Abstract
The Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) has taken a strong stance on assessment in pharmacy education. One available assessment tool is cumulative assessments, which may be administered at various points in the curriculum. This article presents the results of a survey of U.S. schools of pharmacy regarding the use of cumulative assessments within their curriculum. A 20-question survey tool was emailed to 125 schools of pharmacy. A total of 105 out of 125 schools participated (response rate 84%). Of these, 52 schools currently have a cumulative assessment program; 18 have one cumulative exam prior to advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs); 19 have a cumulative exam every didactic year; and seven have accumulative exams every semester, except during APPEs (n = 44). Increased faculty workload emerged as the top challenge faced by schools that have implemented a cumulative assessment program. Eighteen schools indicated that no outcomes are measured to determine the utility of the cumulative assessment. From these results, it appears that almost half of participating U.S. schools have implemented a cumulative assessment plan. However, it is apparent that more research needs to be done to determine which outcomes are expected to improve with the implementation of such an assessment plan.
Highlights
The Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) has taken a strong stance on assessment within the pharmacy curriculum [1]
The recent 2016 draft guidelines have expanded this edict by including language that assessment should evaluate student readiness to: (1) enter advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE); (2) provide direct patient care; and (3) contribute as a member of an interprofessional team [2]
A total of 105 out of 125 schools participated in the study, a response rate of 84%
Summary
The Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) has taken a strong stance on assessment within the pharmacy curriculum [1]. The recent 2016 draft guidelines have expanded this edict by including language that assessment should evaluate student readiness to: (1) enter advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE); (2) provide direct patient care; and (3) contribute as a member of an interprofessional team [2] This draft makes reference to the use of the Pharmacy Curriculum. Outcomes Assessment (PCOA), an optional, standardized, multiple choice exam developed by the National Association of the Boards of Pharmacy to measure student knowledge in different content areas These draft ACPE guidelines clearly indicate that assessment of student achievement and readiness is an integral part of ensuring the quality of our pharmacy graduates. In making reference to PCOA, these guidelines direct attention to the fact that a cumulative assessment tool is needed to assess student performance and to determine and document readiness for entrance into the APPE curriculum
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