A leadership elective course developed and taught by graduate students

OBJECTIVE

To develop and implement a flexible-credit elective course to empower student pharmacists to develop lifelong leadership skills and provide teaching practice opportunities for graduate students.

DESIGN

An elective course focusing on leadership development for second- and third-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students was designed and taught by 4 graduate students under the mentorship of 2 faculty members. Student pharmacists could enroll in a 1-, 2-, or 3-credit-hour version of the course.

ASSESSMENT

Attainment of course objectives was measured using student pharmacist reflection papers and continuing professional development portfolios. Additionally, self-assessments of graduate students and faculty members delivering the course were conducted. In their responses on course evaluations, student pharmacists indicated they found the course a valuable learning experience. Graduate students found course development to be challenging but useful in developing faculty skills.

CONCLUSION

This flexible-credit elective course taught by graduate students was an innovative way to offer formal leadership instruction using limited college resources.

Clinical pharmacists as key members of the patient-centered medical home: an opinion statement of the Ambulatory Care Practice and Research Network of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy

The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Ambulatory Care Practice Research Network (PRN) considers the role of clinical pharmacists to be fundamental to the success of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model. Within the PCMH, pharmacists can improve the health of populations by participating in activities that optimize medication management. Multiple published articles support clinical pharmacist involvement in the PCMH with regard to promotion of team-based care, enhanced access, care coordination, and improved quality and safety of care. A survey of clinical pharmacist members of ACCP who operate in such a model depict a variety of activities, with some members pioneering new and innovative ways to practice clinical pharmacy. Although this is a significant opportunity for pharmacists in the primary care setting, a unified vision of pharmacy services is needed. It is our hope that with continued efforts focused on obtaining national provider status, clinical pharmacy can use the PCMH model to solidify the future of primary care pharmacy. The following is an opinion statement of the ACCP Ambulatory Care PRN regarding the vital role of clinical pharmacists in the PCMH.

Evaluation of the impact of a continuing professional development worksheet on sustained learning and implementing change after a continuing pharmacy education activity

BACKGROUND

Continuing professional development (CPD) continues to gain acceptance as a model for health care professionals to engage in lifelong learning. Little is known about how CPD participants use the experience to develop learning plans and implement new knowledge into practice.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of instruments designed to guide the pharmacist through a CPD process to plan and participate in continuing professional education activities at a national meeting.

METHODS

The study was a case-control study of pharmacists randomized from the participants of the 2010 American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting. The test group (n=47) was instructed to complete CPD planning worksheets designed to facilitate planning of their continuing pharmacy education activities before the meeting. The control group (n=58) did not have instructions beyond the meeting program. Both groups completed 3 surveys assessing components of the CPD processes: 1 before and 2 after the meeting. The surveys focused on confidence in abilities to identify, plan, and evaluate learning as well as implementation of practice change.

RESULTS

Nearly all the test groups reported successful application of learning (95%) and achieving their designed learning plan (87%). Practice changes were implemented in more than half (60%) of the test groups after using a CPD process to plan their learning activities. There were no significant differences among groups regarding the outcome measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants successfully used a CPD approach to meet their learning plans and achieve meaningful learning outcomes. Integration of CPD components into educational activities may help to promote practice change.