Survey highlights the need to expand offerings of introductory pharmacy practice experiences in psychiatry and neurology: Benefits and example experiences

The impact of early direct-contact experiences on reducing mental health stigma among student pharmacists: A pilot study

Introduction

Mental health-related stigma is a barrier to treatment and recovery for serious mental illnesses (SMIs). Educational training programs demonstrate positive changes in health professional students' attitudes and stigma toward SMI; however, student pharmacists have minimal opportunity to directly engage with the SMI population. This study aims to assess and compare student pharmacists' stigma related to SMI before and after participating in a pilot series of direct-contact workshop experiences.

Methods

The 15-item Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers survey was administered to student pharmacists before and after the workshop experiences to measure stigma toward SMI. Five 2-hour workshops were provided to members of a local nonprofit organization serving people with SMI by student pharmacist volunteers detailing a health and wellness topic. The postworkshop survey included free text responses to obtain student feedback.

Results

Twenty-four complete preworkshop surveys were obtained, and most of them had positive attitudes and beliefs at baseline. Thirteen postworkshop surveys were obtained from student pharmacists who participated in a workshop event, and 9 were completed by student pharmacists who did not participate in a workshop event, which were used as a comparator group. Stigma decreased after participating in a workshop event, and those who participated demonstrated a lower degree of stigma versus the comparator group.

Discussion

Direct-contact experiences allow student pharmacists to interact with people with SMI earlier in their training and help reduce stigma toward those with psychiatric disorders. Future research is needed to identify large-scale changes in pharmacy student stigma.

Needs assessment and impact of mental health training among doctor of pharmacy students

INTRODUCTION

Mental illness is extremely prevalent, yet many pharmacy students get little exposure to mental health training. The majority of studies assessing mental health training and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) are focused on undergraduate programs. This study critically evaluated the impact of MHFA on pharmacy students' knowledge, confidence, and perceptions as they pertain to mental health, as well as the appropriateness of MHFA as a training course for pharmacy students.

METHODS

There were two parts to this study: (1) a pre-/post-survey that assessed the impact of MHFA on pharmacy students as well as the appropriateness of MHFA for students at this level of education and training and (2) a college-wide survey that assessed the impact of mental health training of any type on confidence in mental health-related skills and the perceived usefulness of mental health training for pharmacy students.

RESULTS

Participants of the MHFA portion of the study demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in knowledge of mental health-related topics and confidence to interact with someone experiencing mental illness (P < .05) after completing the MHFA course. Perceptions of mental illness did not improve significantly following a single training. The college-wide survey (N = 275) revealed a significantly higher confidence level among students who had previously completed any mental health training program compared to those who had not (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

MHFA training significantly increased students' knowledge and confidence in approaching and interacting with persons experiencing mental illness.

Measuring the immediate impact when first year pharmacy students are introduced to diverse career pathways

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To assess if exposure to diverse pharmacy career pathways influences the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) student's career plans within the first month of an academic curriculum.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

First year PharmD students were enrolled in a four-week course with a focus on introduction to core practice areas of pharmacy: community, hospital, and managed care. Guidance was provided with resources and a pharmacist panel to aid in both self-learning and direct sharing about diverse areas of pharmacy practice extending beyond the core course practice areas. A survey was given at the beginning and at the end of the course to measure the influence of course activities on first year students' aspirations for varied pharmacy careers. All students completed the survey but needed to opt into the research for data to be collected. Chi-square, Fisher's Exact Test, and descriptive statistics were used in data analysis.

FINDINGS

In this study of 508 first year pharmacy students, we found that 50.8% reported a change in their pharmacy career plans at the end of the course. Student interest in non-traditional career paths increased from 38.2% at the beginning of the course to 47.6% at the end of the course. As a result, students reported that they would select different electives (P < .001), pursue different pharmacy organizations (P = .0003), and explore new internship opportunities (P < .001). Overall, 98% found the course introduced them to pharmacy career paths they were previously unaware existed.

SUMMARY

Early exposure to diverse pharmacy career pathways influences students' career plans.

Addressing the Conflict Between Promoting Wellness, Perpetuating Mental Illness Stigma and Making Psychiatric Pharmacy Education Less Intense

One in five Americans has a diagnosable mental illness, and pharmacists encounter these patients daily. This commentary addresses the conflict between the profession's wellness movement and its ongoing contribution to mental illness stigma. The need for improved pharmacist wellness is based on the profession's risk for burnout and development of related mental illness. The presence of stigma towards patients with mental illness among pharmacists is multi-factorial and complex. Risk of those within the profession perpetuating mental illness stigma could be diminished by developing pharmacy curricula that provide greater opportunities for students to learn more completely about mental illness, how to effectively engage persons with mental illness, and how to take care of themselves, express vulnerability, and talk about mental illness. While reducing mental illness stigma through curricular revision is best achieved through in-person learning experiences, elective coursework and cocurricular activities may also help achieve this goal. Examples of evidence-based best practices are provided.