ABSTRACT
Objective. To characterize the religiosity and spirituality of final year pharmacy students and examine the impact on performance in pharmacy school and future practice. Methods. An electronic survey was sent to 308 students in their final year of pharmacy school at four universities (two private and two public institutions). Results. There were 141 respondents to the survey for a response rate of 46%. Key findings are religiosity/spirituality did not impact academic performance, students felt supported in their spiritual/religious beliefs, religiosity/spirituality had a positive impact on students' emotional/mental well-being, attending pharmacy school decreased organized religion, less than half of the students would work for a pharmacy not allowing the "right to refuse to dispense," students felt religiosity/spirituality could affect health/medication adherence, and most students were not familiar with how to conduct a spiritual assessment. Conclusion. Pharmacy schools should find ways to acknowledge and support religiosity/spirituality for pharmacy students and for promoting holistic patient well-being.
Subject(s)
Religion , Spirituality , Students, Pharmacy/psychology , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To add an objective standardized clinical examination (OSCE) to a nonprescription medication elective and assess the impact on students' knowledge, skills, and satisfaction. DESIGN: A nonprescription medicine elective was altered to incorporate more active learning and skill-assessment measures. Small group recitation sessions were added to review didactic material from a prior required nonprescription medicine course, and an objective standardized clinical examination was used to assess skills. ASSESSMENT: Thirty-four students completed the 3-case OSCE with an average grade of 88%. The standardized patients expressed differences in their satisfaction with the student pharmacists' care by ranking the students' overall performance. Students' grades for the course and course evaluations were similar to the previous year. CONCLUSION: The addition of the OSCE to the elective course provided students with an enhanced mechanism for evaluation of their self-care education and skill development.
Subject(s)
Clinical Competence , Education, Pharmacy/methods , Nonprescription Drugs , Students, Pharmacy , Arkansas , Educational Measurement , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Personal Satisfaction , Schools, Medical , Self CareABSTRACT
The development, planning, implementation, and integration of a nonprescription medication (self-care) experience into an existing community advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy is described. The APPE will provide enhanced self-care education and skill development for students in response to the new Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards and Guidelines for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree, which will take effect in July 2007. A description of the Advanced Community Pharmacy Over-The-Counter APPE is provided along with insights gleaned from the faculty involved.
