Christopher J. Turner

A Three-Year Reflective Writing Program as Part of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Objectives. To implement and evaluate a 3-year reflective writing program incorporated into introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) in the first- through third-year of a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Design. Reflective writing was integrated into 6 IPPE courses to develop students’ lifelong learning skills. In their writing, students were required to self-assess their performance in patient care activities, identify and describe how they would incorporate learning opportunities, and then evaluate their progress. Practitioners, faculty members, and fourth-year PharmD students served as writing preceptors. Assessment. The success of the writing program was assessed by reviewing class performance and surveying writing preceptor’s opinions regarding the student’s achievement of program objectives. Class pass rates averaged greater than 99% over the 8 years of the program and the large majority of the writing preceptors reported that student learning objectives were met. A support pool of 99 writing preceptors was created. Conclusions. A 3-year reflective writing program improved pharmacy students’ reflection and reflective writing skills.

Further development of pharmacy student-facilitated diabetes management clinics.

Objective. To further develop and evaluate a diabetes disease state management (DSM) program that provided direct patient care responsibilities to advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students as members of healthcare teams. Design. Nine new clinics and 3 established sites that provide self-care management education to patients with diabetes were established and maintained in rural Colorado pharmacies and supported by students in APPE training for 48 weeks per year. Evaluation. The 12 clinics provided 120 APPE student placements in 2010-2011. Students’ perceptions of their experiences were positive. Patients who completed the student-supported diabetes self-management education program had improvements in blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipid values. Conclusions. Twelve diabetes DSM clinics provided direct patient care opportunities to APPE students working as part of healthcare teams while expanding healthcare resources in underserved communities in Colorado.

Sustainability of a Practice-based Interprofessional Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience Course

Objective. To describe a successfully sustained interprofessional introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) in which third-year pharmacy students were paired with nonpharmacist practitioners. Methods. Course data were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed to reveal details about the program. Provider participant numbers and student perception data were reviewed and reported on. Results. The number of students and providers participating increased during the 13 years of the program. On average, preceptors participated for 3 years and hosted 4 pharmacy students. Students consistently agreed the course helped increase student communication competencies and integration into interdisciplinary practice (mean agreement of 88.4% and 91.6%, respectively). Conclusion. A required interprofessional IPPE course designed to develop students’ self-confidence working and communicating with nonpharmacist practitioners has been successfully sustained for more than a decade. Students report improvements in self-confidence and achievement of the course’s primary outcomes.

Description and evaluation of an MPharm practice-based experience pilot program

Objective. To determine the level of support among pharmacists in central Scotland to serve as mentors and provide practice-based experience to students enrolled in a master of pharmacy degree program. Methods. A study was conducted during the 2011-2012 academic year in which first-year MPharm students in Scotland were paired with practicing pharmacists for 2 half-day visits per month. The students were integrated into the pharmacy workflow and engaged in activities ranging from date checking to counseling patients. The pharmacists and students who participated were asked to complete a survey in spring 2012 regarding their experiences and, in addition, the students were asked to maintain diary entries describing their experiences. Results. Thirty-nine students were paired successfully with 38 pharmacists. Every pharmacist stated their student was welcome to return in the 2012-2013 academic year and 29 agreed to accept a second student. Nine of 12 participating chain community pharmacies asked for program expansion and 11 chain community pharmacies and one other community pharmacy that did not participate in 2011-2012 asked to join in 2012-2013. Conclusion. Large numbers of pharmacists in central Scotland are willing to mentor and provide practice-based pharmacy education for students in a manner consistent with General Pharmaceutical Council accreditation standards for the master of pharmacy degree curriculum.