The Influence of Intersectionality on Professional Identity Formation among Underrepresented Pharmacy Students

Creating Competencies for Providing Care in a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Manner: A Delphi Technique

OBJECTIVE

Competencies related to diversity could be essential to training and assessing student pharmacists in their readiness to provide equitable and inclusive care. Such competencies are lacking in pharmacy education; therefore, this study aimed to explore the development of diversity competencies and supporting factors needed to prepare students to meet the competencies and provide patient care in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive manner.

METHODS

Pharmacy diversity thought leaders were invited to participate in a 3-round modified Delphi survey. Survey items were created using a Backward Design. Qualitative data were analyzed using the Constant Comparative Method. Draft competency statements were created based on the collective comments from Round 1 along with themes related to the supporting factors needed to achieve the competencies. Consensus on themes, competency statements, and edits were identified in Round 2. Additional comments and feedback on edits were gathered in Round 3. Consensus was preset at 85.7%.

RESULTS

Seven competency statements were created. Knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, values, curricular content/pedagogy, and resources needed to prepare students to meet the competencies and support faculty would need were identified.

CONCLUSION

Preliminary diversity competencies and supporting factors needed were developed using the perspective of thought leaders. Further evaluation, including the development of student-appropriate competencies, testing and validation of content and assessment tools, and determining place in the pharmacy curriculum, are future steps that should be considered in the competency development process.

Women of Color in the Health Professions: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Women of color (WoC) in the health professions encounter challenges in advancement to higher positions, disparities in wages, discrimination, lack of expectation to achieve leadership positions, and absence of extensive support networks. Articles in the literature have addressed race and/or gender in the context of professional development. However, applying an intersectional lens or framework to better understand the contextual issues of professional development for WoC remains to be addressed. Thus, this scoping review aimed to (i) identify health professions literature that addresses disparities affecting WoC, and (ii) describe strategies and approaches to support WoC in the health professions. Methods: The literature searches were conducted in multiple databases, including PubMed and MEDLINE (Ovid); and Google and Google Scholar were used to "hand search" further articles including gray literature. Three independent reviewers reviewed and screened articles for inclusion in accordance with a guide. Search included articles on pharmacy or healthcare professions, published in English, and which met three content criteria: racial disparities/inequities, professional development/career advancement, and women or gender disparities Results: A total of 31 articles were included-medicine (17), nursing (1), pharmacy (7), other (4), and multiple health professions (2). Key findings included underrepresentation of women and minority groups, inequities in professional advancement and leadership positions for WoC, and greater dissatisfaction and attrition among minority and women professionals. Conclusion: WoC face unique and distinct challenges and barriers in their professional careers resulting from the intersectionality of not only race and gender, but also lived experiences and opportunities. Strategies to improve diversity and representation should include an intersectional framework or lens and be critically evaluated.