Innovative Ideas, Strategies, and Resources to Attract Students to the Pharmacy Profession: Report of the 2023-2024 AACP Student Affairs Committee.

Over the past two decades, the academy has witnessed an increase in new colleges and schools of pharmacy and simultaneously a decrease in student applications, resulting in a decline in enrollment across most institutions. Although the number of students pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree has been dropping, the academy is responsible for bolstering recruitment to effectively prepare a robust pharmacy workforce to care for our ever-growing and complex patient populations. The 2023-2024 Student Affairs Committee (SAC) was convened to explore new ideas, develop innovative strategies, and gather supportive resources that can be utilized by colleges and schools of pharmacy to attract students to the pharmacy profession. The SAC was charged with developing a framework for a video mini-series that utilizes the art of storytelling to promote the pharmacy profession to prospective students. Secondarily, the SAC was charged with developing a plan to engage with students who apply but do not ultimately get accepted into non-pharmacy health professions programs and consider recommendations for targeting pharmacy technicians to pursue a PharmD degree. To accomplish this work, we created videos and proposed other innovative tools and flexible pathways to assist in recruiting students into the pharmacy profession. We also conducted a literature and website review, engaged in professional networking across the academy, and proposed best practices to enhance student recruitment. Additionally, we offered eight recommendations to AACP and seven suggestions to colleges and schools of pharmacy to attract students to the pharmacy profession. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The academy has seen a decrease in student applications, leading to lower enrollment at most institutions. The 2023-2024 Student Affairs Committee (SAC) was chargedto develop new strategies and resources to attract students to pharmacy programs. We created videos and other tools, proposing flexible pathways to aid recruitment. We provided eight recommendations to AACP and seven suggestions to colleges and schools of pharmacy to help attract students to the profession.

Utilization of active learning approaches in medicinal chemistry and subsequent correlations with North American Licensure Examination and Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment scores.

INTRODUCTION: Student perceptions of active learning methods in medicinal chemistry education and correlation of those perceptions with academic performance measures have not been well studied. METHODS: Perceived usefulness of six active-learning activities (study guides, team activities, assignments/quizzes, make your own questions, and two types of in-class live polls) was evaluated by survey. Correlations between perceived usefulness, active-learning activity grade, course grade, first-time North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) score, and Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) score were examined. RESULTS: Students perceived study guides as the most preferred activity while in-class live polls were least preferred. However, students agreed that all methods were useful to varying degrees. Although no significant correlation was seen between perceived utility of active-learning and course grades, positive correlations were observed between active-learning grades and NAPLEX (0.32), active-learning grades and PCOA (0.311), course grades and PCOA (0.449), and course grades and NAPLEX (0.483). Furthermore, correlation of PCOA and NAPLEX scores (0.456) was in line with previously published studies. CONCLUSIONS: Students found active-learning approaches to be useful to varying degrees. Active-learning activity and course grades had moderate, positive correlations with both NAPLEX and PCOA scores, suggesting that these active-learning activities may contribute to success on standardized exams.

Appropriateness of Term Limits for Administrative Appointments in Pharmacy Programs.

The appropriateness of term limits for administrative appointments is a subject of much discussion, not just within pharmacy programs, but in organizations of all types. The prospect of term limits for involves a wide variety of important organizational issues, including succession planning, institutional memory, strategic decision-making, and concepts regarding leadership styles overall. This paper examines both sides of the debate regarding the appropriateness of term limits for administrative appointments. Arguments supporting term limits include the ability for strategic changes in the diversity of leaders as well as a more focused effort on continuous quality improvement. The arguments against term limits focus around the need for stability and the time involved in the development of effective leaders.

Recent Developments and Future Directions of Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations.

PURPOSE: The goal of this article was to review the key clinical trials that resulted in the recent recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to vaccinate all adults aged ≥65 years with the 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in addition to the previously recommended 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23). METHODS: Pertinent articles were identified through searches of EMBASE and MEDLINE by using the terms pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, and PCV13. Searches were limited to articles published between January 1, 2013, and January 31, 2015, and were limited to clinical trials. Resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ACIP recommendations and cited references were also reviewed. FINDINGS: Recent clinical trials have focused on the order of administration of PPSV23 and PCV13, comparisons in immunogenicity of PPSV23 and PCV13, and efficacy of PCV13 in adults aged ≥65 years. Immunogenicity trials have shown that PCV13 elicits an equal or greater immune response than PPSV23 for most of the serotypes that both vaccines share. The evidence suggests that PCV13 should be administered before PPSV23 when possible. Most recently, clinical data demonstrated the efficacy of PCV13 in adults aged ≥65 years. IMPLICATIONS: Recent randomized clinical trials and disease trends have prompted the ACIP to recommend that all adults aged ≥65 years receive a single dose of PCV13. This is in addition to the previous recommended single dose of PPSV23 in the same population. The ACIP and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plan to monitor disease trends and clinical data to determine if this recommendation will need to be changed in the future.