Pharmacy Student Perceptions of a Virtual Pharmacogenomics Activity.

Abstract

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) utilizes a patient’s genome to guide drug treatment and dosing. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) included PGx as a critical content area. Pharmacists are increasingly involved in providing this service, which necessitates training. Second-year pharmacy students at Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy have didactic training in the principles of PGx and managing drug therapy using PGx data. A clinical skills lab activity was developed to reinforce these principles and allow students to navigate resources to develop and communicate recommendations for drug therapy. The activity was initially planned as synchronous, but transitioned to asynchronous when students began remote learning in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigators sought students’ perceptions of the PGx lab activity and the delivery of its content via a virtual format. This study gathered data from an anonymous, voluntary student survey through Samford University’s course management system, Canvas, in the spring of 2020 soon after completion of the virtual PGx learning activity. The investigators’ goal is to obtain the information and insights obtained from the students who participated in the PGx lab activity to provide guidance for the improvement of their PGx lab activity and for other schools of pharmacy to deliver a PGx lab activities using nontraditional teaching methodologies.