Pharmacy Student Knowledge, Confidence and Attitudes Toward Medical Cannabis and Curricular Coverage.

Objective. To assess pharmacy student confidence in their knowledge of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis use in the US and their attitudes toward curricular coverage of medical cannabis. Methods. Students were asked to complete an electronic survey to measure knowledge and confidence in various domains of medical cannabis treatment, including qualifying conditions, adverse effects, and other patient care skills. Results. There were 238 students who completed the survey. Responses to all domains and their corresponding confidence levels displayed a lack in confidence. The only domain wherein students had confidence in was their ability to retrieve related drug information. Nearly 80% of students felt that the topic of medical cannabis should be added to existing curricula within the next five years. Conclusion. With the prevalence of cannabis programs and knowledge gap, pharmacy schools should consider coverage of medical cannabis in the curricula.

Criteria for evaluating global health partnerships in colleges of pharmacy and health sciences.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The demand for international experiences as part of education and training for healthcare providers continues to increase. As schools/colleges of pharmacy increase training opportunities in global health, there is a demand for a strategic way to evaluate opportunities. Evaluation tools can be utilized to facilitate this type of assessment. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: The purpose of this article is to highlight two different international experiential education site evaluation tools, discuss lessons learned when applying these tools in the field, and outline steps for a college of pharmacy to create their own tool to meet institution specific needs. FINDINGS: The involvement of key stakeholders is important to developing an evaluation tool. Identification and prioritization of key criteria for assessing partnerships is essential. There are many criteria and each institution may consider a unique set of criteria, the most appropriate way to evaluate these, and who should be completing this evaluation. DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY: An evaluation tool may serve as a framework of discussion for new and existing international partnerships. The use of a global partnership evaluation tool allows for a more consistent discussion when deciding if the partnership is appropriate for both parties, helps the involved faculty know what criteria are required to be evaluated and outlines what resources should be considered.

Comparison of electronic versus paper rubrics to assess patient counseling experiences in a skills-based lab course.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To evaluate an electronic counseling rubric to facilitate timely student feedback and explore differences in student performance, student anxiety, and self-perceived preparedness in a high stakes practical exam when using a paper rubric versus an electronic rubric. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Two cohorts of students in the third professional year were evaluated using the same rubric criteria: cohort 1 (n = 97) used traditional paper rubrics and cohort 2 (n = 104) used electronic rubrics. Cohorts were surveyed to measure anxiety and perceived preparedness in patient counseling skills one week prior to a practical exam, and cohort responses were compared. Student practical exam performance was also compared between the two cohorts. FINDINGS: Results showed no significant relationship between electronic rubric use and student anxiety (p = 0.07) or student exam performance [average score 53.42 points (SD 3.65) and 53.93 points (SD 3.78) in Cohort 1 and Cohort 2, respectively]. Perceived exam preparedness was higher among students using electronic rubrics, with timing of feedback being the mediating process in increasing preparedness (p < 0.01). DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY: Electronic rubrics resulted in more timely feedback on patient counseling skills, and students felt more prepared for their practical exam. This did not result in a significant difference in practical exam performance between the two cohorts. Additional methods to incorporate electronic rubrics into the course will be explored.

Teaching clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills using human patient simulation.

This paper discusses using human patient simulation (HPS) to expose students to complex dynamic patient cases that require clinical judgment, problem-solving skills, and teamwork skills for success. An example of an HPS exercise used to teach multifaceted clinical concepts in a therapeutics course also is provided.

Reinforcing cultural competency concepts during introductory pharmacy practice experiences.

OBJECTIVES: To incorporate cultural competency concepts into various introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPE) at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, School of Pharmacy. DESIGN: A 6-week series, titled "Becoming a Culturally Competent Provider" was developed to provide IPPE students with the opportunity to apply theory regarding cultural competency in a clinical context. ASSESSMENT: Pre- and post-intervention attitude survey instruments were administered to 25 students in the spring semester of 2009. Several activities within the series were associated with reflection exercises. Student presentations were evaluated and formal feedback was provided by faculty members. A course evaluation was administered to evaluate the series and determine areas of improvement. CONCLUSION: A special series on cultural competency resulted in positive changes in students' attitudes, highlighting the importance of reinforcing cultural competency concepts during IPPEs.

High-fidelity patient simulation series to supplement introductory pharmacy practice experiences.

OBJECTIVE: To introduce a high-fidelity simulation series into a 5-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum to demonstrate a hybrid model for introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) delivery. DESIGN: Fourth-year pharmacy students at a satellite campus participated in a 6-week high-fidelity patient simulation series in which small groups of students worked with members of a patient care team to care for patients in the following scenarios: asthma exacerbation, acute decompensated heart failure, and infective endocarditis with a subsequent anaphylactic reaction to the antibiotic. Fourth-year pharmacy students at the main campus who did not participate in the simulation served as a comparator group. ASSESSMENT: Students' scores on a knowledge-based post-simulation quiz were significantly higher than scores on the presimulation quiz (p < 0.05). Knowledge retention was significantly higher among the simulation participants than students in the comparator group (p = 0.004). The majority (76%) of students felt more confident "making clinical recommendations to a healthcare provider" after completing the simulation series (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: High-fidelity patient simulation is an effective active-learning strategy to augment IPPEs that allows students to apply clinical skills in a realistic but low-risk patient care setting.