Jan K. Hastings

Measuring Student Motivation in Health Professions' Colleges

Active, independent, self-directed learning requires motivation, or a willingness to exert high levels of effort toward educational goals, conditioned by individual need. Motivation maybe a function of individual differences or induced by situational constraints. Archer (1994), who used goal orientation to conceptualize university student motivation, theorized that students would exhibit a preference for either mastery orientation (desire to develop competence/increase understanding), performance orientation (desire to demonstrate competence/ability), or academic alienation (no concern for developing competence or demonstrating achievement). The purpose of this study was to identify and validate an instrument that would measure goal orientation preferences of students in health professions programs. The authors administered Archers survey to a sample of medical, nursing, and pharmacy students to determine if the instrument was appropriate for this population. Results demonstrated that goal orientation preference could be measured in these students and confirmed the instruments reliability and valid use for these populations.

Community Pharmacy Data Bases to Identify Patients at High Risk for Hypercholesterolemia

We compared the effectiveness of selectively screening pharmacy data bases to identify patients with hypercholesterolemia with that of mass cholesterol screening. Screening data bases of four community pharmacies yielded 426 patients filling prescriptions for β‐blockers, thiazide diuretics, oral hypoglycemics, insulin, sublingual nitroglycerin, nicotine gum, or nicotine patches. They were invited to attend a cholesterol screening. Eighty‐eight of the contacted patients attended, as did 97 walk‐in persons. Cholesterol readings were higher in the contacted group (p=0.017). Borderline‐high cholesterol levels (200–239 mg/dl) were reported in 36.3% of the contacted group and 29.8% of the walk‐in group. High cholesterol levels (> 239 mg/dl) were reported in 31.8% and 18.6%, respectively Targeting certain drugs that directly contribute to raising cholesterol or indicate other risk factors for coronary artery disease (e.g., diabetes mellitus) was an effective method of identifying patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Academic Help-Seeking Behavior Among Student Pharmacists

Objectives. To identify factors associated with academic help-seeking behavior among student pharmacists at a public university. Methods. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted to explore in depth perceptions of facilitators of and barriers to the help-seeking behavior and academic achievement of student pharmacists who had received a D or F grade in any year. A 4-part survey instrument was developed and administered to all student pharmacists and included sections for (1) attitudes and academic help-seeking behavior, (2) health status, (3) demographics, and (4) open comments. A structural equation modeling approach was used to assess relationships among domains of interest. Results. Three student focus groups noted that helpfulness of faculty members and school administrators were 2 prominent facilitators of help-seeking behavior and academic achievement. Diminished quality of life caused by stress and depression was the primary barrier to help-seeking and achievement. Three hundred four (68.6%) student pharmacists completed the survey instrument. Academic help-seeking behavior was influenced mostly by perceived academic competence and perceived faculty helpfulness. In contrast, ambivalence and perception of help-seeking as threatening were 2 factors that were negatively associated with academic help-seeking behavior. Conclusions. Academic help-seeking behavior was positively related to greater perceived academic competence and positive relationships among student pharmacists and faculty members.

Web-based Multimedia Vignettes in Advanced Community Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of Web-based multimedia vignettes on complex drug administration techniques to augment the training of pharmacy students in advanced community pharmacy practice experiences. Design. During the orientation for a community APPE, students were randomly assigned to either a study group or control group After they began their APPE, students in the study group were given an Internet address to access multimedia vignettes which they were required to watch to augment their training and standardize their counseling of patients in the use of inhalers and ear and eye drops. Assessment. A 12-item questionnaire was administered to students in both groups at the orientation and again on the last day of the APPE to evaluate their knowledge of counseling patients in the use of inhalers and ear and eye drops. The control group did not experience any improvement in their counseling knowledge of the research topics during their month-long experience. Students in the intervention group scored higher on their postintervention test than students in the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusions. Student learning outcomes from experiential training can be improved through the use of Web-based multimedia instructional vignettes.

Recommendations for the successful pursuit of scholarship by pharmacy practice faculty members

Scholarship has long been a basic expectation of faculty members at institutions of higher learning in the United States and elsewhere. This expectation is no less assumed in academic pharmacy. A number of organizations have verbalized and enforced this precept over the years.1-3 For example, this expectation is spoken to directly in the American Council for Pharmacy Education’s Accreditation Standards and Guidelines.4 This expectation is further emphasized in the draft document of the accreditation standards to be implemented in 2016, in Standard 20. Specifically, Element 20.2 states: “The college or school must create an environment that both requires and promotes scholarship, and must also develop mechanisms to assess both the quantity and quality of faculty scholarly productivity.”5 The successful pursuit of scholarship by clinical faculty members (those engaged in both clinical practice and teaching, without regard to tenure or clinical track status) is challenging. 6-10 Thus, faculty member job descriptions or models should be designed so clinical faculty members can successfully meet all academic job expectations, including productive and meaningful scholarship. In 2012, an AACP Section of Teachers of Pharmacy Practice task force was charged with examining this issue and providing recommendations for models for clinical faculty members that would allow the successful pursuit of scholarship. The task force gathered information relating to the current state of affairs at a number of colleges and reviewed relevant literature. This information, along with personal experiences and much discussion and contemplation, led to some general observations as well as specific recommendations. This paper reiterates the task force’s observations and recommendations and provides further detail regarding our interpretation of the findings and basis for the eventual recommendations to the section.