Assessment of a structured longitudinal professional identity development curriculum for pharmacy students

Teaching Strategies for Professional Identity Education in Pharmacy: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVES

To characterize which strategies of professional identity formation and professionalism are being used in Pharmacy.

FINDINGS

We gathered 5004 articles from 5 databases with the descriptors "pharmacy" "professionalism," "professional identity" and their synonyms. The professional identity is a set of values and behaviors common among professionals. Professionalism is the moral compass of these values, used as a strategy to own social authenticity. After excluding duplicate texts, analyzing titles, abstracts, and full articles, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria and presented strategies for the formation of professional identity and professionalism in pharmacy students. We did not find studies with pharmacists. The quality of reports was assessed using 2 instruments recommended by the literature. All studies were conducted from 2007 onwards, and the United States is the country with the most publications. The identified strategies consisted of extracurricular activities, thematic courses, lectures, and counseling sessions and did not follow standards of theoretical reference, method, execution, duration, and effectiveness of evaluation.

SUMMARY

The interest of Pharmacy about professional identity and professionalism has grown substantially in recent years. Teaching strategies are essential alternatives to improve professionalism, reinforce its importance, and acknowledge its heterogeneity and differences. For that, they must be in line with the aims of the profession in society. This review highlights the need to develop standardized and reproducible teaching strategies to guarantee the effectiveness of students' professional socialization during graduation, as well as to instruct professionals to deal with the changes in the profession, increasing the influence of Pharmacy in society.

A Qualitative Study of Experiences Contributing to Professional Identity Formation in Recent Pharmacy Graduates

OBJECTIVE

A professional identity has been described as "an individual thinking, acting, and feeling" like a person within the profession. The objective of this study was to learn about professional identity formation (PIF) in recent graduates of a pharmacy program.

METHODS

In-depth interviews were conducted with students graduating from a doctor of pharmacy degree program. Investigators performed a thematic content analysis of interview transcripts.

RESULTS

Participants were from community pharmacy practice (4), residencies (4), industry (1), and ambulatory care (1). At the time of the interview, participants were a range of 5-13 months out from graduation. Analysis of the data revealed 4 thematic findings. First, thinking and acting like a pharmacist occurred frequently while in school but feeling like a pharmacist occurred mostly after graduation. Second, feeling like a pharmacist meant participants felt confident in their knowledge base and ability to independently make decisions. Third, real-world practice is critical to PIF, particularly through interactions with patients. Finally, feedback, mentoring, and reflection support PIF and can aid in reconciling the tensions between concepts taught in school and experiences in practice.

CONCLUSIONS

In this qualitative analysis of data about PIF obtained from recent graduates from a pharmacy school, we found that thinking and acting like a pharmacist preceded feeling like a pharmacist; feeling like a pharmacist involved confidence in the ability to work autonomously; feedback, mentoring, and reflection on experiences supported PIF; and real-world experiences were critical to PIF.

Motivating Language and Social Provisions in the Inculcation of Pharmacy Students' Professional Identity

Professional identity formation in pharmacy students is a multifaceted, dynamic process stimulated through a variety of experiences, including those in structured classrooms, laboratories, experiential settings, and during interprofessional education. Meaningful faculty communications with students are a critical element in the development process.This commentary situates research findings from studies on communication practices within the frameworks of motivating language theory and social provisions theory to demonstrate how specific language from instructors can impact the formation of students' professional identity. Our objective is to review and extrapolate findings from professional pharmacy literature on communication, as well as literature from outside the profession, to demonstrate how specific strategies can aid in the development and reinforcement of pharmacy students' professional identity. Clear, specific, tailored, empathetic communication by instructors during pharmacy student training promotes students' ability to think, act, and feel like valued contributors during the provision of patient care and interprofessional experiences.

Evaluation of an Instrument to Assess Students' Personal and Professional Development During the Faculty Advising Process

Objective. To evaluate a tool designed to assess Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students' personal and professional development prior to beginning advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs).Methods. A five-item instrument, entitled the Faculty Advisor's Assessment of the Advisee (FAAA) tool, was developed to assess and monitor pharmacy students' progress over the three-year didactic curriculum. Question anchors were created to describe characteristics exhibited by the student that matched categories of not engaged, beginning, emerging, or engaged. Possible FAAA composite scores ranged from 7 to 20. Using the FAAA tool, faculty advisors assessed their advisees' values, engagement, self-awareness, professionalism, and leadership in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Individual and aggregate cohort reports were run and data for each of the three years were matched with students. To determine if the FAAA showed progression in assessed dimensions in the students during the first, second, and third professional (P1, P2, and P3) years, a Friedman test was performed. Cronbach alpha was used to assess the reliability of the instrument.Results. The data of 93 students were matched for the P1 through the P3 years. Median (IQR) for the FAAA composite score levels for the P1, P2, and P3 were 13 (12-16), 17 (15-19) and 18 (16-20), respectively. Significant differences existed at all timepoints compared, including from the P1 to P2, P2 to P3, and P1 to P3 years. The reliability of the FAAA scale was strong across all three years (winter 2017, α=0.87; winter 2018, α=0.89; and winter 2019, α=0.87). All items appeared worthy of retention as removal did not significantly increase their reliability.Conclusion. A five-item tool which assesses pharmacy students' personal and professional development during the first three years of a PharmD program could be used by faculty advisors to assess student's progress across the didactic curriculum.

Impact of early direct patient care introductory pharmacy practice experiences on student pharmacists' career exploration

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy piloted a novel longitudinal introductory experiential program to provide second (P2) and third (P3) year professional students early exposure to pharmacist-provided direct patient care, opportunity to develop professionally expected behaviors, and ability to explore contemporary pharmacy career options. This paper describes the influence of the pilot on pre-advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) career interests and professional development.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Forty P2 and P3 students participated in the longitudinal experiential pilot course. Students were assigned to 32 pharmacist preceptors in a variety of direct patient care practices. Students completed 16 onsite hours over the fall semester. Influence of the pilot experience on APPE plans and future career interests was assessed by an end of experience reflective assignment and survey.

FINDINGS

The pilot course served as the initial exposure for the majority of students to both direct patient care and specialized areas of pharmacy practice. Nearly half of students indicated the experience advanced their knowledge of pharmacists' scope of practice and potential career opportunities. Most students (85%) reported the experience influenced future career plans, with half indicating increased interest in their specific practice specialty. Over 75% planned to pursue an APPE in that practice area. Nearly all students reported making professional contacts through this experience.

SUMMARY

Early exposure to direct patient care and specialized pharmacy practice areas through this IPPE provided students opportunity to inform career interest and develop professional contacts with preceptors in specialized practice areas.

Co-Curriculum Implementation and Assessment in Accredited Doctor of Pharmacy Programs

Objective. To determine how accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs implement and evaluate the co-curriculum requirement as mandated by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Methods. A survey was administered to all ACPE-accredited pharmacy programs to collect information regarding how co-curriculum models were being implemented, including types of activities, structure, learning outcomes, oversight, and assessment. The frequency of responses to items were presented to describe the general features of co-curriculum models. Results. The types of co-curricular activities reported by programs were generally consistent, with the majority of programs categorizing these activities and allowing students to choose which they would engage in. Most respondents reported that the program mapped co-curricular activities to learning outcomes, primarily ACPE Standards 1-4. The structural oversight of the co-curriculum typically included a co-curriculum committee, subcommittee, or task force, and supporting offices. The most common offices/departments involved in the co-curriculum were assessment, student affairs/services, experiential education, and academic/curricular affairs. The most common assessments were reflections, self-assessment surveys, and checklists. Conclusion. In most programs, implementation of the co-curriculum was a joint effort among various individuals, committees, and offices. Given the developing nature of programs, descriptive studies should be repeated to identify how programs develop and enhance co-curriculum models. The study results may be useful to members of the Academy when evaluating the current state of co-curriculum implementation and potential areas for program development.