As a result of restrictions imposed by COVID-19, many researchers have responded to the call for remote, advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) that do not involve direct patient care. The ...influx of materials on online pedagogy may be difficult for new preceptors to digest while familiarizing themselves with the APPE program. To complement the available guidance on remote learning for new preceptors, we describe our experiences with implementing a remote, research-focused APPE during COVID-19. Common challenges are discussed and potential solutions that may help new preceptors anticipate and overcome barriers to achieving the educational outcomes of research-focused APPE are proposed.
Pharmacy preceptors play a role in helping learners form professional identities during experiential education (EE). However, it is not clear what specific roles and precepting strategies best foster ...professional identity formation (PIF). The objective of this study was to explore how preceptors support pharmacy learner PIF.
This qualitative study employed an interpretative descriptive approach. Preceptors from five EE programs were recruited using purposive sampling for individual semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed by thematic analysis. Team members used a reflective and iterative approach for data analysis and generation of themes.
A total of 22 participants were interviewed from various pharmacy practice settings and precept a range of learners including introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs), advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) and residents. Four main themes were identified to support pharmacy leaner PIF: making learners part of the practice and team; preparing learners to assume the role of a pharmacist; helping learners navigate emotions during practice experiences; and supporting learners in finding the right fit within the profession. Specific precepting strategies associated with each theme were identified.
Preceptors play an important role in supporting learners in thinking and acting as professionals, while also helping navigate emotional experiences that may impact PIF and having conversations to help define learner’s future aspirations of the pharmacist they want to become. Strategies identified can inform curricular approaches and preceptor development that intentionally supports PIF.
•Preceptors can support pharmacy learner PIF by:•providing opportunities for patients and interprofessional teams to treat them as a pharmacist.•preparing learners to eventually assume the autonomy and responsibilities of a pharmacist.•helping learners navigate and process feelings that arise during learning experiences.•facilitating conversations related to future career aspirations and goals.
This commentary addresses key differences between remote and on‐site experiential education, including necessary resources and rotation structure. Health care education during the COVID‐19 pandemic ...was primarily delivered electronically. Student‐based resources such as computers/laptops, stable internet connections, and privacy (physical space and electronic security) became essential for student learning, testing, and provision of patient care. When student resources were limited, educational programs had to adapt to help students in need. Preceptors were required to restructure experiential rotations to provide learning experiences while keeping up with increased clinical‐related workloads. Students had increased projects and papers and decreased face‐to‐face time with patients and professionals. Many community pharmacies were able to educate students on‐site, whereas ambulatory care–based sites generally pivoted to telehealth‐based interactions. Although telehealth appeared useful, rollout was difficult because of differences in technology, accessibility, and capability. Inpatient‐based training proved most difficult and often had to be halted for patient and student safety. Many schools also used unique non–patient care electives to fill experiential gaps and keep students on target for graduation. Delivery of experiential education had a different set of challenges from didactic education. Creative examples to address these challenges included roving tablets with Zoom sessions during rounds, artificial or de‐identified cases, and hybrid clinical/dispensing rotations, though most experiences were canceled or restricted by exclusion of patients with COVID‐19 patients. Overall, pharmacy education continued. However, many of the methods for training with partly or entirely remote approaches were novel and may become integrated into the “new normal.” The face of the world has changed, and pharmacy education must change with it.
Teaching Biology in the Field FLEISCHNER, THOMAS L.; ESPINOZA, ROBERT E.; GERRISH, GRETCHEN A. ...
Bioscience,
06/2017, Volume:
67, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Learning that occurs in a field setting is a powerful experience that promotes the development of new generations of creative scientists, enhances environmental literacy, and instills social ...responsibility in our citizens. Institutional challenges to field studies include decreasing financial resources and increasing regulatory concerns. These are coupled with changing student interests, in particular the growing misconception that field study is not relevant to many biological careers. Collectively, these factors contribute to a significant decline in field-study opportunities for students and lack of pedagogical guidance for instructors interested in conducting field courses. Nature and culture are inextricably linked, and we all benefit from including diverse backgrounds and perspectives in field experiences. We suggest expanding the definition of “the field” to include human-influenced ecosystems, as well as more conventional natural habitats. More than ever, the world needs the passion, insight, and wisdom that come from field studies.
The phenomenon of rural depopulation is seen in many places around the world as young adults move to urban areas where there is greater access to employment, government services and social ...activities. In Cyprus rural villages exemplify this pattern of demographic decline. Depopulation creates a cycle of loss that influences community identity and feelings of belonging. In this paper I argue that heritage may play a role in building community resilience in socially and economically marginalised rural areas. I focus on the heritage work of a Cypriot regional primary school - how its teachers and pupils created a new common sense of identity for the school, its pupils and the rural villages that the school serves. This case illustrates how even small heritage initiatives may enliven, strengthen and create new social networks - resources necessary to maintain a sense of place, build and sustain community resilience in rural areas.
To enhance the human resources required for national development to cope with the change, countries in the world have positively invested in education, as national education in the future is ...necessary to cultivate new-generation citizens with new traits and abilities to cope with the possible impacts and challenges in the new century. For this reason, the education reform wave sweeps many countries. The experiential learning model in experiential education nowadays leads profit and non-profit organizations in the business community, education, and social worker groups to the alternative education trend. Various experiential learning curricula are therefore spread. Taking social workers in southern Taiwan as the research objects, a total of 227 social workers are preceded the 15-week (3 h per week for a total of 45 h) experimental research with the application of virtual reality to experiential education. The research results summarize that (1) experiential education with virtual reality would affect self-efficacy, (2) experiential education with virtual reality would affect learning motivation, and (3) self-efficacy reveals remarkably positive effects on learning motivation. According to the results, it is expected to increase the interaction among the social workers through the learning activity and internalize the experience in the practical learning process of communication, problem solving, and extrinsic interaction for the application to the work to achieve a better life.
A collaborative advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) education model established within a healthcare institution during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is described.
The ...COVID-19 pandemic caused a nationwide disruption of APPE pharmacy education. Healthcare institutions faced the challenge of educating APPE students while attempting to simultaneously de-densify work areas and reduce transmission risk for employees and patients. A pharmacist coordinator and pharmacist academic partners at a large teaching hospital created a collaborative common core curriculum model for resourceful implementation of APPE education. Healthcare network pharmacists, clinical pharmacist academic partners, and pharmacy residents delivered the curriculum to 35 pharmacy students over a 9-week time period. Main components of the curriculum included patient case discussions, topic discussions, journal club presentations, live continuing education (CE) webinars, and development of pharmacy technician CE programs. A majority of students reported positive experiences working with a variety of preceptors from different specialties (81%) and collaborating with students from other universities (62%).
A health system can leverage institutional, network-wide, and academic partner resources to implement a collaborative APPE curriculum during challenging times such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PDF
