Ghosts and Ghosting in Digital Communications.

Ghosting, professionally and personally, occurs when there is an abrupt end to communication between 2 individuals without any explanation or when an individual does not follow through on commitments to others associated with their communication. The increase in the available communication channels and speed at which messages can now be transmitted between individuals is resulting in a greater incidence of ghosting or perceived ghosting in our colleges/schools of pharmacy. The impact of ghosting is the disruption of effective communication and communication strategies that are essential to the development of positive and thriving cultures and subcultures in our institutions. The causes of ghosting (real or perceived) in our pharmacy academy could be attributed to increased workload and speed of communication, increased workload and productivity expectations, and increased workload and information volume. The consequences of ghosting in our colleges/schools can result in decreased psychological safety in our cultures, adversely impacting individual well-being, resiliency, grit, and satisfaction and adversely impacting student academic performance and success. There are simple steps that individuals and institutions can implement to minimize ghosting or the perception of ghosting that may occur with online communication channels used by our faculty, staff, students, and outside individuals.

Shackleton's Successful Failure: Lessons for the Academy.

Leadership is many things. It is fun, exciting, rewarding, and oftentimes, it can be challenging. Those challenges, especially within higher education and pharmacy, have been well documented and the turbulent times are likely to continue. It is therefore important to consider how leaders learn to lead. Within this article, the authors explore learning leadership and applying the leadership principles of a leader who led what can best be defined as a successful failure, Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition to the South Pole. The well-documented journey of the Endurance did not meet its goals but instead endured a nearly 2-year odyssey during which survival was the goal. The success was measured in that not a soul was lost during this 2-year period. The success of the Endurance measured by the return of the entire crew has been linked to the leadership of Ernest Shackleton and his approaches to leadership as relates to his attributes, work with individuals, and work on the culture of the crew. The leadership lessons from Shackleton can provide useful insights toward successful leadership in contemporary higher and pharmacy education.

Pharmacists must take an active role as citizen scientists.

Science is a process by which society advances knowledge of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and testing of theories based on evidence. This process forms the foundation of the biomedical, clinical, and social sciences, which together provide an ever-changing knowledge base for health care professionals, like pharmacists, to use to provide evidence-based care to patients and communities. Yet, despite the essential and integrated application of science to improve health-related knowledge and care delivery, the utility and viability of science itself are under threat. Science as a broad discipline continues to be subject to politicization, misinformation, and persisting inequities among its beneficiaries. Science remains the subject of disparate perspectives regarding its societal benefits and expected roles. Pharmacists, given their education, training, and earned trust, can help to address these challenges by engagement as citizen scientists. Citizen scientists, through involvement with related initiatives, promote and advance all aspects of the public good, which are essential to the continued smooth functioning of our society. Pharmacists are well positioned to be engaged in various citizen scientist roles available in their communities that promote the public good economically, politically, and culturally. Involvement in citizen science activities is not without personal cost. This can be challenging, depending upon the level of involvement. It might take time away from other desired activities and generate perceived deficits of self-efficacy. Yet pharmacists who engage in the process of scientific discovery at any level as citizen scientists can experience personal and professional benefits, engage with other members of their communities, and provide an opportunity to serve as role models to others considering a career in pharmacy.

Recommitting to AACP Engaged Governance for the Common Good: Report of the 50th Anniversary Commission to Reimagine the AACP House of Delegates.

The 50th Anniversary Commission to Reimagine the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) House of Delegates (HOD Commission) was charged to consider and recommend changes to the AACP Board of Directors and AACP HOD regarding a broad range of issues related to the HOD. The 2021-2022 HOD Commission met virtually many times throughout the year as 2 sub-groups and a full commission, using Basecamp for shared documents and timelines, and it provided interim reports to the Board of Directors in November and February. A survey of 2022 delegates was developed and administered; responses from 163 delegates informed final recommendations as described in the report. The HOD Commission affirms the need for and purpose of AACP's HOD and urges that all schools/colleges of pharmacy recommit to engaged governance for the common good.

Envisioning the Future of Student Success: Report of the 2022-2023 AACP Student Affairs Standing Committee.

Over the past several years, traditional metrics have indicated declining student success within colleges and schools of pharmacy. Though students may be less well-prepared for professional school than in years past, once candidates are admitted to our institutions, we have a responsibility to effectively support their progression through the program. The 2022-2023 Student Affairs Committee was convened to evaluate and advance the construct of student success within Doctor of Pharmacy programs. The Student Affairs Committee was charged with identifying environmental factors affecting the ability of pharmacy students to be successful; determining how colleges and schools of pharmacy are currently meeting needs related to student progress; conducting a literature review to determine what academic support measures minimize attrition; and developing innovative suggestions and recommendations that better support student success. To accomplish this work, we conducted an extensive literature review and synthesis of evidence, engaged in professional networking across the Academy, and administered a wide-ranging student success survey to all colleges and schools of pharmacy. In this report, we explore the complex and interacting systems that affect learning behavior and academic success and offer a novel, comprehensive description of how the Academy is currently responding to challenges of academic and student success. Additionally, we envision the future of student success, offering 7 recommendations to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and 5 suggestions to members of the Academy to advance this vision.

Addressing an Uncertain Future With a Culture of Psychological Safety.

Faculty, staff, and administrators in our pharmacy colleges and schools work in well-known organizational structures that form the foundations for cultures and subcultures. The importance of promoting a positive culture and subculture is a frequent discussion in our own institutions and across the academy. However, the impact of these cultures and subcultures on individual and collective success and how they influence inclusion and innovation in our organizations are often not considered in these conversations. Psychological safety promotes an environment in an organization where an individual feels included in the culture or subculture; is safe to learn; is safe to contribute; and is safe to challenge the status quo all without the fear of being embarrassed, marginalized, or penalized in some way. Psychological safety is the foundation for enabling learning, innovation, and change in our colleges and schools of pharmacy. This commentary will highlight elements of cultures and subcultures, the importance of fostering a psychologically safe environment in our colleges and schools, and suggestions for success.

Advancing Systems Citizenship in Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy.

The pharmacy academy works collectively to serve the educational needs of diverse stakeholders by promulgating expectations for professional programs to achieve standards for both practice and professional development. Building systems thinking into the learning process, with its associative benefits to postgraduate preparation and lifelong practice, offers a pathway to achieve this educational mission. The concept of systems citizenship has been suggested as a process for helping health professional students incorporate a meaningful professional identity and responsibly seek out an understanding of the connections between patients, communities, and the larger institutions and environments that affect each. Drawing on the discipline of systems thinking, the student and pharmacist learn to be effective locally by thinking globally. Systems thinking, a basis for effective citizenship, is a proactive and shared approach to problem-solving that integrates professional identity with the goal of closing gaps in care. Pharmacy colleges/schools provide an opportune forum for educating professional students and postgraduates with the knowledge, skills, and abilities critical to becoming valuable and contributing systems citizens.

Considering Retention and Curricula in Reframing Pharmacy Enrollment Challenges.

Enrollment in pharmacy education has been a topic of extensive discussions as the number of applications has declined. Some pharmacy programs have either not met enrollment goals or decreased incoming class sizes. This Commentary poses two questions that we must ask ourselves as an Academy. First, is it possible to realistically do more to recruit our way out of this situation in the next three to five years and beyond. Second, how, if possible, will pharmacy colleges and schools avoid the significant and transformative forces that could impact higher education in the future. Forces that are impacting higher education include changing demographics, transitioning from an industrial-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, and the continuing advances in technology with increased globalization as a component of all three of these forces. To address these questions, the concepts of student retention and success as well as considerations for reframing current curricular and pedagogical models and beliefs are challenged. In that pharmacy enrollment challenges are not likely to be easily resolved in the next few years, the Academy must place additional emphasis on issues related to student success and the design of our educational models and programs.

The Privilege of Providing Patient Care.

Pharmacists are in a unique place to provide care to those in need. The pharmacist is sought after by patients and/or their family members to help them achieve positive health outcomes. The pharmacists providing this care in various practice settings are struggling with issues leading to stress, burnout, and decreased valuation of the profession. To help pharmacists and future pharmacists deal with these challenges, I propose the concept of the privilege of care and explain how the privilege of care, from the perspective of a pharmacist or healthcare provider, is the privilege to provide care and help those in need.

Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education 2013 educational outcomes.

An initiative of the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (formerly the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education) (CAPE), the CAPE Educational Outcomes are intended to be the target toward which the evolving pharmacy curriculum should be aimed. Their development was guided by an advisory panel composed of educators and practitioners nominated for participation by practitioner organizations. CAPE 2013 represents the fourth iteration of the Educational Outcomes, preceded by CAPE 1992, CAPE 1998 and CAPE 2004 respectively. The CAPE 2013 Educational Outcomes were released at the AACP July 2013 Annual meeting and have been revised to include 4 broad domains, 15 subdomains, and example learning objectives.

Roles of innovation in education delivery.

This paper reviews trends in higher education, characterizing both the current learning environments in pharmacy education as well as a vision for future learning environments, and outlines a strategy for successful implementation of innovations in educational delivery. The following 3 areas of focus are addressed: (1) rejecting the use of the majority of classroom time for the simple transmission of factual information to students; (2) challenging students to think critically, communicate lucidly, and synthesize broadly in order to solve problems; and (3) adopting a philosophy of "evidence-based education" as a core construct of instructional innovation and reform.

Assessment of pharmacy manpower and services in West Virginia.

BACKGROUND: The shortage of pharmacists across the nation has been much publicized and has been identified as one of the reasons for new schools of pharmacy to open or for existing colleges and schools of pharmacy to increase their class sizes. This article represents the assessment of a new school of pharmacy's evaluation of staffing and practice in its geographic area. OBJECTIVE: This survey represents the first data point within the School of Pharmacy assessment plan and will be repeated at several intervals after the program opens to longitudinally evaluate its impact on pharmacy staffing and services within West Virginia. METHODS: Using a modified Dillman survey methodology a random sample of 548 pharmacists in West Virginia, approximately one-third the active roster, were surveyed regarding staffing and services in West Virginia. RESULTS: A response rate of 32.78% was achieved and findings indicated that there is a staffing shortage of pharmacists within West Virginia, that staffing impacts the services pharmacists provide, and that more pharmacists would be willing to offer disease management services if staffing levels were at appropriate levels. CONCLUSIONS: A shortage of pharmacists does exist in West Virginia and it has implications on patient care. Longitudinal evaluation of the impact of a new pharmacy program will be conducted and the staffing and services within West Virginia should be continued to be studied.