Peer-assisted Learning: Clinical Skills Training for Pharmacy Students

Abstract

Objective. To assess the impact of peer-teaching on student scores and confidence when preparing for a final objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) within a Doctor of Pharmacy program. Methods. First-year pharmacy students (n=45) attended a peer-led training session led by upperclassmen (n=17) on a variety of clinical skills to be assessed on a final course OSCE. Their scores were collected and compared to students who did not attend the training. Confidence scores were also evaluated using voluntary pre- and post-surveys. Results. An overall 3% increase in scores was recorded from the objective skills examination. Student confidence scores also increased for each of the skills evaluated with an overall improvement of 1.1 on a 5-point Likert scale. Conclusion. Peer-assisted learning was effective in increasing student performance and confidence in the OSCE. Based on the positive results, the peer-led training event will be improved upon and used again in the future.