Development of an Instrument to Measure Academic Resilience Among Pharmacy Students

Development and validation of Vietnam teachers' resilience scale instrument: A four-factor model

Existing studies on resilience measures tailored explicitly to teachers are relatively scarce, and the development of teacher resilience scales in developing Asian nations is lacking. To address this gap, we developed the Vietnam Teachers' Resilience Scale (VITRS), drawing on the Teachers' Resilience Scale (Daniilidou & Platsidou, 2018) and the Multidimensional Teachers' Resilience Scale (Mansfield & Wosnitza, 2015; Peixoto et al., 2020). The VITRS comprises 20 items across four dimensions (Social, Professional, Emotional, and Motivational resilience), demonstrating psychometric properties. The VITRS exhibits high reliability and validity and can serve as a significant assessment tool for high school and university teachers. This enables them to measure their resilience and prepare effectively to face and adapt to adversity. Despite these limitations, this study opens new avenues for future research.

Academic resilience in UK pharmacy education - a pilot study applying love and break up letters methodology

INTRODUCTION

Academic resilience is seen as a positive attribute that supports academic attainment and protects against attrition and burnout. Studies have reported that UK pharmacy students have lower academic resilience and wellbeing than the general UK student population but the reasons for this have not been established. This study pilots the use of a novel methodology, love and break-up letter methodology (LBM), to explore these issues focusing on the lived experience of pharmacy students.

METHOD

Final year undergraduate pharmacy study were purposely recruited to the study. Employing LBM, each participant was invited to write reflective love and break-up letters to their academic resilience in higher education during a focus group. Letters and transcripts of subsequent focus group discussion on the feelings and ideas expressed in the letters were thematically analysed.

RESULTS

Three meta-themes were identified within the data; the curriculum as gas lighting; the curriculum as abusive; and the curriculum as controlling. Students described how the curriculum diminishes academic resilience by working against their sense of agency and self-esteem. A constant threat of failure emerged as defining the student lived experience; students felt controlled by a curriculum with negative impacts on wellbeing and perseverance.

DISCUSSION

This is the first study to use LBM to explore academic resilience in UK pharmacy students. The results provide evidence that some students view the pharmacy curriculum as a source of relentless adversity that is responsible for promoting a hidden negative connection between students and their education. Further study is required to determine if the results can be generalised across the UK pharmacy student body to explain why UK pharmacy students have lower academic resilience than other UK university students and the steps needed to improve academic resilience in UK pharmacy students.

Validation of Academic Resilience Scales Adapted in a Collective Culture

The study aimed to adapt and validate two popular instruments on academic resilience in a collectivistic culture. One is a brief unidimensional scale (ARS_SCV), and another is a context-specific multidimensional scale (ARS_MCV). The participants were 569 high school students in China. Based on Messick's validity framework, we provided evidence to support the construct validity of the newly developed scales. Results first indicated that both scales were reliable with high internal consistency and construct reliability. Then, the results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFAs) showed that ARS_SCV had a unidimensional factor structure and ARS_MCV had a four-factor structure. Multi-group CFAs then showed that both models were invariant across gender and socio-economic status (SES) levels. Results of correlations demonstrated that both scales significantly correlated with each other and with other external constructs (grit, academic self-efficacy, and learning engagement). The findings of this study contribute to the literature by proposing two instruments, which provide practitioners with options for specific assessments to measure academic resilience in a collectivist culture.

An Evaluation of Nonacademic Predictors of Success in a Doctor of Pharmacy Program

Objective. Pharmacy programs have struggled to predict who will be successful in their programs based solely on cognitive skills. The primary objective of this study was to determine which, if any, nonacademic factors are associated with on-time progression within the school of pharmacy curriculum.Methods. A survey was developed and offered to all Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy students in fall 2020. This survey included questions to collect demographic data and incorporated four validated questionnaires: the Grit-Grid, the Academic Pharmacy Resilience Scale (APRS-16), the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), and the Turkish Time Management Questionnaire (TTMQ).Results. Completed surveys were submitted by 213 students out of 569 (37.4% response rate). On-time progression rate was calculated separately for each class. Through binary logistic regression, we found that on-time progression was significantly associated with prepharmacy grade point average >3.20, high school Grit-Grid score >0.9, APRS-16 score >35, and CPSS score >34. Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) composite scores and admissions committee rubric scores were not associated with on-time progression.Conclusion. Based on the results of this study, it may be reasonable to implement the Grit-Grid, APRS-16, and the CPSS in the admissions process to help determine the most appropriate candidates for our program or use them as screening tools for incoming students to identify who may be at academic risk. However, these factors need to be validated in pharmacy programs in other private and public universities before widespread adoption can be condoned.

A Large-scale Multicenter Study of Academic Resilience and Well-being in Pharmacy Education

Objective. Health care students are at particular risk of stress and exposure to adverse events, negatively affecting well-being and performance and leading to increased attrition. Academic resilience has been identified as one factor helping mitigate such negative effects in students. Despite this, there is limited research exploring the topic in pharmacy education.Methods. Using a cross-sectional survey design, students attending three schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom (N=1161) completed psychometric measures of academic resilience and well-being. Comparative, correlational, and regression analyses were conducted, exploring the relationship between academic resilience and well-being.Results. Academic resilience and well-being were significantly lower in pharmacy students compared to other student populations. Academic resilience was a positive correlate and predictor for well-being. Academic resilience was highest in first-year students, declined over subsequent years of study, and varied by pharmacy school and gender but not ethnicity.Conclusion. Introducing and embedding strategies to enhance academic resilience in pharmacy education may improve well-being and performance and reduce attrition.

Variables affecting pharmacy students' pursuit and attainment of postgraduate residency and fellowship positions

INTRODUCTION

Postgraduate pharmacy residency and fellowship positions have remained competitive. We evaluated factors predicting students' pursuit and attainment of postgraduate pharmacy training positions.

METHODS

A web-based survey was administered to students from a three-year accelerated pharmacy program. The survey asked questions regarding the participants' demographics, cumulative academic pharmacy grade point average (GPA), school leadership positions in organizations or committees, and research activities. Students' resilience was measured by the Academic Pharmacy Resilience Scale questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine variables that predicted the pursuit and attainment of residency positions.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 46.7%. Students with greater cumulative GPA (odds ratio [OR] 6.3; 95% CI, 2.25-17.68), research experience (OR 3.3; 95% CI, 1.29-8.45), resilience scores (OR 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.12), and leadership in an organization (OR 3.27; 95% CI, 1.46-7.33) or school committee (OR 2.29; 95% CI, 1.04-5.07) were more likely to apply to a residency program. Students with greater cumulative GPA (OR 9.93; 95% CI, 1.33-74.23), self-rated performance score in the residency interview (OR 5.32; 95% CI, 2.47-11.44), and leadership experience on a school committee (OR 15.37; 95% CI, 3.94-59.93) were more likely to match with a residency program. The average scores on interview performance and networking were significantly higher in students who obtained a fellowship position compared to those who did not obtain that.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified several predictors for the pursuit and attainment of residency or fellowship positions, which could inform pharmacy educators, students, and program directors.

The Resilience of Final-Year Pharmacy Students and Aspects of the Course They Found to Be Resilience-Building

Background: This work aimed to investigate final year pharmacy students’ resilience (as determined by the CD-RISC-25 tool), whether students considered certain aspects of the course to be resilience-building, and the role of the university in developing this attribute. Methods: Following ethical approval and an invitation to participate, data were collected from consenting students at Queen’s University Belfast via a pre-piloted paper-based questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were performed. To ascertain significant differences (p < 0.05) by gender, the Welch Two Sample t-test was used for the CD-RISC-25 mean scores and the Mann-Whitney U Test and Chi-squared test for Section B data. Results: The response rate was 80.61% (79/98). The mean CD-RISC-25 score for males was higher (not significantly) than the female mean score (70.39 versus 67.18, p = 0.2355, possible score range 0−100). While 93.67% (74/79) considered the School has a responsibility to develop resilience, <20.00% availed of the free resilience building events. Activities deemed to help build resilience included being able to make mistakes in a safe environment and needing to achieve a high grade to pass assessments. Conclusions: Resilience levels among future pharmacists at Queen’s University Belfast should be improved going forward. A strategy, developed in light of conducting this research (from one institution), will now be implemented to enhance the curriculum with regard to resilience building opportunities.

The Role of Students' Self-Regulated Learning, Grit, and Resilience in Second Language Learning

It has been established that grit has a fundamental role in the learning and teaching process since gritty learners are more likely to take part in classroom activities and they are also motivated to deal with challenges in difficult circumstances. In addition, to guard against these hardships as well as self-control in responding to unpredicted circumstances, a similar construct arouses in positive psychology called resilience that describes perseverance and emphasizes people's abilities. Besides, language learners' engagement and performance in the foreign or second language classroom can be improved through self-regulated learning (SRL) which is viewed as one of the most inspected issues in learning and psychology. A present review has been conducted to scrutinize the relationship between language learners' SRL and learners' resilience and grit based on their positive theoretical relationship with educational success. Consequently, the issue of educator training and administrative training is illuminated through several aspects.

Longitudinal well-being measurements in doctor of pharmacy students following a college-specific intervention

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Supporting clinician mental health and well-being must start in the learning environment, especially as health profession students have been shown to have higher rates of mental illness than their peers pursuing other careers. This project aimed to support positive mental health in pharmacy students through small changes that faculty implemented both inside and outside of the classroom.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

In partnership with the Counseling and Mental Health Center, faculty received training, resources, and (in some cases) classroom observation and feedback on how to incorporate small changes that support student well-being. Assessments were performed each semester beginning in spring 2018 and ending in spring 2020. These included the Mental Health Continuum - Short Form (measuring positive mental health and well-being), the Theories of Intelligence Scale - Self Form for Adults (measuring growth mindset), the Sense of Belonging Scale (measuring five domains of social connectedness), and the Brief Resilience Scale (measuring resilience). Participating faculty were surveyed regarding how frequently selected activities were incorporated into their practice and how comfortable they felt supporting student mental health.

FINDINGS

Positive trends were seen throughout the project on the scales assessing growth mindset and sense of belonging.

SUMMARY

Supporting positive mental health in pharmacy students in the learning environment is important for both students and the quality and safety of the health care system. Future efforts should expand on this work by refining the measurements used, identifying more interventions, and evaluating the impact these efforts have as students become pharmacists.

Developing a Framework of Relationships Among Noncognitive Factors in Doctor of Pharmacy Students' Academic Performance

Objective. To develop a framework of the effects of select noncognitive factors (grit, perceived stress, internal locus of control, and select Big Five personality traits) on pharmacy students' academic performance.Methods. A survey measuring select noncognitive factors was administered to two cohorts of first professional year (P1) pharmacy students (entering classes of 2019 and 2020, n=374) during fall orientation. Demographics, pre-pharmacy GPA, and P1 fall semester GPA were collected from student records. Structural equation modeling was conducted to assess the proposed framework.Results. Academic performance was directly influenced by students' (n=367; 98.1%) perceived stress and neuroticism and indirectly influenced by internal locus of control and neuroticism (via perceived stress as mediator). Neuroticism has a complex relationship in the models as it was directly and positively associated with academic performance, and indirectly contributed to decreased academic performance via a positive association with perceived stress. Squared multiple correlations indicated 13% and 9% of the variance in academic performance in the first final model (academic performance measured by pre-pharmacy GPA and P1 fall GPA) and second final model (academic performance measured by P1 fall GPA), respectively, were explained by the predictor variables.Conclusion. Evidence provided by structural equation modeling supports the conclusion that select noncognitive factors, namely perceived stress, neuroticism, and internal locus of control, have direct and indirect effects on the academic success of P1 students. The model variances of 9% and 13% represent 36% to 52% of the predictive value of the most accepted cognitive measures used to determine students' potential for academic success.

Resilience and First-Year Pharmacy Students' Academic Performance in a Pharmacy Math Course

Objective. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between academic resilience and academic success in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students.Methods. A cross-sectional survey using the Academic Pharmacy Resilience Scale (APRS-16) was conducted in two cohorts of first year pharmacy (P1) students (n = 374) during fall orientation in 2019 and 2020. The following data were also collected from student records: demographics, pre-pharmacy grade point average (GPA), Pharmacy Math outcome (passing or failing the course), and Pharmacy Math final numerical grade. Academic success was defined as achieving a passing grade in a Pharmacy Math course. Correlational, multiple logistic regression, and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted.Results. The survey response rate was 98.1%, and approximately 95% of participants passed Pharmacy Math. No significant correlations were found between Pharmacy Math final pass/fail outcome or Pharmacy Math final numerical grade and APRS-16 overall and subscale scores. In multiple logistic regression, neither pre-pharmacy GPA nor APRS overall scale or subscale scores were significantly associated with final Pharmacy Math outcome (passing/failing). In multiple linear regression, pre-pharmacy GPA was significantly associated with Pharmacy Math final numerical grade, but APRS-16 overall score and subscale scores were not.Conclusion. First-year pharmacy students' performance in Pharmacy Math was not influenced by academic resilience. Studies like this one examining the relationship between pharmacy students' resilience and academic performance are lacking. Future studies should assess whether academic resilience may affect performance in other courses as well as performance in the PharmD curriculum.

Developing a Global Community of Practice for Pharmacy Workforce Resilience-Meet GRiT

Workforce resilience in pharmacy is required to ensure the practice, education, and administrative systems remain viable and sustainable over time and when facing challenges. Whether it is addressing burnout of pharmacists or students, or the structure and policies/procedures of employment and professional organizations, working to increase resilience across all individuals and sectors is essential to relieve pressure and promote better well-being, especially during the recent pandemic. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a community of practice global group focused on development of resilience within the pharmacy workforce that is inclusive of students, pharmacy interns/preregistration and registered pharmacists. The steering group meets monthly and has representation of 24 members across eight countries. Members meet to discuss pertinent issues they are facing in practice, as well as to share and progress ideas on education, research, and practice initiatives. To date, members have collectively implemented resilience training in pharmacy education, researched burnout and resilience in both students and pharmacists, and facilitated international collaborations both within and outside core group members. Future activities will focus on strengthening the community of practice in order to harness the power of the collective.

Student Stress Management and Wellness Programs among Colleges of Pharmacy

Objective:

To describe the programmatic stress-related interventions that colleges of pharmacy are providing for their students.

Methods:

A paper-based questionnaire was distributed to 80 college teams who attended two consecutive offerings of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy institute focused on promoting student well-being. The five-part questionnaire consisted of: 1) tracking and assessment of perceived student stress levels, 2) the types and formats of stress-coping interventions that are offered, 3) the measured impacts of any stress-coping interventions, 4) the level of faculty/staff training and involvement in student stress remediation, and 5) institutional demographics.

Results:

Of the 40 college teams responding to the survey there were similar numbers of private (44%) and public (56%) institutions. More than half (57.5%) reported measuring student stress levels. The most common interventions offered were counseling (95%), academic advising (82%), physical exercise support (77%), and relationship building activities (70%). Topics offered in the curriculum were most often related to handling substance abuse (50%), time-management (45%), and finances (40%). A majority (79.5%) of schools reported they do not offer formal training on student stress and mental health to faculty and staff and do not formally assess the impact of stress and coping interventions.

Conclusion:

Colleges of pharmacy are addressing student stress and well-being, yet variability exists in terms of assessment, interventions, and didactic offerings. Multiple barriers to improvement remain and mediating barriers and determining assessments for coping and interventions may be next steps for Colleges of Pharmacy.