and nursing student self-perceptions of interdisciplinary communication skills, faculty member perceptions of interdisciplinary communication skills, and changes in those skills after increasing the interdisciplinary education content. Design. Two cohorts of pharmacy and nursing (bachelors of science in nursing, BSN) students in respective, semester-long research courses engaged in active learning on interdisciplinary communication, with the second cohort receiving additional content on the topic. At semester completion, students presented a research project at an interdisciplinary poster session. Assessment. Self-, peer-, and faculty evaluations (4 items; 5-point Likert-type) assessing self-confidence and actual interdisciplinary communication skills were completed during the poster session. Overall, students responded they were "very confident" or "extremely confident" regarding the skills, with greater confidence reported by the second cohort. Faculty members agreed that students exhibited effective interdisciplinary communication skills, with stronger agreement for the second cohort. Conclusion. Including interdisciplinary education and experiences in a curriculum increases students' interdisciplinary communication skills. Using multiple interdisciplinary experiences may result in greater increases in these skills.

Impact of an Aging Simulation Game on Pharmacy Students' Empathy for Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in empathy and perceptions as well as game experiences among student pharmacists participating in an aging simulation game. METHODS: First-year student pharmacists participated in an aging simulation game. Changes were measured pre/post-activity using the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale (KCES) and Jefferson Scale of Empathy--Health Professions Scale (JSE-HPS) for empathy and the Aging Simulation Experience Survey (ASES) for perceptions of older adults' experiences and game experiences. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to determine changes. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-six student pharmacists completed the instruments. Empathy using the KCES and JSE-HPS improved significantly. Of the 13 items in the ASES, 9 significantly improved. CONCLUSION: Simulation games may help students overcome challenges demonstrating empathy and positive attitudes toward elderly patients.

Student Perceptions of Team-based Learning vs Traditional Lecture-based Learning.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pharmacy student perceptions of team-based learning (TBL) vs traditional lecture-based learning formats. METHODS: First professional year pharmacy students (N=111) at two universities used TBL in different courses during different semesters (fall vs spring). Students completed a 22-item team perceptions instrument before and after the fall semester. A 14-item teaching style preference instrument was completed at the end of the spring semester. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Students who experienced TBL in the fall and went back to traditional format in the spring reported improved perceptions of teams and preferred TBL format over a traditional format more than students who experienced a traditional format followed by TBL. Students at both universities agreed that the TBL format assists with critical-thinking, problem-solving, and examination preparation. Students also agreed that teams should consist of individuals with different personalities and learning styles. CONCLUSION: When building teams, faculty members should consider ways to diversify teams by considering different views, perspectives, and strengths. Offering TBL early in the curriculum prior to traditional lecture-based formats is better received by students, as evidenced by anecdotal reports from students possibly because it allows students time to realize the benefits and assist them in building teamwork-related skills.

Impact of the Geriatric Medication Game® on nursing students' empathy and attitudes toward older adults.

BACKGROUND: Nurses should be well-prepared to improve and address health-related needs of older adults, but students may have difficulty understanding and empathizing, as they may not yet have personally experienced aging-related challenges. Simulation games can be used to help students understand the experiences of others, but limited information is available on the impact of simulation experiences on student empathy. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of participation in an aging simulation game on nursing students' empathy and attitudes toward older adults as well as their understanding of patients' experiences in the healthcare system. DESIGN: This study used a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design. SETTING: A school of nursing in the Midwestern United States. PARTICIPANTS: The convenience sample included 58 sophomore-level baccalaureate nursing students. METHODS: Students played the role of an older adult during a 3-hour laboratory aging simulation game, the Geriatric Medication Game® (GMG). Students completed the (1) Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale (KCES, 15 items, 7-point Likert-type), (2) Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions Students (JSE-HPS, 20 items, 7-point Likert-type), and (3) Aging Simulation Experience Survey (13 items, 7-point Likert-type) pre- and post-game to assess study objectives. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were performed in SPSS v.21.0, as the data were normally distributed. RESULTS: Students' empathy (N=58) toward older adults significantly improved overall (KCES p=0.015, JSE-HPS p<0.001). Improvements also were seen on seven out of 13 questions related to attitudes and healthcare understanding (p<0.05). In the post-test, students agreed that they experienced frustration and impatience during the GMG. CONCLUSIONS: Students may not be aware of older adults' feelings and experiences prior to experiencing aging-related changes themselves. Simulation activities, such as the GMG, can be a useful mechanism for addressing empathy and caring during student education.

Validation of an empathy scale in pharmacy and nursing students.

OBJECTIVE: To validate an empathy scale to measure empathy in pharmacy and nursing students. METHODS: A 15-item instrument comprised of the cognitive and affective empathy domains, was created. Each item was rated using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Concurrent validity was demonstrated with the Jefferson Scale of Empathy - Health Professional Students (JSE-HPS). RESULTS: Reliability analysis of data from 216 students (pharmacy, N=158; nursing, N=58) showed that scores on the empathy scale were positively associated with JSE-HPS scores (p<0.001). Factor analysis confirmed that 14 of the 15 items were significantly associated with their respective domain, but the overall instrument had limited goodness of fit. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study demonstrate the reliability and validity of a new scale for evaluating student empathy. Further testing of the scale at other universities is needed to establish validity.

Pilot testing of checklists to discern adverse drug reactions and adverse drug events.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of patient-reported adverse drug events (ADEs)/adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the community pharmacy setting and determine the prevalence relative to pharmacist judgment. DATA SOURCES: The 2009 version of the Pharmacy Times top 200 drugs was used to identify the prescription medications most commonly used within the ambulatory population during 2008. All ADEs/ADRs for each medication were obtained by combining the ADEs/ADRs listed in Drug Facts and Comparisons, Lexi-Comp, and Micromedex. METHODS: Checklists for each pharmacologic class within the top 200 medications (n = 51) were developed, with questions about the five most common ADEs/ADRs in each class. Ten community pharmacies administered the checklists. Patients requesting a prescription refill for a medication listed in the top 200 were asked to complete a class-specific checklist to determine ADEs/ADRs experienced in the previous 4 weeks. Upon completion, pharmacists engaged in routine counseling procedures, including a discussion of patient-reported ADEs/ADRs. Pharmacists indicated if they believed, based on their clinical judgment, whether the ADE/ADR reported was related to the medication. RESULTS: 2,057 checklists were completed, with a total of 10,285 potential ADEs/ADRs. Patients reported 2,185 ADEs/ADRs (21.24%), with 755 (7.3%) definitively confirmed by the pharmacist as being related to their medication. CONCLUSION: Use of these checklists resulted in the identification of previously unrecognized ADEs/ADRs in the community setting. Routine use of these short, patient-completed checklists may assist pharmacists in earlier identification of ADEs/ADRs, which can have a positive impact on patient safety across settings.

A graduate student mentoring program to develop interest in research.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a graduate student mentoring program on student interest in research and postgraduate education and on graduate student confidence in mentoring. METHODS: Undergraduate and pharmacy students (mentees) and graduate students (mentors) were matched and participated in the study, which required them to engage in at least 2 discussions regarding research and careers. Mentees completed a pre- and post-assessment of their perceptions of research, postgraduate training plans, and perceptions about mentors. Mentors completed a pre- and post-assessment of their perceptions about themselves as mentors and their confidence in mentoring. RESULTS: Although there were no significant differences among the mentees' perceptions of research or the mentors' confidence in mentoring, qualitative analysis indicated that the mentees' perceptions of research improved and that the mentors believed their mentoring skills improved. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the qualitative analysis, implementing a graduate student mentoring program may help improve students' perceptions of research and graduate students' confidence in mentoring, which could increase student interest in postgraduate education and prepare mentors for future leadership roles.