Assessing Students' Impressions of the Cultural Awareness of Pharmacy Faculty and Students.

Objective. To determine pharmacy students' impressions of their faculty's interactions with diverse student and patient populations. Methods. Three student focus groups were convened. Eighty-four page transcripts were coded, and emergent themes were identified by qualitative analysis. Results. Students defined diversity as multidimensional beyond traditional categories. Emergent themes were faculty awareness or lack of awareness of cultural diversity, disparate cultural perspectives and preferences within student groups, teaching/learning approaches to prepare students to be more culturally competent, and student group dynamics. First- and second-year students emphasized student-to-student interactions, while third- and fourth-year students emphasized a lack of preparation for the realities of contemporary practice based on instructional methods. Conclusion. Students perceived the majority of their pharmacy faculty to be culturally sensitive and aware, but microaggression and discrimination from faculty and student peers were experienced. Study implications can potentially improve curricular offerings, cultural awareness of faculty and students, and care to diverse patient populations.

Assessing outcomes and perceived benefits of a professional development seminar series.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of alumni who were enrolled in a professional development seminar series during their doctor of pharmacy program. DESIGN: A weekly development seminar series was administered over 5 semesters with the goal of bringing academic advisees together to help develop performance-based abilities, prepare them for entry into the profession after graduation, and provide exposure to different career opportunities. ASSESSMENT: A survey instrument containing 39 Likert-type scale items, 2 open-ended questions, and a 10-item demographic survey was created and content-validated to assess the effect of the seminar series on alumni advisees' perceived outcomes and professional development since their graduation. The survey was electronically forwarded to advisees from the graduating classes of 2005 to 2012, and response data was collected with Qualtrics, a web-based survey service. A total of 36 percent of alumni responded to the survey. Respondents cited exposure to career alternatives and opportunities, development of presentation and communication skills, networking, and the importance of advisor/mentor relationships as benefits of the seminar series. CONCLUSION: The professional development seminar series has demonstrated a positive impact on alumni advisees' career development and professional outcomes, most notably relating to career path exposure, communication skills, and advisor/mentor relationships.

Engaging external senior faculty members as faculty mentors.

A small nonprofit private college with limited resources and a high proportion of junior faculty developed a nontraditional external faculty mentor program in the summer of 2011 in response to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) faculty survey data regarding the professional development needs of pharmacy faculty members. Experienced faculty members with national reputations from other colleges and schools of pharmacy were hired as consultants to serve as mentors for assigned faculty members. Program goals were to provide directed, individual mentorship for pharmacy practice and basic science faculty members, expand peer review of faculty teaching prowess, and enhance monthly faculty development programming. The latter was based upon the specific needs assessment of the faculty. Program outcomes reported will include faculty satisfaction (AACP faculty survey data) changes over time, achievement of board certification for clinical faculty members and other credentialing, and other benchmarks, eg, publications, grant funding, service engagement (site development, professional organizations), after the implementation of the nontraditional faculty-mentoring program.

The 4-year evolution of a social and behavioral pharmacy course.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of 3 sequential course revisions on student performance in and perceived value of a social science-based course. DESIGN: The initial revision emphasized study of the primary literature and traditional assessments of student learning. Subsequent course revisions emphasized active learning and reflective assessment methodologies. ASSESSMENT: The syllabi, grade distributions, and course evaluations were collected at baseline and after each revision and compared. Student performance in and their perceived value of the course declined after the initial course revision, but significantly improved after subsequent revisions with performance measures returning to baseline. CONCLUSION: Positioning social science-based courses as a bridge to practice while using active-learning techniques to deliver content had a positive impact on students' perceived value of this Social and Behavioral Pharmacy course without compromising performance measures.

The influence of faculty mentors on junior pharmacy faculty members' career decisions.

OBJECTIVE. To assess junior faculty members' perceptions regarding the impact of past faculty-mentoring relationships in their career decisions, including the decision to pursue postgraduate training and ultimately an academic career. METHODS. A mixed-mode survey instrument was developed and an invitation to participate in the survey was sent to 2,634 pharmacy faculty members designated as assistant professors in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) directory data. RESULTS. Usable responses were received from 1,059 pharmacy faculty members. Approximately 59% of respondents indicated that they had received encouragement from 1 or more faculty mentors that was very or extremely influential in their decision to pursue postgraduate training. Mentor and mentee pharmacy training characteristics and postgraduate training paths tended to be similar. US pharmacy degree earners rated the likelihood that they would have pursued an academic career without mentor encouragement significantly lower than did their foreign pharmacy and nonpharmacy degree colleagues (p = 0.006, p = 0.021, respectively). CONCLUSIONS. For the majority of junior pharmacy faculty members, faculty mentoring received prior to completing their doctor of pharmacy degree or nonpharmacy undergraduate degree influenced their subsequent career decisions.

Comparison of learning styles of pharmacy students and faculty members.

OBJECTIVES: To compare dominant learning styles of pharmacy students and faculty members and between faculty members in different tracks. METHODS: Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) and Zubin's Pharmacists' Inventory of Learning Styles (PILS) were administered to students and faculty members at an urban, Midwestern college of pharmacy. RESULTS: Based on responses from 299 students (classes of 2008, 2009, and 2010) and 59 faculty members, GSD styles were concrete sequential (48%), abstract sequential (18%), abstract random (13%), concrete random (13%), and multimodal (8%). With PILS, dominant styles were assimilator (47%) and converger (30%). There were no significant differences between faculty members and student learning styles nor across pharmacy student class years (p>0.05). Learning styles differed between men and women across both instruments (p<0.01), and between faculty members in tenure and clinical tracks for the GSD styles (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Learning styles differed among respondents based on gender and faculty track.

A critical appraisal of and recommendations for faculty development.

The 2009-2010 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Council of Faculties Faculty Affairs Committee reviewed published literature assessing the scope and outcomes of faculty development for tenure and promotion. Relevant articles were identified via a PubMed search, review of pharmacy education journals, and identification of position papers from major healthcare professions academic organizations. While programs intended to enhance faculty development were described by some healthcare professions, relatively little specific to pharmacy has been published and none of the healthcare professions have adequately evaluated the impact of various faculty-development programs on associated outcomes.The paucity of published information strongly suggests a lack of outcomes-oriented faculty-development programs in colleges and schools of pharmacy. Substantial steps are required toward the development and scholarly evaluation of faculty-development programs. As these programs are developed and assessed, evaluations must encompass all faculty subgroups, including tenure- and nontenure track faculty members, volunteer faculty members, women, and underrepresented minorities. This paper proposes AACP, college and school, and department-level recommendations intended to ensure faculty success in achieving tenure and promotion.

Guest speakers in a professional development seminar series.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact guest speakers have on student development in a professional development seminar series. DESIGN: Over a 5-semester period, presentations were given by 18 guest speakers as part of a professional development seminar series. ASSESSMENT: A 28-item survey instrument was constructed and administered to 68 students to assess the impact of the guest speakers on the students' professional development. Forty-six (68%) students completed the survey instrument, and the results demonstrated the value of the guest speakers, most notably in the areas of career development and professional responsibility. CONCLUSION: Exposing pharmacy students to guest speakers from varied pharmacy career paths positively impacted students' knowledge of career options and professional development.

An instrument to evaluate pharmacists' patient counseling on herbal and dietary supplements.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a measure of pharmacists' patient counseling on herbal and dietary supplements. METHODS: A systematic process was used for item generation, testing, and validation of a measure of pharmacists counseling on herbal and dietary supplements. Because a pharmacist-patient encounter may or may not identify an indication for taking an herb or dietary supplement, the instrument was bifurcated into 2 distinct components: (1) patient counseling in general; and (2) patient counseling related to herbal and dietary supplements. RESULTS: The instrument demonstrated high reliability and desirable construct validity. After adjusting for item difficulty, we found that pharmacists tended to provide more general patient counseling than counseling related to herbal and dietary supplements. CONCLUSION: This instrument can be applied to assess the quality of counseling provided by pharmacists and pharmacy students, and the outcomes of pharmacist and pharmacy student education on herbal and dietary supplements.

A microteaching exercise to develop performance-based abilities in pharmacy students.

OBJECTIVE: To create, implement, and evaluate a microteaching exercise to enhance student development of communication skills, critical-thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities. METHODS: A microteaching exercise was developed and implemented in 2 semesters of a professional development series. Advisees from 3 classes developed 7-minute presentations for classmates, followed by a brief question-and-answer session. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT: Presenters received peer evaluations and a DVD of their presentation and then wrote a reflective essay on their performance. A 33-item survey instrument was administered to assess student impressions of the microteaching exercise. Survey results demonstrated students valued the microteaching exercise in terms of overall impression of the exercise, the class experience, personal outcomes, and the evaluation process. CONCLUSION: A microteaching exercise is a valuable tool to help students develop communication, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills. Further, it helps increase student learning, helps students to "think on their feet" and be reflective, provides an opportunity to have students analyze their own and fellow classmates' presentation methods and develops their skill in the provision of constructive feedback through peer assessment.

Conceptual development of a measure to assess pharmacists' knowledge of herbal and dietary supplements.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the conceptual development of a measure for assessing pharmacist knowledge of herbal and dietary supplements. METHODS: A standardized approach to constructing a multiple-choice competency examination following 8 pre-specified criteria (eg, specifying the target spectrum of herbal and dietary supplements) was used to create an item bank. The quality of each item was evaluated by 5 herbal and dietary supplement content experts based on specific criteria in 3 rounds of review. RESULTS: From 122 initial items, 56 items were retained for the item bank representing 4 content areas: efficacy/effectiveness, safety, drug-supplement interactions, and regulation. The experts tended to agree that the constructed items represented a wide range of difficulty. CONCLUSION: The initial development of a conceptually based item bank/measure of pharmacist herbal and dietary supplement knowledge lays the groundwork for a large-scale validation study. The measure should be useful as a standalone tool and as a component of a knowledge, attitude, and behavior survey for the assessment of pharmacist traits related to herbal and dietary supplements.

A clinical nutrition course to improve pharmacy students' skills and confidence in counseling patients.

OBJECTIVE: To create, implement, and evaluate a PharmD course on primary care nutrition. DESIGN: A 2-credit hour elective course was offered to second- and third-year pharmacy students. It was informed by the Socratic method using a minimum number of formal lecture presentations and featured problem-based learning exercises, case-based scenarios, and scientific literature to fuel informed debate. A single group posttest design with a retrospective pretest was used to assess students' self-efficacy. ASSESSMENT: There was a significant overall improvement in students' self-efficacy in their ability to practice primary care nutrition. CONCLUSION: Completion of a nutrition course improved students' confidence in providing primary care nutrition and empowered them to speak more comfortably about the role of nutrition in the prevention of chronic diseases.

Effectiveness of a weekly faculty conversation forum about teaching.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of holding weekly 60-90 minute conversation forums for faculty members to discuss, explore, and reflect on various teaching topics in a relaxed, informal, interactive format. METHODS: Weekly, 60-90 minute sessions were held for faculty members of the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy. A 15-item retrospective pretest-posttest questionnaire was developed and administered at the end of the first year of implementation to evaluate the participants' perceived knowledge, abilities, and confidence gains relative to becoming effective educators. RESULTS: Eleven faculty members completed the questionnaire. All respondents tended to agree (6/11) or agreed (5/11) that their confidence as educators improved after attending the conversation forums. In addition,7 respondents tended to agree and 4 agreed that their ability to self-assess their teaching had improved. CONCLUSIONS: An ongoing weekly conversations forum provides faculty members opportunities to explore and learn about facets of teaching in a safe, informal environment.

New OTC drugs and devices 2003: a selective review.

OBJECTIVES: To present current information about trends development and marketing of over-the-counter (OTC) medications and dietary supplement products and describe new products, delivery systems, home monitoring devices, and home accessories in these markets that are likely generating questions from or posing potential problems for patients. DATA SOURCES: Recently published clinical and pharmaceutical industry literature. STUDY SELECTION: By the authors. DATA EXTRACTION: By the authors. DATA SYNTHESIS: Last year witnessed the first effort of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove a dietary supplement from the U.S. market. Ephedra, because of its imminent danger when used for weight reduction and athletic enhancement, was the target of FDA action. FDA has issued a final rule implementing this ban, which prohibits the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids (e.g., ephedra). Two newer diet-aid products are being actively promoted with little or no safety and effectiveness data. Thus, pharmacist's vigilance is important along with sensible advice on how to lose weight safely and effectively. Further, two independent organizations have created certification programs for dietary supplements that ensure product purity, active ingredient strength, and compliance with good manufacturing practices. In addition, through recent changes in federal legislation, consumers are now able to obtain reimbursement for their nonprescription purchases through flexible spending accounts. Information is presented in this article about selected products in these OTC, home care, and dietary supplement categories: heartburn (proton pump inhibitors), allergy (second-generation antihistamines), constipation (laxatives), diabetes mellitus (blood glucose monitoring systems), home testing (fertility monitoring), nicotine addiction (smoking cessation products), otic disorders (ear syringes), contraceptives and sexual aids (condoms and lubricants), and dermatology (wart removal). CONCLUSION: Patients continue to increase their reliance on self-care. To assist them, pharmacists must remain up-to-date on trends and have an understanding of the nuances of consumers' behavior and thinking in relation to OTC products and their use.

New OTC drugs and devices 2002: a selective review.

OBJECTIVES: To create a heightened awareness of two consumer issues confronting pharmacists in the self-care arena--consumers' need for accurate information about over-the-counter (OTC) products and consumers' attitudes and beliefs about OTC drugs--and to educate pharmacists about newly introduced nonprescription products, home screening devices, and home accessories. DATA SOURCES: Recently published clinical and pharmaceutical industry literature and survey results from the National Council on Patient Information and Education. DATA SYNTHESIS: Although changes have been made to labeling for OTC products to heighten consumers' awareness of the dangers associated with misuse of these products, consumers need the expertise of the pharmacist to guide them toward effective and safe self-care. It remains critical that pharmacists be knowledgeable about the numerous nonprescription products that become available on the U.S. market each year and take the initiative to counsel patients appropriately on the benefits and risks associated with their use. CONCLUSION: Patients will continue to place an increasing emphasis on self-care. To assist them, pharmacists must remain up-to-date on trends and have an understanding of the nuances of consumers' behavior and thinking in relation to OTC products and their use. The new nonprescription medications and diagnostic screening devices discussed in this review article represent valuable additions to the growing array of self-care products.