Using personal strengths with intention in pharmacy: implications for pharmacists, managers, and leaders

Pharmacy Students' Perspective on Business Management for the Community Pharmacist

OBJECTIVE

Pharmacy students are important future stakeholders in community pharmacy, with business management being an integral part of practice. Thus, this study aims to determine pharmacy students' perceptions of the business management skills required of the community pharmacist and how these skills should be taught within the pharmacy curriculum.

METHODS

An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design involved the administration of an online survey to pharmacy students in years 1 and 4 across 2 Australian universities, followed by focus groups to gather in-depth perceptions. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and associations between years 1 and 4 and outcomes were explored. A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive thematic analysis was used for focus group transcriptions.

RESULTS

A total of 51 pharmacy students responded to the online survey, with 85% agreeing that business management is an essential part of the community pharmacist's skill set. Students indicated a preference for learning management during their community pharmacy placement, university workshops, and via mentorship. Although thematic analysis of student focus groups revealed a preference for learning clinical skills during their university education, business management was also recognized as important. Enthusiasm for management, however, could be increased by exposure to mentors who display leadership and are passionate about business management.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacy students considered business management as intrinsic to the role of community pharmacists and recommended a multimethod teaching approach to learning these skills. These findings could be used by pharmacy educators and the profession to inform both the content and the delivery of business management in pharmacy curricula.

Strengths in numbers: Assessing the use of StrengthsFinder 2.0 in a pharmacy residency program

Purpose

To quantify the trends of StrengthsFinder 2.0 domains and traits in pharmacy residents within a single residency program. To recognize and discuss the application of resident StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits within a residency program.

Methods

This is a retrospective review of StrengthsFinder 2.0 domains and traits among first- and second-year postgraduate year (PGY) pharmacy residents over the past 6 years in a community-based health system. Perspectives on the utility of the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment within a residency program, from the viewpoints of a residency program director, a system director of pharmacy, and a current resident, were also obtained and recorded.

Results

A total of 34 residents with 170 StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits were included in this data analysis. The top StrengthsFinder 2.0 domains of all pharmacy residents were Strategic Thinking and Relationship Building, being exhibited by 36% and 28%, respectively. Learner, Achiever, Harmony, Input, and Restorative were found to be the most frequently reported StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits among all pharmacy residents examined. Learner and Harmony were found to be the top traits of first-year pharmacy residents (11% and 9%), while Achiever and Learner were the most common traits found in the second-year pharmacy residents (13% and 10%). The system pharmacy director, residency program director, and current resident agreed that the assessment tool enhances the resident experience. However, each has their own perspective on the benefits of the StrengthsFinder assessment with respect to the residency program.

Conclusion

Overall, the top 5 StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits seen in pharmacy residents who have completed a PGY1 or PGY2 residency at Lee Health were: Learner (18%), Achiever (9%), Harmony (7%), Input (6%), and Restorative (6%). Achiever, Harmony, Learner, Input, and Restorative were found to be the most common traits across all categories reported. These trends are similar to those reported in previous studies of StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment of pharmacy students and residents. Evaluating individual StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits at the start of the residency year provides a framework for each resident to complete ongoing self-evaluations. In addition, familiarity with the common traits seen within residents allows residency leadership members to make more thoughtful decisions regarding resident assignments for learning experiences or committee appointments.

A Systematic Review of Leadership Definitions, Competencies, and Assessment Methods in Pharmacy Education

Objective. To characterize leadership definitions, competencies, and assessment methods used in pharmacy education, based on a systematic review of the literature. Findings. After undergoing title, abstract, and full-text review, 44 (10%) of 441 articles identified in the initial search were included in this report. Leadership or an aspect of leadership was defined in 37 (84%) articles, and specific leadership competencies were listed or described in 40 (91%) articles. The most common definitions of leadership involved motivating others toward the achievement of a specific goal and leading organizational change. Definitions of leadership in some articles required that individuals hold a formal leadership position whereas others did not. Only two leadership competencies were related to specific areas of knowledge. Most of the competencies identified were interpersonal and self-management skills. In terms of assessment, only one (2.3%) article assessed leadership effectiveness, and none assessed leadership development. Of the remaining 24 (55%) articles that included some type of assessment, most involved behavioral-based tools assessing individual attributes conceptually related to leadership (eg, strengths, emotional intelligence), or self-assessments regarding whether learning objectives in a leadership course had been met. Summary. Definitions for leadership in pharmacy varied considerably, as did leadership competencies. Most conceptualizations of leadership resembled a combination of established approaches rather than being grounded in a specific theory. If leadership development is to remain a focus within accreditation standards for Doctor of Pharmacy education, a consistent framework for operationalizing it is needed.

Escape from the usual: Development and implementation of an 'escape room' activity to assess team dynamics

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Today's pharmacists must be "team-ready." While team-based learning is ubiquitous in pharmacy education, little data exists for fostering team-building skills in healthcare education. This study evaluates the effect of an escape room-themed team-building exercise on pharmacy student experiences and perceptions of working in teams using StrengthsFinder 2.0 as a framework.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Second and third professional year pharmacy students were divided into teams of four to five. Each team competed in a puzzle-based simulated "escape room". Students completed pre- and post-surveys regarding perceptions of working in teams and team dynamics after reviewing their StrengthsFinder 2.0 results. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a related-samples McNemar test for statistical significance. Qualitative data from open-ended questions were analyzed to determine common themes among student answers.

FINDINGS

Of the 137 enrolled students, 127 participated in the activity and surveys. Sixty percent of teams successfully completed the activity on time. All but one statement ("I am an integral member of the team") showed a statistically significant increase in those strongly agreeing or agreeing pre- to post-exercise. The largest shift was seen for the statement "I enjoy working in a team environment". Thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed that students felt harnessing their individual talents made the teams stronger.

SUMMARY

This exercise positively impacted student perceptions of working in teams. Further research should determine the effect of pre-requisite team-building exercises on team-based learning outcomes.

Evaluation of the leadership strengths of the officers serving within an APhA-ASP chapter: Implications for the profession

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To evaluate the strengths of the officers who recently served within an American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) chapter and to discuss the potential impacts of these strengths upon the pharmacy profession.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

The chapter officers from the Classes of 2010-2016 (n = 67; 66% female) voluntarily participated in a variety of leadership development programs created by the chapter advisors. Each of these programs included activities based upon the book, Strengths Based Leadership, and the determination of each officer's top five strengths using the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. For this study, all of the officer's top five strengths were compiled (n = 335) and evaluated based upon their individual frequencies and their association with each of the strengths based leadership domains (i.e. executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking).

FINDINGS

All 67 officers completed the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment with the five most frequently identified strengths being achiever (n = 27), harmony (n = 27), learner (n = 26), input (n = 19), and individualization (n = 17). In addition, the officer's strengths most frequently corresponded to the leadership domain of relationship building (35%), followed by the domains of executing (28%), strategic thinking (26%), and influencing (11%).

SUMMARY

These findings may help explain why the profession continues to succeed with respect to implementing collaborative patient-centered care, but continues to be challenged with respect to maximizing professional advocacy.

StrengthsFinder® signature themes of talent in pharmacy residents at four midwestern pharmacy schools

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

StrengthsFinder^® is a widely-used assessment that can be used to help student pharmacists discover their talents (i.e., signature themes [STs]) and develop their leadership skills. The assessment has also been used in pharmacy residents, but the prevalence of various STs in that group has not been compared to those in student pharmacists.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Residents from four midwestern pharmacy institutions completed StrengthsFinder^® 2.0 and received their top five STs. STs were organized and examined by domains (executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking). StrengthsFinder^® data on student pharmacists were obtained from a previously published study. The distribution of the themes and domains was compared between residents and student pharmacists.

FINDINGS

Responses from 31 residency program cohorts, including 290 pharmacy residents from a pool of 304 (95.4%) possible respondents, were included in the study. The learner ST was more frequently reported in the top five in pharmacy residents versus student pharmacists (42.8% versus 35.5%, p = 0.022). The woo and communication STs were also more frequently reported in the top five, while the consistency ST was reported less frequently in the top five in pharmacy residents versus student pharmacists (p < 0.05). The executing and relationship building domains had the highest average number of STs (1.58 and 1.56, respectively).

DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY

The ST profile of pharmacy residents at residency programs affiliated with four midwestern schools of pharmacy is generally similar to that of pharmacy graduates. However, several STs were more or less prevalent in pharmacy residents. Recognition of these differences may assist residency program directors in marketing and design of programs and ranking of candidates.

Academic Pharmacy: Where is Our Influence?

Objective. To evaluate the talents of fellows from cohorts 1-10 of the Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP). Methods. This was a descriptive analysis of previously collected ALFP cohort data reflecting the talents using the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment tool. Data consisted of 295 fellows from the first 10 years of the ALFP program. The Clifton StrengthsFinder talents were aggregated and analyzed to determine talents (strengths) distribution and domain. The aggregate of the four domains were compared among ALFP fellows using a chi-square analysis with an a priori alpha of .05. Results. Lowest frequency of talents was found in the influencing domain (11.2%), while the domains with the largest frequency of talents were strategic thinking (34.4%) and executing (31.1%). When looking at the specific talents within the domains among the ALFP fellows, achiever (in the executing domain) and learner (in the strategic thinking domain) were the most frequent talents, while command (in the influencing domain) and adaptability (in the relationship building domain) were the least frequent talents. Conclusions. Since the profession is deficient in the influencing and relationship building domains (command and adaptability talents, respectively), this could help explain our slow progress in moving the profession from a product-focused role to a provider-based role. Perhaps the profession should be using a strategy better aligned with our signature leadership domains of executing and strategic thinking and focus on being a member of the health care team by aligning with team-based care rather than obtaining provider status.

What Makes a Leader: Identifying the Strengths of Canadian Physical Therapists

PURPOSE

To identify the personal strengths of Canadian physical therapists who hold leadership positions and compare them with the strengths of Canadian physical therapists who do not occupy positions of leadership.

METHODS

A quantitative, cross-sectional online survey was distributed to registered Canadian physical therapists. We used the Clifton StrengthsFinder to evaluate 34 characteristics and determine which characteristics described a participant's strengths. Population demographics and leadership strengths were described via frequency distributions and percentages; chi-square analyses and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare differences between groups.

RESULTS

Of 173 physical therapists who completed the survey, 108 occupied a position of leadership, and 65 did not. Those in the leader group had significantly more experience and achieved a higher level of education. Leaders most frequently exhibited the strengths of learner, achiever, responsibility, input, and strategic, whereas non-leaders most frequently displayed strengths of learner, achiever, input, relator, and harmony. Leaders were significantly more likely than non-leaders to possess the achiever strength. Gender, level of education, and years of experience did not significantly influence which strengths were present in the leadership profile.

CONCLUSIONS

There is substantial overlap between leaders and non-leaders in terms of leadership profiles. Future research should investigate whether leadership strengths vary depending on the leadership position occupied and whether leadership development initiatives promote leadership strengths.

Deliberate Integration of Student Leadership Development in Doctor of Pharmacy Programs

The CAPE 2013 Outcomes answered the call for increased student leadership development (SLD) by identifying leadership as a desired curricular goal. To meet this outcome, colleges and schools of pharmacy are advised to first identify a set of SLD competencies aligned with their institution's mission and goals and then organize these competencies into a SLD framework/model. Student leadership development should be integrated vertically and horizontally within the curriculum in a deliberate and longitudinal manner. It should include all student pharmacists, begin at the point of admission, and extend beyond extracurricular activities. The school's assessment plan should be aligned with the identified SLD competencies so student learning related to leadership is assessed. To accomplish these recommendations, a positive environment for SLD should be cultivated within the school, including administrative backing and resources, as well as support among the broader faculty for integrating SLD into the curriculum.

StrengthsFinder Signature Themes of Talent in Doctor of Pharmacy Students in Five Midwestern Pharmacy Schools

OBJECTIVE

To describe student pharmacists' Signature Themes from the Clifton StrengthsFinder across 5 Midwestern pharmacy institutions and to compare themes by gender, institution, and undergraduate population.

METHODS

Student pharmacists completed the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment and received their top 5 Signature Themes. Themes were organized and examined by domains (Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking). The distribution of the themes was compared between student pharmacists and undergraduates and themes and domains were compared by institution and gender.

RESULTS

Although results varied by institution, the top 5 themes among the 1244 of 1250 students (99.5%) who completed the assessment were: Achiever, Harmony, Learner, Responsibility, and Empathy. Female student pharmacists had more themes in Executing and Relationship Building, while males had more themes in Influencing and Strategic Thinking. Pharmacy students exhibit more Executing domain talents and fewer Influencing domain talents compared with undergraduates.

CONCLUSION

Signature Themes were consistent among student pharmacists across 5 Midwestern colleges of pharmacy.

Investigating student pharmacist perceptions of professional engagement using a modified Delphi process

OBJECTIVE

To develop a definition of professional engagement, a list of professionally engaging and disengaging activities, and characteristics of those activities.

METHODS

A 2-round modified Delphi process was conducted using student pharmacists. The first round captured input while the second assessed agreement using a 5-point Likert scale.

RESULTS

A definition was created using the 3 items that reached consensus. All engaging characteristics reached consensus, and 25% (3/12) of the disengaging characteristics reached consensus. Lower rates of consensus were observed for activities, with 78% (7/9) of the professionally engaging and none of the disengaging activities reaching consensus.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study have implications for creating professionally engaging learning experiences for student pharmacists and suggest that ensuring activities contain certain professionally engaging characteristics may be more important than the activities themselves.

Refinement of strengths instruction in a pharmacy curriculum over eight years

OBJECTIVE

To develop, refine, and integrate introductory-level strengths instruction within a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum.

DESIGN

Over 8 years, student pharmacists completed the StrengthsFinder assessment tool and identified their top 5 Signature Themes (talents). They then participated in either Web-based learning modules or live workshops designed to facilitate professional development.

ASSESSMENT

Students preferred the live instruction over Web-based learning modules. Post-instruction evaluations demonstrated that students discussed their Signature Themes with peers, preceptors, and family members. Pharmacists working with students in strengths-related activities reported that the students applied the information in the practice setting. Both pharmacists and students recommended that this material be required for all students.

CONCLUSIONS

Identifying a role in pharmacy that aligns with one's personal talents is critical for the success of pharmacy graduates. Strengths instruction is an important component of professional and career development, and can aid in identifying roles.

Recent Publications on Medications and Pharmacy

Hospital Pharmacy presents this feature to keep pharmacists abreast of new publications in the medical/pharmacy literature. Articles of interest regarding a broad scope of topics are abstracted monthly. Suggestions or comments may be addressed to Jacyntha Sterling, Drug Information Specialist at Saint Francis Hospital, 6161 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK 74136 or e-mail: jasterling@saintfrancis.com .