Comparison of StrengthsQuest Signature Themes in Student Pharmacists and Other Health Care Profession Students

Abstract

Objective. To determine whether there is a distinctive pattern of StrengthsQuest Signature Themes or leadership domains for Doctor of Pharmacy students compared to students in other health care professional programs. Methods. Students in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Master of Physician Assistant (PA), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) programs at Campbell University completed the online Clifton StrengthsQuest assessment and received their Signature Themes. The frequency of individual themes and the leadership domains into which they are sorted by Gallup was analyzed for each program. Results were compared between programs and with national frequencies among undergraduate students. Results. The most common themes in the total population were Learner, Relator, Responsibility, Harmony, and Achiever. Learner and Relator were among the five most frequent themes for all four individual programs while Responsibility and Harmony were among the top five for three programs. The most frequently reported themes in PharmD and PA students (39% and 38% of all themes, respectively) are grouped by Gallup into the executing domain, and into the relationship-building domain for DO and DPT students (35% and 33% of all themes, respectively). The least frequent themes in PharmD, DO and PA students were those grouped into the influencing domain, reported by 10% or fewer students. Conclusion. Numerous similarities were found in theme frequencies among students in four different health care professions, suggesting there is not a distinctive Doctor of Pharmacy Signature Theme profile.