Concerns about the extent to which graduate programs adequately prepare students for the workplace have prompted numerous calls for reform. Understanding what employers look for in doctoral graduates ...can help schools better align graduate training with workplace needs. Twelve pharmaceutical scientists across diverse specialties and career pathways described the skills considered requisite for success in today's science economy. Depth and breadth of knowledge, communication, collaboration, adaptability, research productivity, experiential training, and motivation and drive were among the themes identified. These results can be used to inform the development of doctoral curricula in the biomedical sciences.
Health professions students experience significantly more stress than students 20 years ago. While prior studies have explored student time use and other studies have begun to explore factors ...influencing student stress, little is known about the relationship between student time use and stress. As more efforts are employed to promote student wellness and better understand student stress, it is imperative to recognize the implications of time as a finite resource. Thus, it is important to understand if and how time use relates to student stress so the two can be better managed.
A mixed methods approach exploring the challenge-hindrance stressor framework was used to collect and analyze student stress and time use. First, second, and third year pharmacy students were invited to participate. Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10), a week-long daily time logging activity, and daily stress questionnaire. After the week-long daily time logging, students participated in a semi-structured focus group. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data, and inductive coding along with creation of summary reports were created for the qualitative data.
Students reported moderate stress on the PSS10, and spending the majority of their time on activities of daily life and academic activities. Students shared that academics, co-curriculars, and working for pay increased their stress, whereas discretionary activities such as socializing and exercising alleviated stress. Finally, students reported feeling overwhelmed due to too little time to complete all necessary activities daily, including limited time to invest in discretionary activities to support their wellbeing.
Increased stress levels among students is a concerning trend that affects students' mental health and therefore limits their ability to perform to their greatest potential. Better understanding of the relationship between time use and stress is critical to improve the quality of life of students in the health professions. These findings provide critical insight into factors contributing towards student stress that can inform curricular strategies that support wellness within health professions education.
Models and modeling are central to both scientific literacy and practices as demonstrated by the Next Generation Science Standards. Through a design-based research framework, we developed a ...model-based assessment (MBA) and associated rubric as tools for teachers to understand and support students in their conceptualization of the flow of energy and matter within ecosystems. The MBA was piloted with four middle school students (n = 4) and implemented in two sixth grade student cohorts (
n
= 89 &
n
= 98)
.
The MBA and rubrics went through several design iterations in order to best capture student understanding of complex systems. The design of the MBA allows students to express conceptual understanding while also capturing the transformation of their understanding as they are exposed to new information and experiences within the curricular content.
There is much public debate regarding the high cost of insulin. With 1-in-4 patients in the United States with type 1 diabetes reporting difficulties affording insulin, there is concern that some of ...these patients might look for cost savings on the internet, unaware that 96% of internet pharmacies are illegitimate. Patients who purchase insulin from illegitimate internet pharmacies remove themselves from traditional health care systems that ensure safe, quality-assured, and effective medication use.
This study aims to determine the accessibility of Humalog and NovoLog insulin from internet pharmacies and characterize how these sites approached patient safety, and priced as well as marketed their products.
From September to December 2019, we queried the phrases buy insulin online, buy Humalog online, and buy NovoLog online in common search engines. The first 100 search results from Google and Bing, and the first 50 search results from Yahoo! and DuckDuckGo were screened. Websites were included if they claimed to sell Humalog or NovoLog insulin, were active, free access, in the English language, and had a unique URL. The legitimacy of websites was classified using LegitScript. Safety and marketing characteristics were compared across the legitimacy of internet pharmacies. Internet pharmacy prices were compared with the prices offered through brick-and-mortar pharmacies using GoodRx.
We found that 59% (n=29) of the 49 internet pharmacies in our analysis were illegitimate, whereas only 14% (n=7) were legitimate and 27% (n=13) were unclassified. Across illegitimate internet pharmacies, Humalog and NovoLog insulin were 2 to 5 times cheaper as compared with both legitimate internet pharmacies and brick-and-mortar stores. Risks associated with the use of illegitimate internet pharmacies by American consumers were evident: 57% (8/14) did not require a prescription, 43% (6/14) did not display medication information or warnings, and only 21% (3/14) offered access to purported pharmacists. This included 9 rogue internet pharmacies that sold Humalog and NovoLog insulin within the United States, where 11% (1/9) required a prescription, 11% (1/9) placed quantity limits per purchase, and none offered pharmacist services. Rogue internet pharmacies often offered bulk discounts (11/18, 61%), assured privacy (14/18, 78%), and promoted other products alongside insulin (13/18, 72%). The marketing language of illegitimate internet pharmacies appealed more to quality, safety, and customer service as compared with legitimate sites.
The ease of access to low-cost insulin through illegitimate internet pharmacies calls for urgent attention. Illegitimate internet pharmacies place patients at risk of poor-quality medications and subpar pharmacy services, resulting in adverse events and poor diabetes control. A multifaceted approach is needed to close illegitimate internet pharmacies through legal and regulatory measures, develop better search engine filters, raise public awareness of the dangers of illegitimate internet pharmacies, and address the high costs of insulin.
Literature has identified high levels of stress in pharmacy students; however, more information is needed to understand how student stress relates to time use. This study explored the causes of ...stress and its relationship to time use in pre-clinical and clinical pharmacy students, which were compared, as previous literature has found differences in time management and stress in these groups.
In this observational, mixed methods study, pre-Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience students completed a baseline and final stress assessment, recorded daily time use and stress levels for 1 week, and participated in a semi-structured focus group. Predetermined time use categories were used to collect and analyze time use data. Inductive coding was used to determine themes from focus group transcripts.
Pre-clinical students were found to have overall higher baseline and final stress scores and spent more time on stress-inducing activities (ie, academics) than clinical students. Both groups reported spending more time on activities related to pharmacy school during the week and increased time on activities of daily life and discretionary activities during the weekend. Common sources of stress for both groups included academics, cocurriculars, and ineffective stress management techniques.
Our findings support the hypothesis that time use and stress are linked. Pharmacy students acknowledged having many responsibilities and too little time to participate in stress-relieving activities. Understanding sources of student stress, including demands on students’ time, and the relationship between the two is needed to support student stress management and academic success of both pre-clinical and clinical pharmacy students.
Health professions schools in the United States and internationally have engaged in curricular changes to better prepare students for the future of health care. However, designing or selecting ...evidence-based teaching activities can be a challenge. Research suggests the Cognitive Apprenticeship theory is an effective framework for the health professions to inform instruction design, yet these studies have mainly focused on the clinical setting and not the didactic learning environment. This study used qualitative methods to explore the Cognitive Apprenticeship framework in the didactic learning environment and the teaching practices that pharmacy faculty used to explicate their expert thinking to students. Faculty were observed using all four Cognitive Apprenticeship dimensions (ie, Content, Sequencing, Methods, Sociology) in their teaching practice. Patterns were observed in the data revealing complex, short and sometimes spontaneous teaching practices that faculty used to promote learning.
Objective. To assess preceptor teaching challenges and development programming design preferences through a qualitative needs assessment of Doctor of Pharmacy student and resident preceptors.
...Methods. In 2018, 148 experiential education stakeholders across North Carolina (eg, preceptors, residency program directors, experiential faculty administrators, and practice site administrators) were invited to participate in a 60-minute semi-structured interview as part of a broad preceptor development needs assessment. Interview questions focused on: precepting challenges, positive and negative features of development programs, and preferences for program design. Interview transcripts were coded using thematic analysis.
Results. Forty-two participants completed interviews, including preceptors from various rotation types, residency program directors, experiential faculty administrators, and institution administrators. Participants identified numerous teaching challenges related to learners, preceptors, and institutional level factors. Participants often noted there was inadequate time, resources, and support to effectively teach. Desirable preceptor development program features included practical strategies, collaboration with preceptors, delivery by education and practice experts, and topics specific to precepting experience. Participants identified live, on-demand, and webinar formats as acceptable if collaboration and engagement were included. Participants also desired unique training opportunities such as online platforms, coaching programs, and simulated learning environments.
Conclusion. Preceptors for pharmacy students and residents face numerous challenges and require sufficient time, support, and resources to develop their skills. Participants requested training that included on-demand, frequent sessions delivered through various modalities, collaboration opportunities, a choice in topics and delivery formats, and sessions from educational and practice experts.
The distinction of authorship and its associated credit has important implications for academia. Pharmacy education encompasses faculty members from a wide and diverse range of disciplines, including ...the clinical, basic, and social sciences. These disciplines embody varying traditions and perspectives concerning who qualifies for authorship. As an academy, pharmacy education must do more to equip education researchers with the tools needed to navigate authorship decisions. The following commentary provides examples and recommendations concerning the issue of authorship within pharmacy education. We define authorship, examine authorship guidelines from health professions and education disciplines, and discuss authorship order. We then provide authorship recommendations for pharmacy education with the goal of supporting authorship decisions and further promoting discourse about authorship.
To examine the construct validity of cultural intelligence (CI) and evaluate faculty self-efficacy in developing cultural intelligence in Doctor of Pharmacy students.
A survey was developed based on ...a CI framework for pharmacy education consisting of four domains. Survey items were measured on a scale from 1-cannot do at all to 10-highly certain can do. Survey responses from faculty in the Doctor of Pharmacy program who completed ≥90% of the survey items were included. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using principal components analysis with a varimax rotation and the Kaiser rule. Internal consistency reliability of each cultural intelligence construct was examined using Cronbach’s alpha (α).
Fifty-four Doctor of Pharmacy faculty members (83% response rate) completed the survey. The exploratory factor analysis revealed three CI constructs: (1) cultural awareness (α = 0.93), (2) cultural practice (α = 0.96), and (3) cultural desire (α = 0.89). Participants rated their CI teaching self-efficacy highest for cultural awareness (6.13 (1.93)), and lowest for cultural desire (3.90 (2.87)).
Faculty play a critical role in the development of students; understanding CI teaching self-efficacy can inform faculty development strategies and curriculum improvements. Additional research is needed to identify related evidence-based methods for faculty development strategies utilizing the identified patterns and constructs.
Objective. Pharmacists must be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to provide culturally intelligent and patient-centered care; however, most are not trained to do so. In ...order to prepare culturally intelligent pharmacists, standards and curricula for cultural intelligence must be defined and implemented within pharmacy education. The objective of this study was to create a cultural intelligence framework (CIF) for pharmacy education and determine its alignment with Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) training.
Methods. An extensive literature analysis on current methods of cultural intelligence education was used to construct a CIF, which integrates leading models of cultural intelligence in health care education with Bloom’s Taxonomy. Five student focus groups were conducted to explore and map their cultural experiences to the CIF. All focus groups were recorded, transcribed, deidentified and deductively coded using the CIF.
Results. The four CIF domains (awareness, knowledge, practice, desire) were observed in all five focus groups; however, not every participant expressed each domain when sharing their experiences. Most students expressed cultural awareness, knowledge, and desire, however, only a few students discussed cultural practice. Participant comments regarding their experiences differed by race and year in the curriculum.
Conclusion. This study was a first step toward understanding cultural intelligence education and experiences in pharmacy. The CIF represents an evidence-based approach to cultural intelligence training that can help prepare pharmacy learners to be socially responsible health care practitioners.
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