Mining for Retention Gems and Unearthing Identity and Belonging.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between first-year retention and variables related to professional engagement and professional, academic, and personal identities. METHODS: This study evaluated data from 3 cohorts of students at a private 0-6 college of pharmacy. A theoretical and conceptual framework linking professional identity and retention informed the study. Professional engagement scores from the first semester of pharmacy school served as a surrogate of professional identity. Grade point average (GPA) and traditional demographic variables (eg, gender, race/ethnicity, in-state resident) served as surrogates of academic and personal identities, respectively. Logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between first-year retention and identity variables. RESULTS: Belonging, a domain of professional engagement, was positively related to first-year retention. In multivariable models, belonging and cumulative GPA were associated with increased odds of retention, while in-state status was associated with decreased odds. In separate models for those with GPA ≥3.00, and<3.00, belonging was associated with first-year retention in both. Belonging was also associated with first-semester retention, but not second-semester retention. CONCLUSION: A decision to leave a Doctor of Pharmacy program is complex, but the vast majority of the literature in pharmacy education appears to focus most intently on academic variables, including GPA. This study demonstrates that belonging, an important element in professional identity formation, remains related to first-year retention, even after controlling for grades and other personal variables. This finding unearths several theory-informed gems and strategies that educators may employ to enhance retention.

Evaluation of a pharmacist-run antiarrhythmic clinic in an ambulatory practice.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of a pharmacist-run antiarrhythmic clinic in an outpatient practice. SETTING: Blanchard Valley Medical Associates (BVMA) in Findlay, OH. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: BVMA is a 15-physician private practice with five pharmacists on staff who run several disease management clinics. PRACTICE INNOVATION: Patients receiving amiodarone or sotalol are referred to a pharmacist-run antiarrhythmic clinic within an outpatient physicians' office. The pharmacist is responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and reviewing results with patients. EVALUATION: A retrospective chart review was conducted to compare adherence to monitoring protocols between patients referred to the pharmacist-run clinic and patients managed solely by physicians, and to evaluate the type and frequency of pharmacist-initiated interventions. Patients had received antiarrhythmic treatment for at least 6 months before the beginning of the retrospective review. RESULTS: A total of 130 patient charts were reviewed. Adherence for each recommended testing parameter for patients on amiodarone and sotalol was significantly higher among patients managed by a pharmacist, compared with usual care. A total of 62 adverse events were detected, and 39 interventions were made by the pharmacist group. CONCLUSION: Patients with pharmacist monitoring of outpatient antiarrhythmic medications had greater adherence to recommended testing protocols compared with usual care.