American Association Of Colleges Of Pharmacy Research Articles

Comparative study of journal article scholarly activity: Pharmacy practice dual‐degree faculty versus single terminal‐degree faculty members

AbstractObjectiveThe goals of the 2005 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap of the Future of Pharmacy Colleges emphasized the importance of bidirectional information flow in translational research to enhance drug discovery and research. Many dual‐degree programs and pathways have been developed to meet this bidirectional information flow to enhance discovery and research, but limited data exists on the bibliometrics of these dual‐degree Department of Pharmacy Practice faculties. To determine whether dual‐degree programs enhance research, a four‐outcome bibliometric analysis of United States Departments of Pharmacy Practice tenure‐track (DPP‐TT) dual‐degree compared with DPP‐TT single terminal‐degree faculty was conducted over a 10‐year period.MethodsA search of PubMed of DPP‐TT single and dual‐degree faculty from January 10, 2010 to December 31, 2019 was performed. Faculty employed in DPP‐TT were determined through published rosters in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) rosters or college/school internet sites. Department of Pharmacy Practice faculty members' number of publications, number of citations per publication, h‐index, and NIH iCite weighted Relative Citation Ratio (RCR) value were determined. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance compared dual‐degree with single terminal‐degree DPP faculty data.ResultsNinety‐one institutions employed 348 DPP‐TT dual‐degree faculty that produced 7480 publications compared with 131 institutions with 1805 single terminal‐degree faculty of 12 670 publications. Dual‐degree DPP number of citations per publication (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) was 37.8 ± 86.8 with a journal impact factor (JIF) of 6.4 ± 14.3 compared to single‐degree of 24.7 ± 90.8 (p < 0.001) with a JIF of 4.7 ± 80.8 (p < 0.001). Dual‐degree faculty h‐index was 14.7 ± 12.5 with a mean iCite weighted RCR of 54.8 ± 87.6 compared to single‐degree faculty of 6.5 ± 8.9 (p < 0.001) with an RCR of 22.1 ± 65.3 (p < 0.001).ConclusionDepartment of Pharmacy Practice dual‐degree faculty have significantly higher bibliometrics compared with single‐degree DPP faculty.

Reconsidering Pharmacy: We Need to Turn Career Regret into Career Options

Declining interest in pharmacy as a career is a growing concern. This commentary investigates the factors contributing to career regret among pharmacy graduates, based on data from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy National Graduating Student Survey. We identify 3 key contributing factors: workplace environment, professional identity formation, and marketing of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. We argue that students observe, in many work environments, a lack of autonomy, repetitive tasks, and unfulfilling work. This leads to diminished job satisfaction and disillusionment. Additionally, marketing tactics and curricular structures can inadvertently contribute to career regret. We propose potential interventions, emphasizing the need for improved working conditions, more versatile roles in pharmacy, and enhanced career development services within colleges/schools of pharmacy. Additional research is needed to fully understand career regret and the steps that academic institutions can proactively take to mitigate career dissatisfaction among their graduates.

Outcomes of a “virtual think tank” to establish collaborative leadership initiative plans (“CLIPs”)

GoalThe American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Leadership Development Special Interest Group (LD SIG) held a one-hour “Virtual Think Tank” (VTT) interactive session in 2020 for pharmacy educators interested in leadership development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative outcomes of this VTT. MethodsVTT attendees worked together in small groups created based on pre-selected common interest areas related to leadership development to create collaborative leadership initiative plans (CLIPs), which were ideas for new collaborative scholarly or programmatic initiatives. Principal findingsQuantitative outcomes of this VTT included statistically significant increases in positive perceptions toward the organization hosting the VTT regarding networking, scholarly collaboration, educational collaboration, and professional service opportunities, as well as significant improvements in attitudes regarding engagement with the sponsoring organization. Additionally, 18.4% of VTT attendees continued communicating with CLIP groups post-VTT and 13.2% of respondents indicated that they successfully implemented the CLIP ideas that were generated during the VTT. Qualitative outcomes included findings that the two most commonly encountered barriers were insufficient traction of the initial idea and lack of time (41.9% (n = 13) for both). Other barriers included lack of alignment with priorities at 12.9% (n = 4). Practical applicationsThis leadership VTT for pharmacy academicians led to development and implementation of important scholarly and programmatic outcomes, and fostered cross-institutional partnerships. Findings from this study evaluating a VTT provide a framework of expectations for other organizations seeking to implement a similar initiative.

The Status of Students, Faculty, and Leadership Diversities in US Pharmacy Schools/Colleges

ObjectiveThe purpose of this research is to address knowledge gaps on diversity in the United States (US) population, pharmacy students, faculty, and school/college leadership. MethodThe population data were collected from the US Census Bureau. The pharmacy student and faculty data were collected from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy enrollment and faculty profiles to compute Diversity Indices (DIs). To delve further into observed DI values, different ratios were calculated by dividing the total number of people in a racial/ethnic group of a particular category (eg, students) by the total number of people in the same racial/ethnic group in a different category (eg, faculty). Two factors (ratios among racial groups and changes in ratios over time) ANOVA without replication was conducted using Excel. ResultsThe students are the most diverse category (average DI = 69%), followed by the US population (average DI = 58%), faculty diversity (average DI = 54%), assistant/associate dean (average DI = 42%) and dean (average DI = 31%). The ratio analyses among student, faculty, and leadership categories reveal a disproportionately high representation of White individuals in faculty and leadership roles when compared to other racial groups, resulting in low DI values in these categories. ConclusionA significant ratio difference was found among various racial groups each year. However, there was no significant change observed in ratios over time. The academic community must develop hiring practices that increase the DI values among faculty and leadership categories to reduce the gap and promote student success.

Developing and Validating the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Faculty Perceptions of College Climate (DEIA FPCC) Scale in Pharmacy Faculty

ObjectiveThis work’s objective was to demonstrate acceptable reliability and consistency within and across each domain of the survey tool. MethodsA survey with 16 questions was distributed to faculty from the AACP membership list and contained 4 domains: DEIA. The survey responses were analyzed using factor analysis and reliability analysis. ResultsA total of 877 subjects’ responses met inclusion criteria and were used in the analysis. The results demonstrated that the survey had high reliability and discriminating validity within each domain and overall as a scale. ConclusionThe finalized tool provides a practical, standardized measure to evaluate faculty perceptions of DEIA efforts in institutions of pharmacy education. This tool can help identify areas of improvement and guide the advancement of DEIA initiatives in colleges of pharmacy. Further research is needed to validate the survey in other populations. Future efforts will also explore predictors of survey scores.

AACP’s Strategic Commitment to Improving Pharmacy Education: Past, Present, and Future

Since its founding in 1900, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) has been focused on quality pharmacy education. As the Association and its institutional and individual members now consider contemporary issues in education, such as competency-based education, it is important to continue their collective work in the context of AACP’s enduring mission: to advance pharmacy education, research, scholarship, practice, and service, in partnership with members and stakeholders, to improve health for all. While language, labels, and strategies evolve over time and across significant changes in social, economic, political, and health care environments, AACP’s commitment to quality in education has been and must continue to be unwavering. Constraints and challenges perceived in the short term should not deter deliberate and strategic quality improvement efforts over time and in the longer term. AACP’s 2021–2024 Strategic Plan, entitled Preparing Pharmacists and the Academy to Thrive in Challenging Times, acknowledges the need to prepare pharmacists for seemingly constant change in the health care environment.

The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on school‐level scholarly outcomes and research focus of pharmacy practice faculty

AbstractIntroductionThe effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic on scholarly outcomes and research focus of schools of pharmacy (SOPs) have not been studied.ObjectivesTo determine how objective measures of scholarly outcomes and research focus changed in pharmacy practice among SOPs, within geographic regions, during the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsSOPs were included if they appeared on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding list in all four index years (2018–2019: pre‐pandemic and 2020–2021: pandemic) and ranked among the top 50 at least once between 2018 and 2021. Names of pharmacy practice faculty were obtained from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) directory. The publication records of each SOP were obtained from Scopus. Scholarly outcome measures were scholarly activity ratio (SAR; proportion of faculty members who published) and scholarly output (SO; number of documents published). Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer®, and Python. Statistical analysis was done in R using a mixed effects model, with the pandemic and geographic regions as fixed effects, and SOPs as the random effect.ResultsFifty‐five SOPs and 1343 faculty members were included. Neither the pandemic nor geographic region had significant effects on SAR. However, both variables had significant effects on SO, as demonstrated by an increase in the Midwest during the pandemic (p < 0.05). Documents published increased from 2755 to 3001 during the pandemic. This 8.9% increase was lower than a historical average biennial increase of 24.9%. COVID‐19 was the top new research topic, constituting 56.5% of the increase over the pre‐pandemic period. Of these COVID‐19 publications, 20.9% were education‐related.ConclusionPharmacy practice faculty engaged in COVID‐19 research that focused predominantly on education. Scholarly‐active faculty were resilient, but their output was lower than expected based on historical trends. These results support the need to adjust tenure and promotion benchmarks and/or timelines related to scholarly output, especially for tenure‐track faculty with probationary periods spanning these pandemic years.

Telehealth Integration into Pharmacy Practice Curricula: An Exploratory Survey of Faculty Perception.

(1) Background: The use of telehealth in the United States during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic was accelerated and there was a lack of telehealth training programs available to clinicians of all levels. At the onset of the pandemic, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) had no educational outcomes or professional activity standards for the inclusion of telehealth in the didactic Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. Yet, in November 2022, the AACP encouraged colleges of pharmacy to include digital health and telehealth. The purpose of this study was to assess faculty perceptions in preparation for a nation-wide survey regarding telehealth integration into pharmacy practice curricula. (2) Methods: An exploratory questionnaire was developed to describe faculty perceptions and opinions of telehealth integration into the pharmacy practice curriculum at a single college of pharmacy. The questionnaire was emailed to 76 faculty members over six weeks in Summer 2022. Data were summarized descriptively. (3) Results: A total of 18 faculty members completed the survey (24% response rate). The responding faculty were typically very aware (median = 4) of telehealth, its benefits, and barriers, and were very comfortable (median = 4) discussing telehealth communication, benefits of telehealth, and barriers of telehealth. Yet, they were less comfortable discussing telehealth applications (median = 2.5). The faculty had a positive perception of telehealth in general (mean = 8.1 ± 1.5), telehealth services (mean = 8.6 ± 1.6), and the incorporation of telehealth instruction into the pharmacy practice curriculum (mean = 7.7 ± 2.7). Most respondents (67%) could discuss telehealth in their course. Lack of time to teach (50%) was the most reported reason by those who did not have plans to incorporate telehealth instruction into their course. (5) Conclusions: This exploratory survey of faculty at one college of pharmacy indicated positive perceptions and opinions of telehealth integration into the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. Further efforts to incorporate telehealth into the curriculum at other pharmacy schools is warranted.

The AJPE Journey Continues in Advancing Scholarly Excellence in Pharmacy Education Publications

This issue of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE) is the start of an empowering copublishing partnership of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) with Elsevier. The Journal, since 1937, has been committed to providing the highest quality of scholarly publications in all facets of pharmacy education. Our partnership with Elsevier is the next step in our continued journey to publishing outstanding scholarship in teaching and learning across the pharmacy Academy. The Journal will now have greater impact and outreach through the ScienceDirect Freedom Collection. Authors, reviewers, editors, and our pharmacy Academy will benefit through enhanced services available through the Elsevier innovative publishing platform.

Moving AACP Curriculum Quality Survey Results from Good to Great

Although the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Curriculum Quality Surveys (CQS) are required for programs to distribute and utilize as part of accreditation standards, programs face challenges in survey administration and timing, interpreting data and results, and following up on action plans. Because the CQS surveys are standardized, they can allow for greater comparison among institutions, yet interpretation of the items can vary considerably. Programs have flexibility in determining samples for administration and timing of administration (ie, number of years), but some participants (such as preceptors) can suffer from survey overload if multiple institutions administer in the same year. Determining thresholds for action and providing feedback to stakeholders on improvements made based on data triangulations can be daunting. These are a few of the elements that programs must consider when determining their own approach to the AACP CQS. Thus, the purpose of this Commentary is to describe good practices for using the AACP CQS, discuss challenges associated with the surveys, and recommend how to move the utilization of the surveys from good to great.

Developing Authentic Mentorship Through Professional Organizations

Harsh realities in pandemic fatigue, burnout, inequities, and isolation are impacting academic pharmacy. Mentoring programs, especially inter-institutional programs such as those provided within the Sections and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), may combat some of these issues. Unfortunately, year after year, Academy members continue to request information from these groups on mentoring, whether it be the opportunity to pair up, for advice on how to be better mentors, or for guidance on how to develop a program on mentoring for the Sections and SIGs without an existing program. The need for authentic mentoring is vital to the success and retention of faculty and staff within the Academy. Therefore, it may be appropriate to take a closer look at why, despite ongoing mentoring programs scattered within AACP Sections and SIGs, these programs are unable to fulfill the needs of participants.

How Debate Could Facilitate Group Function in Pharmacy Schools

Objective. To study how a debate format could be a helpful tool to enhance group functionality and decision-making in schools of pharmacy.Methods. This study examines the potential of a debate format to facilitate discussion and shift viewpoints. Changes in viewpoint and feedback from the Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP) Cohort 16 debates at the February 2020 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Interim Meeting generated two data sets for each discussion topic to analyze debate effectiveness. Pre- and post-debate audience viewpoints were compared to determine the extent to which debates influenced viewpoints. Continuing pharmacy education (CPE) evaluations of the debate learning objectives provided information on participants' views of the debate format.Results. The debate format appeared to shift opinions on all three topics discussed. In addition, audience members responded in agreement or strong agreement that the debate format was of benefit to both leadership interactions and team environments.Discussion. While group functionality is an important aspect of effective decision-making, it is not always considered in pharmacy school operations. Incorporating debate components could improve the quality of group functionality, thereby positively impacting decision-making in schools of pharmacy.

Taking Action Towards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Pharmacy Curriculum and Continuing Professional Development

Increased awareness of social injustices and inequities highlight the relevance and importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in health care. Former and recent graduates of pharmacy schools remain deficient in their knowledge of DEIA topics such as unconscious bias, which can directly influence health outcomes in an undesirable manner. Particular DEIA areas that are pertinent to pharmacy practice include: race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability status, religion, socioeconomic status, and political beliefs. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) affirmed its commitment to DEIA as a priority. However, existing gaps in knowledge of pharmacy graduates in this area have the potential to contribute to health disparities and inequities, which are significant public health issues. We call on academic pharmacy institutions and professional pharmacy organizations to elevate DEIA topics and to designate them as essential to both addressing health equity and improving care for underserved populations. We also implore licensing boards to require continuing education related to DEIA as a foundational step to closing the knowledge gap for pharmacists in this area.

Increasing the PharmD Pipeline, Encouraging Student Success, and Supporting the Underserved Through Pre-Pharmacy Advising

Academic advising for pre-pharmacy students lacks best practice recommendations specific to the pharmacy profession. When considering contemporary challenges in pharmacy education, adoption of high-quality advising approaches will likely have a positive influence on professional school enrollment, general student success, and educational access for the traditionally underserved. As pre-health academic advising is an important component of student professional development, standardizing best-practice strategies in and around pharmacy programs will "[strengthen] the pharmacy pipeline" and "[raise] the profile of pharmacy" as stated in the 2021-2024 Strategic Plan Priorities, Goals and Objectives issued by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). An investment is needed to codify such practices in pre-pharmacy advising and scale these techniques across pharmacy schools positioned to serve undergraduates.

The Need for Quality Assessment of Entrustable Professional Activities in Pharmacy Education

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are specific tasks that a professional is entrusted to perform autonomously and, together, they define the scope of a profession. There are specific attributes that a task must possess both structurally and conceptually to be classified as an EPA. A high-quality EPA must be an observable, measurable, and professional task that requires training to execute, is fit for entrustment, and can be performed independently. In 2017, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) defined 15 core EPAs expected of a pharmacy learner upon graduation (Core EPAs). Despite acceptance and implementation by pharmacy schools across the country, the Core EPAs have not been evaluated using an objective assessment tool to ensure that they meet specific EPA quality standards outlined in the literature. This article describes existing objective assessment tools for EPA quality and highlights the importance of ensuring high-quality EPAs in pharmacy education, which would be an important step for the AACP Academic Affairs Committee to take to further develop EPAs for implementation.

Lessons From Using Design Thinking to Develop the 2021 AACP Teachers’ Seminar

Objective. To describe and evaluate how a design thinking approach aided the creation of the 2021 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Teachers' Seminar.Methods. The design thinking framework (ie, inspiration, ideation, and implementation) was used to structure the seminar development process from July 2020 to July 2021. Nine committee members engaged in a persona activity (ie, inspiration), a brainstorming activity (ie, ideation), and a prototyping activity (ie, implementation) to create a user-centered learning experience. Twenty-five small group facilitators were then recruited to create and deliver breakout session content. After the seminar, the team was invited to debrief their experience in a focus group and an electronic survey to evaluate the perceived impact of using design thinking in the planning process.Results. Twenty-one (62%) of the 34 committee members and small group facilitators attended the focus group, and 28 (82%) completed the electronic survey. Most agreed that design thinking was a useful approach to support the Teachers' Seminar, and they were generally positive about the experience. There was a significant increase in self-reported creative self-efficacy for coming up with novel ideas, ability to solve problems, and helping expand others' ideas. Team members identified positive attributes about the seminar and planning process as well as areas for improvement. Team members also acknowledged challenges and potential solutions for professional organizations and program developers to consider when creating user-centered experiences.Conclusion. Design thinking can be a useful framework for seminar planning and implementation to create engaging, meaningful, and valuable educator development experiences.

Virtual Social Networking Hours: A Vital Personal and Professional Avenue for Connecting Pharmacy Leadership Educators.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Leadership Development Special Interest Group (LD SIG) created a Virtual Social Networking Hour (VSNH). The VSNH explored pharmacy leadership educators' connections through discussing topics of interest that influence current teaching and scholarship practices. The VSNH also served to connect members in the LD SIG through informal networking, which was vital during a time when in-person connection was heavily restricted due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The VSNH functioned as both a space for members to connect with LD SIG leadership and other members of the LD SIG and a tool to areas of leadership development the SIG should explore in future programming. Each of the four sessions included a skeleton structure that grew organically based on the conversations of the attendees. Common themes of scholarship, adaptation to a virtual landscape, leadership, and student-focused endeavors were interwoven across all four sessions. The VSNHs have since become an integral component in LD SIG Programming.

Report of the 2021-2022 Strategic Engagement Standing Committee

For the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) strategic engagement is critical to the success of colleges and schools of pharmacy in expanding pharmacy and public health practice, meeting programmatic needs, and fulfilling institutional missions. The 2021-2022 Strategic Engagement

An Update on the Progress Toward Gender Equity in US Academic Pharmacy

Objective. To evaluate the status of gender equity in US pharmacy education since the two previous publications on the topic in 2004 and 2014.Methods. Data were gathered from existing national databases, internal American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) databases, AACP meeting minutes, published reports, scholarly articles, pharmacy association websites, individual school websites, and LinkedIn profiles. Differences between men and women were evaluated on degree completion, discipline, rank, tenure status, research, leadership development, leadership positions, salaries, and professional awards. Comparisons were also made to academic medicine and dentistry.Results. Fifty-one percent of full-time faculty members across all academic pharmacy disciplines are women. The percentage of women at the rank of professor was 36.6%, compared to 25% in 2014. Of the 2992 tenured or tenure track pharmacy faculty, 39.2% were women. Out of 388 department chairs, 146 were women. Throughout 2014-2021, there were 121 chief executive officer (CEO) dean permanent appointments, with men holding 91 (75.2%) and women holding 30 (24.8%). Women received 29.7% of the National Institutes of Health grants awarded to pharmacy schools compared to men (70.3%), although women's funding amount was higher. In both the pharmacy practice discipline and all sciences disciplines, the total salary across all ranks and years in rank was significantly higher for men than women, even for department chairs, but there were no differences for CEO deans. To date, women have received 13% of four national pharmacy organizations' top 13 awards.Conclusion. Since 2014, some achievement gaps have narrowed, but areas of concern still exist and need continued attention and resources so inequities can be eliminated. Women in academic pharmacy need mentoring and support to extend throughout the trajectory of their careers in areas such as academic advancement, grant applications, salary negotiation, leadership pursuit, and award applications.

Remote Work in Pharmacy Academia and Implications for the New Normal

Objective. To determine the extent to which pharmacy faculty engaged in remote work during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and, secondarily, to characterize pharmacy faculty and administrator perceptions of remote work.Methods. A 28-question online survey was sent to 6548 members of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). Questions centered on the extent of remote work and perceptions of its impact on productivity, effectiveness, and work-life balance. Focus groups were held to provide additional insight, and data were analyzed statistically.Results. In total, 6322 AACP members met inclusion criteria, of whom 1293 responded to the survey (21% response rate). At least one faculty member responded from 139 schools (99% response rate), and at least one administrator responded from 126 schools (89% response rate). During the pandemic, 97% of faculty were permitted to work remotely, 94% of whom did so at least some of the time. Most faculty indicated no change or an improvement in productivity (85%) and effectiveness (80%). Similarly, most administrators indicated no change or an increase in their unit's productivity (81%) and effectiveness (85%). More than half of respondents indicated better work-life balance while working remotely.Conclusion. Nearly all respondents were permitted to work remotely at least some of the time during the pandemic. Considering that most faculty and administrators believe productivity and effectiveness were not compromised and that there appear to be benefits to work-life balance, schools of pharmacy in the United States should consider permitting faculty to work remotely some of the time as we navigate the pandemic and thereafter.