Description of a pediatric degree option program in a doctorate of pharmacy curriculum and its impact on pediatric-focused advanced pharmacy practice experience rotations and faculty scholarly productivity.

PURPOSE: To describe the development of a Pediatric Degree Option program and its impact on pediatric-focused advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) and faculty scholarly productivity. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY: The Pediatric Degree Option program was established in 2011 and requires 16 h of didactic coursework and APPEs. The number of pediatric-focused APPEs and mean number of APPEs per pediatric faculty per year was compared pre- (2005-2010) and post-implementation (2011-2016). In addition, the median number of scholarship activities per student pre- and post-implementation was compared. The initial position obtained by graduates completing the degree option was collected. FINDINGS: Thirty students have completed the program. There were 146 pediatric-focused APPEs for the pre-implementation period and 259 post-implementation. However, there was an increase in pediatric faculty during the post-implementation, so there was no difference in the mean number of pediatric-focused APPEs per pediatric faculty in the pre- versus post-implementation period, 8.4 + 2.7 versus 6.9 +1.0, p = .224. A significant increase in the median number of pediatric-focused scholarly activities per student was observed pre-versus post-implementation, 3 (2-5) versus 5 (3-7), p = .005. Twenty-six (86.7%) students in the post-implementation period participated as a research assistant or coauthor in an original research or manuscript writing project. Students accepted a variety of positions after graduation including twelve (40%) accepting a PGY1 residency and eight (36.7%) as community pharmacists. SUMMARY: Although the number of pediatric-focused APPEs increased in the post-implementation, this did not result in an increase in the mean number of mean pediatric-focused APPEs per pediatric faculty member. However, it did allow a unique opportunity for 30 students with interest in pediatrics and allowed for content and skill development. The Pediatric Degree Option program allowed students to gain experience with pediatric-focused scholarly activities that also enhanced faculty productivity in scholarship and research.