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Students' perceptions of global health competencies in the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:This study sought to determine pharmacy students' self-assessment of their level of competency in specified global health statements across various schools. It also evaluated attributes associated with competency and perception of importance, as well as explored students' perspectives on how best to incorporate global health content into pharmacy education. METHODS:Cross-sectional survey administered online to pharmacy students from three pharmacy schools in the United States. RESULTS:The self-assessed competency of pharmacy students in global health topic areas was low. Current or prior exposures outside of the PharmD curriculum to the global health content presented in the survey were significant indicators of self-assessed competency scores. Within individual participating schools, demographic characteristics such as gender, age category, speaking a non-English language, and progression through the PharmD curriculum were also significantly associated with competency scores reported. Most respondents (96%) agreed that relevant global health education should be incorporated into the pharmacy curriculum. CONCLUSIONS:Pharmacy students generally perceive global health competencies to be of great importance in practice, but acknowledge their deficiencies in this area. The current burden of global health education at the schools surveyed relies on individual student experience rather than curricular support. Ensuring that future pharmacists understand their role in global health teams and are able to achieve the necessary level of competency to function in interdisciplinary initiatives will require more strategic incorporation of relevant content into the curriculum.

SUBMITTER: Eneh P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7709946 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Students' perceptions of global health competencies in the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum.

Eneh Prosperity P Steeb David R DR Cope Rebecca R Gim Suzanna S Northrop Elise F EF Brearley Ann M AM Okoro Olihe O

Currents in pharmacy teaching & learning 20200203 5

<h4>Introduction</h4>This study sought to determine pharmacy students' self-assessment of their level of competency in specified global health statements across various schools. It also evaluated attributes associated with competency and perception of importance, as well as explored students' perspectives on how best to incorporate global health content into pharmacy education.<h4>Methods</h4>Cross-sectional survey administered online to pharmacy students from three pharmacy schools in the Unite ...[more]

PMID: 32336449

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Project description:BackgroundPharmacists possess a unique and complex body of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to enable them to optimize health outcomes. Pharmacy organizations publish routinely updated versions of professional competencies that help pharmacy schools integrate advances into their curricula. In Lebanon, no national framework for pharmacy education is officially adopted yet. In 2017, the Official Pharmacists' Association in Lebanon [OPL - Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon] took the initiative to develop a pharmacy core competency framework.ObjectiveThe primary objective of this survey was to evaluate graduates' perceptions of pharmacy-related competencies "taught" across Lebanese pharmacy schools/faculties, based on the suggested Lebanese Pharmacy Competencies Framework. This study also explored the association between graduates' demographics, university attributes, and self-assessed competency performance.MethodsA cross-sectional study involving pharmacists who graduated from Lebanese universities was performed through a 40-minute online questionnaire distributed over social media platforms and groups of pharmacists.ResultsPharmacists perceived their competence as moderate upon graduation, the lowest scores being in fundamental knowledge and medicine supply; the highest reported scores were in personal skills and safe/rational use of medicines. Moreover, females, younger graduates, PharmD holders, and pharmacists working in hospitals/clinical settings and academia had the highest perception of their competencies. Pharmacists in the public sector and medical laboratory directors had the lowest perception of competence.ConclusionsWhen comparing the taught curriculum to the suggested Lebanese Pharmacy Competency Framework, all domains need to be improved to optimize the perception, education, and practice of pharmacists. It is essential to emphasize fundamental knowledge, medicines supply, and public health competencies in undergraduate curricula and improve continuing professional education.

Project description:BackgroundIn September 2011, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, began offering a combined BScPhm/PharmD program to third-year students and postbaccalaureate graduates. Learning consisted of in-class teaching and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations.ObjectiveTo explore preceptors' expectations and perceptions of student performance in the APPE rotations of the new combined degree program.MethodsA survey was distributed via email to 132 pharmacists from the Toronto Academic Health Science Network who had acted as preceptors for the combined degree program in academic year 2011/2012. The 17 questions were designed to gather information on preceptors' demographic characteristics and their expectations and evaluations of the combined-program students. Responses were analyzed qualitatively for common themes and quantitatively using sums and means. Survey responses were compared to identify alignment and discrepancies between preceptors' expectations and evaluations of students.ResultsThe survey response rate was 48% (63/132). Most respondents (46 [73%]) were from a teaching hospital, and the same proportion (46 [73%]) reported being preceptors for a direct patient care rotation. Forty-four (70%) of the respondents expected students to be at the level of traditional PharmD students, hospital residents, or advanced-level Structured Practical Experience Program students, and 35 (80%) of these 44 respondents reported that their students met or exceeded expectations. According to survey responses, 31% of respondents (18/58) ranked students at the corresponding level of performance on the faculty's assessment form, while 62% (36/58) ranked students at a higher level (5 respondents did not complete the question). Only one-third of respondents felt that they personally had received adequate training before taking on preceptor duties for combined-program students.ConclusionsPreceptors' perceptions of the rotation and their expectations of students varied widely and were influenced by prior teaching and learning experiences. There was a disconnect between preceptor-specific expectations and preceptors' final evaluations of students. Training to standardize the expected level of performance and additional training for preceptors would further enhance the APPE rotations of the combined degree program.

Project description:BackgroundPhysical therapists (PTs) work in diverse communities with individuals whose identities and beliefs may differ significantly from their own. Academic institutions must include intentional curriculum aimed at graduating PTs who can skillfully navigate intercultural encounters. Being prepared to engage with difference and demonstrate skills related to intercultural competencies (ICC) will prepare entry-level PTs to provide individualized, high-quality care. Intercultural competencies are essential skills that can reduce healthcare disparities, and promote equitable and inclusive healthcare delivery. This study examined the impact of PT curricula, student demographics, and participation in intercultural learning experiences (ILEs) on students' development of ICC.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 8 Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs in the United States (US) compared ICC in first-year (F) and third-year students (T), and T who participated in an ILE (T + ILE) to those who did not (T-only). Subjects included 1,038 students. Outcome measures included The Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence-among healthcare professionals-Student Version© (IAPCC-SV), and a demographic survey.ResultsIndependent t-tests showed that group T (mean = 64.34 ± 5.95, 95% CI: 63.78-64.90) had significantly higher IAPCC-SV total scores than group F (mean = 60.8 ± 5.54, 95% CI = 60.33-61.27, p < 0.05). Group T + ILE (mean = 65.81 ± 5.71, 95% CI = 64.91-66.71) demonstrated significantly higher IAPCC-SV total scores than group T-only (mean = 63.35 ± 5.8, 95% CI = 62.6-64.1, p = 0.039). A one-way ANOVA and post hoc comparisons showed that the 25 to 34-year age group (mean = 63.80 ± 6.04, 95% CI = 63.25-64.35, p < 0.001) and the ≥ 35-year age group (mean = 64.21 ± 5.88, 95% CI = 62.20-66.22, p < .024) had significantly higher IAPCC-SV total scores, than the 18 to 24-year age group (mean = 60.60 ± 5.41, 95% CI = 60.09-61.11). Students who identified in US census minority ethnic or racial categories (US-Mn) (mean = 63.55 ± 5.78, 95% CI = 62.75-64.35) had significantly higher IAPCC-SV total scores than students who identified in US majority ethnic or racial categories (US-Mj) (mean = 61.98 ± 5.97, 95% CI = 61.55-62.413, p = .0001).ConclusionsResults of the study support the hypothesis that DPT programs can promote the development of intercultural skills in students. The ultimate objective of this academic preparation is to improve the student's ability to deliver equitable, person-centered healthcare upon entry into practice. Specific ICC for entry-level DPT students are not clearly defined by US physical therapy professional organizations, academic institutions, or accrediting body. Students who participated in an ILE exhibited higher levels of ICC when compared to those who did not. Findings from this study can guide curriculum development, utilization of resources, and outcomes assessment. More research is needed to examine characteristics of an ILE that could inform best practice.

Project description:BackgroundThere is increasing interest in global health teaching among medical schools and their students. Schools in the UK and internationally are considering the best structure, methods and content of global health courses. Academic work in this area, however, has tended to either be normative (specifying what global health teaching ought to look like) or descriptive (of a particular intervention, new module, elective, etc.).MethodsWhile a number of studies have explored student perspectives on global health teaching, these have often relied on tools such as questionnaires that generate little in-depth evidence. This study instead used qualitative methods to explore medical student perspectives on global health in the context of a new global health module established in the core medical curriculum at a UK medical school.ResultsFifth year medical students participated in a structured focus group session and semi-structured interviews designed to explore their knowledge and learning about global health issues, as well as their wider perspectives on these issues and their relevance to professional development. While perspectives on global health ranged from global health 'advocate' to 'sceptic', all of the students acknowledged the challenges of prioritising global health within a busy curriculum.ConclusionsStudents are highly alert to the diverse epistemological issues that underpin global health. For some students, such interdisciplinarity is fundamental to understanding contemporary health and healthcare. For others, global health is merely a topic of geographic relevance. Furthermore, some students appeared to accept global health as a specialist area only relevant to professionals working overseas, while others considered it to be an essential part of working in the globalised world and therefore relevant to all medical professionals. Students also clearly noted that including 'soft' subjects and more discursive approaches to teaching and learning often sits awkwardly in a programme where 'harder' forms of knowledge and didactic methods tend to dominate. This suggests that more work needs to be done to explain the relevance of global health to medical students at the very beginning of their studies.

Project description:IntroductionEmpathy is an essential trait for pharmacists and is recognized as a core competency that can be developed in the classroom. There is a growing body of data regarding levels of empathy in pharmacy students; however, these studies have not measured differences in behavioral, cognitive, and emotional empathy. The goal of this study was to parse the underlying components of empathy and correlate them to psychosocial attributes, with the overall goal of identifying curriculum modifications to enhance levels of empathy in pharmacy students.MethodsIRB approval was obtained to measure empathy levels in pharmacy students attending Midwestern University. An online, anonymous survey administered through a secure website (REDCap) was used. This survey utilized the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (Medical Student version) and included questions regarding demographics and personality traits. Empathy questions were sub-divided into behavioral, cognitive, and emotional categories. Data are presented as mean ± SEM with significance set at P ? 0.05.ResultsThree hundred and four pharmacy students at Midwestern University participated in a fall survey with an overall response rate of 37%. The average empathy score was 110.4 ± 0.8 on a scale of 20-140; which is comparable to empathy scores found by Fjortoft et al. (2011) and Van Winkle et al. (2012b). Validating prior research, females scored significantly higher than males in empathy as well as behavioral, cognitive, and emotional subcomponents. For the entire population, emotional empathy was significantly higher than cognitive and behavioral empathy (P < 0.05). Furthermore, negative correlations to empathy were observed for self-serving behavior (R D 0.490, P < 0.001), medical authoritarianism (R D 0.428, P < 0.001), and experience of coercion (R D 0.344, P < 0.001).ConclusionOverall, empathy levels in pharmacy students are similar to prior studies with females scoring higher than males. Emotional empathy may play a greater role than cognitive and behavioral empathy in this group of students. Targeted programs that promote volunteerism and activities that foster responsiveness to patient needs may attenuate self-serving behavior and medical authoritarianism and, therefore, improve empathy levels in pharmacy students.

Dataset Information

Students' perceptions of global health competencies in the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum.

Publications

Students' perceptions of global health competencies in the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum.

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