Adaptability, Agency, and Association to Influence Change: The Report of the 2020-21 AACP Argus Commission

Practice transformation starts in the classroom: Mapping practice change learning in a PharmD program

OBJECTIVE

As the profession of pharmacy continues to evolve, it is important to integrate pharmacy practice change learning into the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum. The objective of this project was to evaluate how pharmacy practice change was being taught within a PharmD curriculum and to identify strategies for improvement.

METHODS

The College of Pharmacy's PharmD Curricular Leadership Committee (PDCLC) developed a definition for practice change learning and assembled a team of faculty experts to map practice change to the PharmD curriculum. After conducting student focus groups to gather input on practice change learning experiences and importance from the learner perspective, the team engaged faculty in interviews and mapped actual practice change learning experiences with 2016 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) standards and Ohio State University (OSU) College of pharmacy's (COP) ability-based outcomes, highlighting gaps and opportunities.

RESULTS

Primary opportunities for improvement in practice change learning were identified and included: integration of value-based outcomes that influence healthcare reimbursement and quality, communication simulations around community health and the value of the pharmacist with organizations outside traditional healthcare settings and with payors, and exposure to careers beyond traditional pharmacy settings.

CONCLUSION

A faculty member has been appointed to lead integration of this content and optimization of practice change knowledge and skill building across courses and years in the program. Future directions involve curricular integration and obtaining alumni feedback to refine effectiveness of the curriculum.

A Scoping Review of Calls to Action in Pharmacy Education

OBJECTIVES

Calls to action within pharmacy education are frequently seen in the literature, with little information about their authors, audience, and focus, especially whether these calls led to any changes. This scoping review aims to (1) quantitatively and qualitatively characterize the calls to action in pharmacy education and (2) examine the traits of the published articles typically associated with effective advocacy.

FINDINGS

A systematic literature search for scoping review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. From 3,287 articles, 232 articles were included and extracted for their specific call to action such as topics, audience, and quality of the call. Two-thirds (66.7%) of the calls were initiated by groups of faculty, 49% were commentary/opinion/editorial, and 39% focused on the PharmD curriculum. Over 90% of the articles were published between 2013-2023, with 26% published in 2023 alone. Most calls were directed at colleges/schools of pharmacy (81%). Only 21% of articles had a strong call for action with next steps or recommendations for enacting change.

SUMMARY

The most frequently published calls to action were related to PharmD curriculum, authored by a group of faculty, directed to PharmD programs, and published in post-pandemic years but often not sufficiently strong to elicit change. To evoke change, calls to action should include several key characteristics based on this scoping review, such as written in an active voice, to a specific audience, with clearly stated problems, and with actionable solutions that could be implemented.

The Road Beyond Academic Pharmacy Leadership

Individuals in positions of leadership, of which there are a myriad of these positions in pharmacy education, will experience a transition from this position in most situations. This transition from a leadership position, be it voluntary or involuntary, can be challenging time. It can leave an individual wondering how to either channel their passion to new areas or recognize a new passion for future opportunities. The 2 questions this individual will need to answer is "what is next" and what is needed for them to feel valued and engaged in their future academic career or alternative career paths. The what is next challenge is not unique to pharmacy education. In reflecting on this question, the authors found examples of individuals who struggled with what is next after they left their leadership position. These individuals were 7 former presidents of the United States. As discussed in the book titled Life After Power, Seven Presidents and their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House by Jared Cohen, each of these presidents went through a unique journey of either rediscovery or self-discovery during their postpresidency years. Their stories offer important insights into answering the question what is next when an individual is considering opportunities after their leadership transition in our colleges or schools of pharmacy.

Advancing Pharmacogenomics-Based Care Through Interprofessional Education

As genomic medicine becomes increasingly complex, pharmacists need to work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals to provide genomics-based care. The core pharmacist competencies in genomics were recently updated and mapped to the entrustable professional activities (EPAs). The new competency that is mapped to the "Interprofessional Team Member" EPA domain emphasizes the role of pharmacists as the pharmacogenomics experts in an interprofessional healthcare team. Interprofessional education (IPE) activities involving student pharmacists and students from other healthcare disciplines are crucial to prepare student pharmacists for a team-based approach to patient-centered care. This commentary discusses the pharmacogenomics-focused IPE activities implemented by 3 programs, the challenges faced, and the lessons learned. It also discusses strategies to develop pharmacogenomics-focused IPE activities based on existing resources. Developing pharmacogenomics-focused IPE activities will help prepare pharmacy graduates with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to lead collaborative, interprofessional teams in the provision of pharmacogenomics-based care, consistent with the standards described in the genomics competencies for pharmacists.