Building Interprofessional Competencies Through a Collaborative Prescribing Activity With Osteopathic, Pharmacy, and Physician Assistant Students.

Introduction: Medication errors can lead to significant adverse events. Nearly 50% of medication errors occur during the prescription-writing stage of the medication use process, and effective interprofessional collaboration and communication are key to reducing error in this process. Methods: We developed a three-part, 60-minute, interprofessional education activity providing medical, physician assistant, and pharmacy students the opportunity to practice collegial interprofessional communication surrounding prescribing practices. Learners met virtually initially as a large group and divided into small groups facilitated by a health professional. Part 1 involved reviewing two prescriptions prepared by learners; part 2 was a discussion about the education, roles, and responsibilities of each profession; and part 3 focused on identifying prescription errors in examples provided by faculty. Students completed a post-pre survey measuring their perception of learning the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS) areas. Results: Of 317 participants (151 doctor of osteopathy, 68 master of physician assistant studies, and 98 doctor of pharmacy students), 286 completed the post-pre survey, for a 90% response rate. Students reported statistically significant (p < .001) increases in all 20 questions spanning the six ICCAS areas. Discussion: The virtual format allowed multiple institutions to participate from various locations. It broadened the learners' experience by fostering interaction among those with varied perspectives and allowed collaboration between locations and programs that otherwise could not have participated. The activity introduced students to virtual collaboration and key telehealth skills, enhancing their confidence and familiarity with virtual interactions in a professional setting.

Curricular addition of pharmacy robbery education.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pharmacy robberies are a common occurrence. From 2010 to 2019, there were over 7500 prescription drug-related armed robbery incidents in the United States. A lecture on pharmacy robbery was added to the pharmacy curriculum in 2017 at Butler University. The primary objective of this study was to assess whether the pharmacy robbery lecture given during the first year of the pharmacy program is adequate, with a secondary objective comparing the results of this survey to one conducted prior to the curricular addition. This information provides an opportunity for schools of pharmacy to consider adding or enhancing drug diversion content into their curriculum. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: A cross-sectional survey of all students enrolled in each professional year of the Doctor of Pharmacy program was conducted spring 2022 to collect information on pharmacy students' knowledge and experience regarding community pharmacy robberies and their perceptions of the pharmacy robbery education in the curriculum. FINDINGS: A total of 285 of 407 students responded for a 70% response rate. More than half (53.5%) feel the pharmacy robbery education received is adequate and 63.9% feel prepared to properly manage a pharmacy robbery situation. The survey asked two pharmacy robbery knowledge-based questions and most students selected the correct response to both (89.9% and 97.8%). More than one-fourth (27.1%) of the respondents reported that the pharmacy they work/worked at had been robbed. When asked if students considered changing their career path because of pharmacy robberies, 9% responded yes. SUMMARY: Pharmacy robbery still exists, and having proper education helps students prepare for and handle community pharmacy robbery situations.

A historical overview of IPPE program administrators' roles and responsibilities at US colleges and schools of pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this research was to determine changes in introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) program administrators' demographics, roles, and responsibilities over time, and reflect on internal and external forces resulting in these shifts. This information provides an opportunity for schools to improve functioning of their IPPE administrative offices. METHODS: A 2020 web-based questionnaire was sent to IPPE program administrators at 141 fully accredited and candidate status colleges and schools of pharmacy (hereafter referred to as schools). The responses were compared to previously published results from similar surveys in 2008 and in 2013. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen IPPE administrators responded to the 2020 questionnaire for an 80% response rate. A comparative analysis of the data from 2008, 2013, and 2020 revealed a decrease in average class size and changes over time in six administrative areas. These areas included IPPE administrator responsibilities, position types, primary administrator's time devoted to IPPE administration, utilization of a programmatic decision-making committee, inclusion on the school's executive committee, and the number of clerical fulltime equivalents utilized in managing IPPE programs. CONCLUSIONS: A comparison of data from three studies revealed significant trends in six areas of IPPE administration over time. The primary drivers of change appear to be workload, fluctuating class sizes, and programmatic costs.

National Survey Exploring Drug Screening in Pharmacy Programs.

Objective. To explore drug screening programs, including requirements, policies, and procedures among pharmacy programs; frequency of drug-related incidents; and types of substances misused by pharmacy students. Methods. IRB-approved web-based and paper surveys were sent to pharmacy deans, experiential education faculty, and student affairs personnel at 135 US ACPE-accredited and candidate status programs. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used to analyze the data, identify relationships and draw conclusions. Results. Administrators from 98 programs responded (73% response rate). Sixty-one percent reported implementing a urine drug screen requirement for students, with a 10-panel screen as the most common required screen (72%). Ninety-three percent of programs require students to pay for the screen, with costs averaging $42 per screen. Programs reported an average of 2.2 substance-related events per 100 students annually, with alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, opioids and benzodiazepines most commonly involved. Schools that do not screen reported twice as many incidents as those that screen. Conclusion. A drug screening program can deter pharmacy students from inappropriate substance use. The results from this study can assist pharmacy administrators in evaluating the need to institute or enhance a drug screening program at their school or college of pharmacy.

National trends in IPPE programs at US schools of pharmacy from 2008-2013.

OBJECTIVE: To determine trends and challenges in introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) programs from 2008-2013. METHODS: In 2013, a web-based survey was sent to IPPE program administrators at 107 fully accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy. The survey addressed administrative personnel, program structure, and quality assurance issues. RESULTS: Sixty-nine IPPE administrators responded to the survey (64.5% response rate). Within the past 5 years, 4 significant trends occurred in the area of administrative personnel, 7 trends in program structure, and 6 in quality assurance. CONCLUSION: Clarifications of ACPE Standards through new guidelines and policy statements likely influence many of the 17 trends. Understaffed programs, competition for institutional sites, difficulty conducting site visits, preceptor training, program assessment, documentation maintenance, and individual site requirements are all challenges. The results of this study can be used as a stimulus to address ongoing issues and to enhance the quality of IPPE programs.