The Relationship Among Pharmacy Students' Basic Math Scores, Traditional Preadmission Indicators, and Performance in a Pharmaceutical Calculations Course

Abstract

ABSTRACTBasic mathematical skills are needed for both success in pharmacy school and success in pharmacy practice. Most pharmaceutical calculations require a requisite basic mathematics skill set. Examples include individualized patient dosing, extemporaneous compounding of new formulations, and an assurance that the precise supply of drug is dispensed in accordance with its directions for use.The present investigation had three objectives. The first objective was to assess the relationship between the basic math skills (BMS) of two classes of first-year pharmacy students at a small Southeastern school of pharmacy and their performance in a pharmaceutical calculations course (PCC) taken during the students' first professional year. The second objective was to evaluate the convergent validity of the Basic Math Skills Test (BMST) with traditional measures of success in pharmacy school. The final objective was to assess the predictive ability of the BMST and traditional measures of academic performance on st...