Pharmacology Education at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Nigeria: 6‐Perceptions Relative to Other Subjects Among Medical and Nursing Students in the College of Health Sciences

Abstract

As part of our goal to understand the dynamics of teaching and learning of Pharmacology so as to guide improvements in our setting and elsewhere, we are interested in knowing how Pharmacology ranks beside other subjects taken by undergraduate students at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), and the reasons why. Our previous study among students taking their final Pharmacology courses in Pharmacy (500L) and Medicine (400L), revealed that relative to other subjects, Pharmacology ranked 1st and midway respectively, as best‐liked subject. This follow‐up survey covered medical (200L preclinical plus 400L clinical) and nursing (400L clinical) students in ABU's College of Health Sciences (CHS). Link to a 7‐item questionnaire deployed on SurveyMonkey, was sent to the students who had 48 h to complete it. The listed core subjects ranked alongside Pharmacology were different, based on the program e.g. 11 and 5 for 400L medical and nursing students respectively. Respondents were: 29 200L + 38 400L medical students, more male (73.1%) and aged 18–29 years; while corresponding values for nursing students were 34, more female (67.6%) and 19–39 years. Data analyses was mostly automatic on the SurveyMonkey, but string inputs to the open‐ended question requesting from each respondent, 2 likes and 2 dislikes of Pharmacology, were reviewed manually by two trained research assistants. A focus group discussion (FGD) of 7 participants guided by the questionnaire was also held. Medical students in 400L ranked Pharmacology 6th out of 11 subjects as best‐liked subject, while nursing students (also 400L), ranked it 2nd out of 5. The former was in agreement with our earlier finding in which Pharmacology was ranked midway by 400L medical students. However, 200L students ranked Pharmacology 5th out of 5 subjects; the discrepancy from 400L being possibly due to the former just starting Pharmacology. Top reasons why Pharmacology was liked were: the curriculum, the subject being interesting, and it providing good knowledge of drugs. Top dislikes were: Pharmacology's heavy workload, need for cramming during study, and its examination processes. Paradoxically, ease of understanding Pharmacology and lecturers' personalities were listed as both likes and dislikes. Future interests in Pharmacology included postgraduate studies (28.8–35.3%), and research in the pharmaceutical industry/biomedical institutes (20.6–25.8%). About a third (30.3%) of medical students had no post‐graduation interest in Pharmacology, whereas this was only 14.7% of nursing students. Data for interest in teaching Pharmacology at universities and other tertiary institutions was 19.7% and 23.5% respectively. These trends from the survey were largely corroborated by the FGD. In conclusion, perceptions about Pharmacology were similar in some respects, but different in others; between 200L and 400L medical students, and between medical and nursing students. These need to be fully understood and incorporated into curricula improvements, enhanced teaching methodologies, goal‐oriented examination processes, etc, for optimization of Pharmacology education at CHS, ABU.Support or Funding InformationNilThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.