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Background: Mentors often provide advice to students regarding selection of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations to strengthen their candidacy for a residency position. However, the impact of APPE characteristics on the chances of matching is unknown. Objective: To determine the impact of APPE characteristics on Post Graduate Year-1 (PGY1) residency match rates at a Midwest US college of pharmacy. Methods: Graduates from a single college of pharmacy who participated in the PGY1 match in 2015 or 2016 were included. Match data were obtained from National Matching Services. APPE characteristics (e.g., rotation timing relative to the Midyear Clinical Meeting [MCM], rotation type, and setting) were stratified by matched status. Independent predictors were identified using multivariate logistic regression and tree-based models. Results: Ninety-nine students were included with 57 matching (57.6%). Students completing an infectious diseases rotation (75 vs. 51%; p = 0.028), a hospital rotation before the MCM (67 vs. 47%; p = 0.039), or a rotation in an ambulatory care clinic (67 vs. 47%; p = 0.045) were more likely to match. Students completing an independent community pharmacy rotation were less likely to match (8.3 vs. 64%; p < 0.001). After multivariate adjustment, all of these factors were associated with the likelihood of matching except completion of an infectious diseases ( p = 0.077) or ambulatory care rotation ( p = 0.073). Conclusion: A hospital rotation prior to the MCM was positively associated with matching while completion of an independent community pharmacy rotation was associated with non-matched status. The utility of these findings in guiding APPE selections for students pursing residency should be explored. more...

Objective. To assess pharmacy student learning from co-curricular activities and map this to Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) standards and the institution’s curricular outcomes. Methods. Student representatives of professional organizations at one college of pharmacy were asked to complete a 16-item questionnaire on behalf of their members about each cocurricular activity their organization completed. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the results. Content analysis was conducted on open-ended questions, and resulting codes were mapped to ACPE Standards 2016 and curricular outcomes. Results. The majority (74%) of the 152 unique cocurricular activities reported were designated as community outreach events and an average of 15 (SD=43) student members participated in each activity. The most frequently selected domain by student representatives was “promoted professionalism” for 86% of activities. Upon distilling student representatives’ open-ended responses regarding their members’ learning, each response was assigned to one or more of 34 codes. The most frequently assigned codes to learning descriptions (36%) were for patient education and counseling. Conclusion. Representatives of student organizations characterized their members’ participation in cocurricular activities as opportunities for learning. The results from the content analysis aligned with the quantitative data collected. Cocurricular activities provide opportunities for Doctor of Pharmacy students to enhance their skills, knowledge, and attitudes in both pharmacy practice and personal areas that map to ACPE Standards 2016 and the college’s own curricular outcomes. more...

Objectives Residency programs may need to spend a large amount of time on the application review process in order to invite the best candidates for interviews. By using a different scoring strategy, this process could be made more efficient while still resulting in selection of the most appropriate candidates to interview. The objective of this study was to explore hypothetical scoring strategies for past residency applicants and to determine the percentage of these applicants that would have received an interview offer compared with the program's standard scoring strategy. Methods Two years of residency applications to a postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) program providing the majority of clinical experience in ambulatory care were analyzed. Four models were explored: 1) standard model (original method); 2) simplified model (derived from statistical methods); 3) intuition model (criteria thought to best exemplify program success); and 4) objective model (criteria easy to objectively record, e.g., grade point average). All 3 new models were compared with the standard model to determine the percentage of candidates who would have received an interview if their applications had been scored according to the new model. Results A total of 110 applications were reviewed (42 interviews offered). After a multivariable analysis, academics, leadership, interest in ambulatory care, and professionalism were included in the simplified model, which predicted 81% of the interviews offered through the standard model. The intuition and objective models predicted 71% and 48% of interviews offered through the standard model, respectively. Conclusion Models scoring only 4 of the initial 12 criteria would have likely predicted 71% to 81% of original interview offers. Residency programs should consider periodically reviewing their application review processes to determine areas for improved efficiency. more...

Introduction The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of whether pharmacy students are using Facebook® to create formal or informal workplace-based peer groups to learn from each other and share information while completing their advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Methods Fourth-year pharmacy students from two colleges of pharmacy in the same geographical area were recruited by email to participate. Inclusion criteria were: completion of two or more APPEs, current assignment to an APPE rotation in the local area, and a Facebook® profile. Two focus groups, of eight students each were conducted on each of the two colleges’ campuses. An incentive to participate was provided. Thematic analysis was used to analyze responses. Results Students reported using Facebook® to learn about rotation expectations, roles/responsibilities, and preceptors. However, frequency and depth of interactions varied among the participants. Most participants noted that they prefer more private methods of communication to learn about APPE experiences. Students found Facebook® to be a good source of motivation and support during experiential learning. Discussion The use of social media sites like Facebook® may help students form “virtual” workplace-based peer groups during APPEs. Conclusion Pharmacy schools interested in providing support for formal workplace-based learning groups should consider using social media sites as one component of this program. more...

Background: Letters of recommendation (LORs) are a critical component for differentiating among similarly qualified pharmacy residency candidates. These letters contain information that is difficult to ascertain from curricula vitae and pharmacy school transcripts. LOR writers may use any words or phrases appropriate for each candidate as there is no set framework for LORs. Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize descriptive themes in postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) pharmacy residency candidates’ LORs and to examine which themes of PGY-1 pharmacy residency candidates’ LORs are predictive of an interview invitation at an academically affiliated residency program. Methods: LORs for candidates from the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application System (PhORCAS) from 2013 and 2014 for the Midwestern University PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency were analyzed. LOR characteristics and descriptive themes were collected. All scores for candidate characteristics and overall PhORCAS recommendation were also recorded. Results: A total of 351 LORs for 111 candidates from 2013 (n = 47 candidates) and 2014 (n = 64 candidates) were analyzed; 36 (32.4%) total candidates were offered an interview. Themes that were identified as predictors of an interview included a higher median (interquartile range) number of standout words (3 words [1.3-4] vs 3.8 words [2.5-5.5], P < .01) and teaching references (3.7 words [2.7-6] vs 5.7 words [3.7-7.8], P = .01). Conclusion: For this residency program, standout words and teaching references were important when offering interviews. more...

There has been a steady stream of evidence linking pre-pharmacy grade point averages, PCAT composite scores, and certain PCAT subtest scores to student success in pharmacy school. This commentary explores the link between PCAT writing scores and student success, provides some evidence linking writing to growth in critical thinking, and suggests requiring students to write beyond reflective exercises in order to improve their critical thinking skills. more...

“I don’t know, but I can look it up and get back to you.” Over the years, many faculty members have taught their students to respond to questions from health care providers and patients in this manner. Now more than ever “looking it up” takes seconds, and one needs to go no further than more...

Frequently, if not weekly, I receive an email from a pharmacy faculty member, resident, or student who is conducting survey research and is requesting that I complete the survey, forward it to the appropriate faculty member to complete, or forward it to students. Scholarly inquiry is embedded in our more...

Objective. To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of an online bridging course to increase the knowledge of struggling incoming students’ in crucial content areas within the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum. Methods. An assessment was administered to all incoming first-year pharmacy students (N=180) during orientation to determine their foundational knowledge in key areas. Students who scored more...

Objective. To describe the landscape of teaching and learning curriculum (TLC) programs sponsored by US schools and colleges of pharmacy and evaluate their adoption of best practice recommendations. Methods. A 28-item electronic survey instrument was developed based on best practice recommendations published by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) for the conduct of TLC programs. The survey instrument was electronically distributed to 137 accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States. Results. Eighty-eight institutions responded, resulting in a response rate of 64%. Sixty-one TLC programs were included in the final analysis. Seventy-five percent of TLC programs reported using best practice recommendations; however, 10% of respondents indicated they were not aware of the published recommendations. Inconsistencies among programs were noted in required teaching experiences, participant evaluation, and ongoing programmatic assessment. Conclusion. Most institutions offering TLC programs are aware of published best practice guidelines and have adopted a majority of the published best practices. However, considerable variability exists across the country. Development of a formal external validation process for TLC programs is necessary to ensure consistent quality. more...

Objective. To compare pharmacy, osteopathic medicine, dental medicine, and physician assistant (PA) students' perceptions of e-professionalism. Methods. A 20-item questionnaire was developed and administered to four cohorts of health care professions students early in their first professional year. The questionnaire contained 16 scenarios in which a hypothetical health care student or professional shared information or content electronically and students were asked to indicate how much they agreed that the scenario represented professional behavior. Results. Ninety-four percent of students completed the questionnaire. More female students were in the pharmacy and PA cohorts. There were statistical differences in students' perceptions of e-professionalism in five of 16 scenarios. Specific differences were most often between the osteopathic medicine students and the other cohorts. Conclusions. The health care professions students surveyed had similar perceptions of e-professionalism. Of the four cohorts, osteopathic medicine students appeared less conservative in their approach to e-professionalism than the other cohorts. more...

In a statement published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education in 2012, Svensson and colleagues called for a number of changes to our academy. One of those changes was to “prepare students to be innovative and create nontraditional career paths.”[1][1] According to Merriam Webster more...

Objective: To review the literature concerning the in vitro activity, pharmacokinetic properties, in vivo efficacy, and adverse events associated with a new penem antibiotic, faropenem medoxomil. Data Sources: We conducted a search of MEDLINE/PubMed and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts databases for articles or abstracts using the terms faropenem. faropenem daloxate, faropenem medoxomil, SUN5555, SY5555, WY49605, RU67655, ALP201. BLA857, and YM044 and published through July 2007. Information on poster presentations was obtained from the drug's manufacturer. Additional articles were identified from citations in the bibliographies of review articles. Articles written in languages other than English were excluded. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All published reports that evaluated faropenem (or its chemical synonyms) and faropenem medoxomil were used in this review. Abstracts subsequently published as full reports were excluded, and only the resulting reports were included. Abstracts without subsequently published reports were included. Data Synthesis: The in vitro activity of faropenem has been evaluated extensively against respiratory pathogens and less extensively against aerobic gram-positive, gram-negative, and anaerobic organisms. Prospective, randomized, multicenter clinical trials have demonstrated noninferiority of faropenem to comparators for the treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis, community-acquired pneumonia, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and uncomplicated skin and skin structure Infections. Adverse events associated with faropenem appear to be minimal and include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Conclusions: Faropenem has demonstrated excellent in vitro activity against common respiratory pathogens, many aerobic gram-positive organisms, and anaerobes. Activity against gram-negative organisms is more reserved. In vivo data suggest that faropenem is efficacious in treating community-acquired Infections Including uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections; however, more data may help to characterize faropenem's place in antimicrobial therapy. Replidyne, Inc., the manufacturer of faropenem, is conducting studies to address the Food and Drug Administration's concerns that resulted in a nonapprovable letter in October 2006. more...

To the Editor: Wewould liketo thank Dr. Copenhaver and colleagues for their interest in our work and for their letter regarding our recently published study, "Student Characteristics Associated with Successful Matching to a PGY-1 Residency Program." Our survey foundthat number of applications, number of interviews, pharmacy school GPA, and female gender were associated with a higher likelihood of matching to a residency for students at five different pharmacy schools across the United States. (1) Copenhaver and colleagues suggest that residency programs that focus only on objective data, including number of leadership positions and grade point average (GPA), may miss out on the valuable perspective that can be gleaned by looking at subjective data, including letters of intent and letters of recommendation. (2) We agree with these comments and feel that a wholistic approach, which takes into account subjective as well as objective information, is the best way to accurately and completely assess a candidate's "fit" for a particular residency program. Although our work was not intended to serve as guide for candidate selection, it did provide an interesting perspective on characteristics that were associated with matching from the students surveyed. The results of our survey found that higher GPA was associated with a higher likelihood of applying, getting an interview, and matching to a residency program. However, one can argue that the magnitude of the difference found (3.5 vs 3.7, delta of 0.2) was not "educationally" significant. Indeed, GPA is, in essence, a surrogate marker for candidate knowledge and aptitude, and there are inherent limitations in using it as such, as was discussed in our article. There seems to be inconsistency in the published literature regarding the value of GPA as a screening tool for pharmacy residency applicants. Some studies suggest that GPA is important, and others do not. In a recent survey, residency program directors (RPDs) appeared to place less emphasis on GPA than in the past. (3) Similarly, RPDs at large academic medical centers indicated that GPA was not among the most highly valued characteristics that programs used in screening tools in another survey study. (4) Another survey found that while only 13.4% of RPD respondents selected GPA as the most important selection criterion, 94.4% of these respondents use GPA as a selection criterion. (5) Although a specific GPA was not mentioned, a 2012 survey of RPDs noted that 98.9% of RPDs considered pharmacy school grades critically important when evaluating residency applicants. (6) A single site study spanning multiple years found that higher GPA was consistently associated with an increased likelihood of being invited for an onsite interview. (7) The disparity in the literature regarding the role of GPA in the screening and selection process may be explained by a number of factors, including differences in the volume of applicants, variations in screening tools used, changes in perspectives over time, or geographical differences in preferences for specific screening criteria. For example, as was noted in our discussion, our results may not be representative of all areas in the United States. Most of the pharmacy students that we surveyed were located in large, metropolitan areas with other pharmacy schools in the immediate area. Consequently, our survey respondents may have been applying to programs that receive a high volume of applications. It may be possible that residency programs located in areas with high competition for positions may be more willing to use quick and "easy" objective filters, such as GPA or number of leadership positions, to reduce what may seem an unmanageable number of applications. However, the characteristics of residency programs or RPDs as they relate to the choice and weight of residency application screening criteria have not been systematically studied. There remains a need for such research, so we can better mentor and guide our pharmacy students to succeed in the application, interview, and match process. … more...

Purpose Recommendations for the development and support of teaching and learning curriculum (TLC) experiences within postgraduate pharmacy training programs are discussed. Summary Recent attention has turned toward meeting teaching- and learning-related educational outcomes through a programmatic process during the first or second year of postgraduate education. These programs are usually coordinated by schools and colleges of pharmacy and often referred to as “teaching certificate programs,” though no national standards or regulation of these programs currently exists. In an effort to describe the landscape of these programs and to develop a framework for their basic design and content, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Pharmacy Practice Section’s Task Force on Student Engagement and Involvement, with input from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, reviewed evidence from the literature and conference proceedings and considered author experience and expertise over a two-year period. The members of the task force created and reached consensus on a policy statement and 12 recommendations to guide the development of best practices of TLC programs. The recommendations address topics such as the value of TLC programs, program content, teaching and learning experiences, feedback for participants, the development of a teaching portfolio, the provision of adequate resources for TLC programs, programmatic assessment and improvement, program transparency, and accreditation. Conclusion TLC programs provide postgraduate participants with valuable knowledge and skills in teaching applicable to the practitioner and academician. Postgraduate programs should be transparent to candidates and seek to ensure the best experiences for participants through systematic program implementation and assessments. more...

We thank Drs. Hoover and Peeters for their response to our paper on TLC programs. We applaud them for their continued advocacy of training future educators on the importance of developing appropriate learning assessments that directly relate to learning objectives, in-class activities, and course or more...

Objective. To identify factors that influence student involvement and leadership within organizations and to assess the impact of involvement in organizations on professional skill development.Methods. A printed survey was administered to fourth-year pharmacy students at one college of pharmacy (N=202).Results. Most students (82%) indicated they were involved in at least one organization during pharmacy school and 58% reported holding a leadership position at some point. Factors with the largest impact on involvement in organizations were desire to present a well-rounded image to employers, ability to network, and interest in the activities sponsored by the organization. Involvement in professional organizations had a strong influence on their leadership, teamwork, confidence, and time-management skills.Conclusion. That presenting a well-rounded image to employers and having the ability to network with mentors and peers drove student involvement in professional organizations may be reflective of increasin... more...

To relate common online scenarios to tenets of professionalism, assess frequency of observed scenarios in 4 online domains, and compare second-year (P2) pharmacy students, fourth-year (P4) pharmacy students', and faculty members' perceptions of professionalism.A 63-item survey instrument consisting of scenarios of behavior in online domains was developed. Using a Likert scale, participants reported whether they had observed each scenario and whether each scenario was professional.Of the 296 participants who completed the survey instrument, 53% were P2 students, 49% were P4 students, and 68% were faculty members. Most of the observed scenario responses were for social networking sites. There were statistical differences among the 3 cohorts' perception over whether a scenario demonstrated professional behavior in 6 of the 10 most frequently observed scenarios, and 4 out of 6 of these scenarios were in the social networking domain.Second-year pharmacy students and faculty members were more in alignment with their perception of professionalism then P4 students, suggesting that P4 students may be more complacent in their perception of professionalism. more...

To evaluate the effectiveness of a student response system on short- and long-term learning in a required second-year pharmacy course.Student volunteers enrolled in the course Drug Literature Evaluation were blinded and randomized to 1 of 2 groups. Group 1 attended a lecture in which the instructor used a student response system. Group 2 attended the same lecture by the same instructor an hour later, but no student response system was used. A 16-point unannounced quiz on the lecture material was administered to both groups at the end of class. Approximately 1 month later, both groups were given another unannounced quiz on the same material to test long-term student learning.One hundred seventy-nine (92.3%) students participated in both quizzes. Students who attended the class in which the student response system was used scored an average 1 point higher on quiz 1 than students who were assigned to the control group (10.7 vs. 9.7; p = 0.02). No significant difference was seen between the quiz 2 scores of the 2 groups (9.5 vs. 9.5; p = 0.99).The use of a student response system can positively impact students' short-term learning; however, that positive effect did not appear to last over time. Faculty members may want to consider the use of student response systems to enhance student learning in large lecture classes. more...

In only recent history, illicit use of methamphetamine, once isolated to urban areas on the West Coast, has spread into rural areas of the Midwest and southern United States. Although past and current methamphetamine legislation has increased penalties for methamphetamine manufacturers and tightened restrictions on sales of known precursors, the problem still persists. In fact, a 2004 survey indicates that an alarming 6.2% of high school seniors have tried methamphetamine. A number of biological, genetic, and environmental factors influence children's and adolescents' paths to substance abuse. Nurses should recognize the symptoms of methamphetamine abuse, which include agitation; aggressive behavior; rapid mood swings; hypertension; tachycardia; and eventually lesion-marked skin, clinical depression, and paranoid psychosis. Treatment for methamphetamine addiction includes behavioral therapy. Research on pharmacologic therapy is lacking. Educating youth on methamphetamine prevention appears to be the best approach to curb the spreading use of this addictive and deadly drug. more...

Objective. To determine the prevalence of established multiple-choice test-taking correct and incorrect answer cues in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy's Updates in Therapeutics: The Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Course, 2005 Edition, as an equal or lesser surrogate indication of the prevalence of such cues in the Pharmacotherapy board certification examination. Methods. All self-assessment and patient case question-and-answer sets were assessed individually to determine if they were subject to selected correct and incorrect answer cues commonly seen in multiple-choice question writing. If the question was considered evaluable, correct answer cues— longest answer, mid-range number, one of two similar choices, and one of two opposite choices—were tallied. In addition, incorrect answer cues— inclusionary language and grammatical mismatch—were also tallied. Each cue was counted if it did what was expected or did the opposite of what was expected. Multiple cues could be identified in each question. Results. A total of 237 (47.7%) of 497 questions in the manual were deemed evaluable. A total of 325 correct answer cues and 35 incorrect answer cues were identified in the 237 evaluable questions. Most evaluable questions contained one to two correct and/or incorrect answer cue(s). Longest answer was the most frequently identified correct answer cue; however, it was the least likely to identify the correct answer. Inclusionary language was the most frequently identified incorrect answer cue. Incorrect answer cues were considerably more likely to identify incorrect answer choices than correct answer cues were able to identify correct answer choices. Conclusions. The use of established multiple-choice test-taking cues is unlikely to be of significant help when taking the Pharmacotherapy board certification examination, primarily because of the lack of questions subject to such cues and the inability of correct answer cues to accurately identify correct answers. Incorrect answer cues, especially the use of inclusionary language, almost always will accurately identify an incorrect answer choice. Assuming that questions in the preparatory course manual were equal or lesser surrogates of those in the board certification examination, it is unlikely that intuition alone can replace adequate preparation and studying as the sole determinant of examination success. more...

Objective. To determine the use patterns of social media among graduating pharmacy students, characterize students’ views and opinions of professionalism on popular social media sites, and compare responses about social media behavior among students seeking different types of employment. Methods. All graduating pharmacy students (n=516) at Purdue University, The University of Findlay, Butler University, and Midwestern University were invited to complete a survey instrument during the fall semester of 2011. Results. Of 212 (41%) students who responded to the survey, 93% (194/209) had a social media profile. Seventy-four percent (120/162) of participants felt they should edit their social media profiles prior to applying for a job. Conclusions. Many graduating pharmacy students use social media; however, there appears to be a growing awareness of the importance of presenting a more professional image online as they near graduation and begin seeking employment as pharmacists. more...

Objective. To determine the value of completing a pharmacy resident teaching certificate program on graduates' current positions of employment. Design. Annually from 2003 to 2007, program graduates of the Indiana Pharmacy Teaching Certificate (IPTeC) program were invited to take a 13-question Web-based survey 1 year after completing the program. Assessment. Fifty-three of the 62 graduates (85%) surveyed responded. Almost half of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that having completed the IPTeC program helped them obtain their current position. More than 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the seminar participation and teaching experience from the IPTeC program helped them in their current position. About 80% of respondents would recommend the program to others. Conclusion. Completing a pharmacy resident teaching certificate program helped some graduates obtain and excel in their current position. more...