BPharm Students Research Articles

Are pharmacy graduates practice ready? A validation and assessment study of curricular effectiveness in a school of pharmacy in Lebanon

Background: This study aimed to validate the programme learning outcomes (PLOs) in a Lebanese pharmacy school. It also aimed to assess curricular effectiveness through self-reported assessments of recently graduated BPharm students and investigate if academic and sociodemographic characteristics impact learning outcomes’ achievement. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire. The initial section of the questionnaire gathered data concerning academic and sociodemographic characteristics, while the second section centred around a scale-based self-declared assessment of the PLOs. Results: The validated BPharm PLOs encompassed six distinct domains, comprising a total of 20 competencies and 110 learning outcomes. All competencies were successfully extracted with factor analysis and appropriately loaded on their respective domains. The internal consistency of the competencies and domains was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha, with values ranging from 0.741 (good) to 0.957 (excellent). The graduates indicated their proficiency across all domains, with an average percentage grade ranging from 87.29% for professionalism to 87.55% for the approach to practice and care. Conclusion: The findings reveal a valid structure of the current PLOs with robust internal consistency. The high proficiency levels of graduates across all competency domains confirm the effectiveness and structural integrity of the curriculum.

Crossword puzzle as a learning tool to enhance learning about anticoagulant therapeutics

BackgroundEducational games make the learning process more enjoyable, fun, and create a competitive classroom environment that can positively affect learning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pharmacy students’ perceptions of crossword puzzles (CWPs) as a learning tool in the pharmacotherapy cardiovascular module focusing on anticoagulants’ therapeutics and assessing if students’ preference of learning style influenced their perception.MethodsClues for the puzzle were developed, validated, and piloted by course faculty. A free internet puzzle generator was used to create puzzles with 10 to 20 clues. Students were given 30 min to solve the puzzle following six hours of didactic lectures about the topic. An 8-item survey instrument and Pharmacists’ Inventory of Learning Styles (PILS) questionnaire were administered to examine students’ perceptions of the game and their learning style preference, respectively.ResultsTwo hundred sixty-seven students participated in the activity from both undergraduate programs (BPharm and PharmD) over three consecutive course offerings. Most students expressed favorable perceptions of the puzzle. Female and BPharm students had significantly more favorable perceptions than male and PharmD students on several perception items. The dominant preferred learning style (PLS) was converger (35.6%), followed by assimilator (25.3%), while 15.1% had mixed learning styles. The study did not find a significant association between PLS and students’ perceptions toward the CWP.ConclusionsThe CWP game presented an innovative, creative, and easy active learning tool to enhance information recall, retention, and class engagement while accommodating all learning style preferences.

Selection Criteria and Outcomes in a Problem-Based Learning Bachelor of Pharmacy Programme in South Africa

Failure and low completion rates are a general concern at universities. We investigated the relationship between students’ admission profiles, undergraduate academic outcomes and completion rates in a four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) programme in South Africa. The programme uses a unique student selection method and problem-based learning pedagogy. A retrospective cohort study, including 112 BPharm students, compared selection marks with annual cumulative final marks for each of the four years of study. The relationship between admission and cumulative marks were determined using Pearson’s correlation (p˂0.05 considered significant). The overall pass rate was high (93%) irrespective of the number of years taken to graduate, whereas 64.3% of students graduated in the minimum time of four years. Matriculation life sciences admission marks correlated with cumulative academic final marks in the second (p=0.032), third (p=0.005), and fourth (p=0.041) years of study. Physical sciences matriculation marks correlated with the fourth-year cumulative final marks (p=0.015). Correlation between the admission marks and academic outcomes was moderate, suggesting that the problem-based learning BPharm programme is able to level students’ admission profiles and academic outcomes. However, other factors could have influenced academic success/failure during the post-admission period. Current understanding of students’ success could benefit from qualitative studies exploring these factors.

Pharmacy students knowledge about aging and rational geriatric pharmacotherapy in India: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to compare the knowledge of aging and rational geriatric pharmacotherapy among Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students in Telangana state, India. A multi-school, cross-sectional study was conducted among final year BPharm and PharmD students from 136 institutions between February and June 2017. A 15-item Geriatric Knowledge Assessment Scale (GKAS) was used to assess aging and rational geriatric pharmacotherapy knowledge among 600 pharmacy students. A total of 530 students participated in the survey, with a response rate of 88.3%, and their mean age was 23.5 (0.5 standard deviation) years. Three-fourth (73%) of the participants were PharmD and 27% were BPharm students. Adequate knowledge about aging was identified in only 41.1% of PharmD students and 16.1% of BPharm students. Both PharmD (73.1%) and BPharm (86.7%) demonstrated poor rational geriatric pharmacotherapy knowledge. Male gender [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 2.9, 95% CI (1.46–5.71)], students aged <22 years [AOR: 3.5, (2.08–6.03)] and studying PharmD [AOR: 3.3, (1.87–5.78)] were significantly associated with higher knowledge on aging and geriatric pharmacotherapy. Inadequate knowledge may be due to a lack of geriatric content in the pharmacy curriculum and insufficient training in this area.

Pharmacy Students’ Perceptions of Reflective Portfolios and their Effect on Students’ Deep Information-Processing Skills

Objective. To evaluate pharmacy students' perceptions of the educational value of reflective portfolio and to gain an understanding of the factors that might influence these perceptions. Methods. Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) students' perceptions of using reflective portfolios were evaluated by administering the same questionnaire at the beginning of years 2, 3 and 4 of the curriculum. Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the differences among the perception scores of different academic years. Semi-structured interviews were completed with fourth-year students to further explore their experiences with the reflective portfolio. Students' deep information processing (DIP) skills were compared with those of students from another pharmacy cohort whose curriculum did not include a reflective portfolio. Results. The students' perceptions of the reflective portfolio improved significantly as they progressed from year 2 to year 4 of the curriculum. The factors that contributed to a positive experience were a clear understanding of objectives and guidelines for the reflective portfolio, useful mentor feedback, a positive learning attitude and motivation, and having a user-friendly technology platform for submission of the portfolio. The students' DIP skills after completing the reflective portfolio were higher than those of students who did not have a reflective portfolio assignment in their curriculum. Conclusion. Pharmacy students' appreciation of the educational value of a reflective portfolio increased as they progressed to their final year, and their DIP skills improved. These findings support the use of a reflective portfolio as a learning tool for BPharm students' personal and professional development.

Career Choices and Preferences of Saudi Pharmacy Undergraduates: A Cross Sectional Study

BackgroundDespite the increasing number of pharmacy schools and their graduates, the healthcare workforce shortage has increased in Saudi Arabia’s pharmacy sector, especially with the opening of new retail pharmacies, industries and pharmaceutical companies, which means that more pharmacist positions have been created with expanded working hours. However, very limited data are available regarding the views and preferences of pharmacy students regarding their future job choices in Saudi Arabia, which may create concerns for licensing organizations, employers and institutions and also gaps between what students want and the vacancies for pharmacists. Therefore, this study aims to identify pharmacy students’ career choices and examine the factors that influence their choices across different pharmacy schools in Saudi via a cross-sectional survey. Materials and methodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out of undergraduates at all education levels at different colleges of pharmacy across Saudi Arabia from October 2017 to March 2018. The questionnaire gathered students’ characteristics and covered the importance of general job considerations for students, their choices and the factors influencing their future career choices and finally the students’ opinions regarding different work settings. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). ResultsHospital pharmacies were the preferred area of practice (n = 212: 51.6%), followed by academia and research centres (n = 102: 24.8%), while the pharmaceutical industry and community pharmacies were the least preferred, at 7% and 2%, respectively. Based on the respondents’ characteristics and preferred future career, a multivariate logistic regression revealed that the pharmD students were 4 times more likely to prefer hospital pharmacy posts (odds ratio (OR) = 4.554, p = 0.033) compared with the B-pharm students. Among the factors that influenced the students’ choices were personal interest, in addition to training experience and organizational reputation. The most important job considerations, according to the students, was moving up the job ladder (n = 346; 84.2%), and job openings in a certain field (n = 341; 83%). The Kruskal-Wallis test for nonparametric ordinal data declared detected several significant differences among different pharmacy settings for each item measuring the pharmD and B-pharm students' attitudes and opinions. ConclusionBy identifying these gaps and pharmacy students' goals and needs, we aim to draw the government’s attention to these to ensure a future balance between supply and demand and effective pharmacy workforce planning, which is mandatory.

The development of mental health vignettes to assess the mental health first aid skills of final year BPharm students

The development of mental health vignettes to assess the mental health first aid skills of final year BPharm students

The design of a history of pharmacy course in the bachelor of pharmacy curriculum in the UAE experience.

The study of history of pharmacy is deserving of consideration as a review of past, so that we may understand present, and thus be enabled to plan intelligently for future.1 However, inclusion of this syllabus has suffered a crushing blow in global context. For example, in US, Buerki (1981) conducted a far-reaching survey and reported that almost 40% of pharmacy schools offered either required or elective course work in history of pharmacy, 32% offered orientation courses that contained some historical component, and 29% offered no such course work. Notably, there was a significant decline in number of pharmacy schools offering this course. Buerki's findings may have prompted American Council on Pharmaceutical Education to adopt a strong policy statement on teaching history and social studies of pharmacy later that same year.2 Even in past, Edward Kremers remarked parenthetically in an 1892 address before American Public Health Association (APHA) Section on Pharmaceutical Education and Legislation that, the professional student should at least have a fair knowledge of this history of his profession”.3 What is problem? In UAE, little attention is given to historical aspects of pharmacy as a standalone course in pharmacy curriculum.4-7 In other words, until recently, course History of Pharmacy has not been introduced in BPharm or PharmD curricula offered by pharmacy colleges, including Dubai Pharmacy College (DPC) - first pharmacy college in region established in 1992. In recent times, Commission for Academic Accreditation, Ministry for Higher Education and Scientific Research, UAE; specifies in 2011 “Standards for Licensure and Accreditation”, section that institutions must ensure that all undergraduate students complete equivalent of one or more university level courses in humanities, appropriate to program offerings.8 In compliance, DPC designed a course titled “History of Pharmacy” in domain of Humanities. This course is offered to BPharm students with purpose of acquiring knowledge and critical thinking skills to understand a variety of perspectives and diverse historical experiences resulting in enhancing aspects of competence in terms of: autonomy and responsibility, role in context, and self-development.9

Comparison of knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers towards adverse drug reactions reporting between Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy students in Southern India

Objectives To compare the knowledge, attitudes and self-reported barriers towards adverse drug reactions reporting between Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students in four private pharmacy colleges in Southern India. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among final year PharmD (n = 107) and BPharm (n = 177) students. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from the participants. The study questionnaire was subjected to face and content validity, and reliability prior to data collection. The responses of PharmD students were compared with BPharm students. Data were analysed by employing Mann–Whitney U and chi-squared tests using spss (version 20). Key findings PharmD students' knowledge of ADRs was higher than BPharm students based on scores on the questionnaire administered (P < 0.001). Gender was significantly correlated with the knowledge of the participants as male participants appeared to be more knowledgeable than their female counterparts (P < 0.001). Moreover, not much difference was observed between the attitudes of PharmD and BPharm students towards ADR reporting (P < 0.05). In comparison, lack of knowledge of where and how to report ADRs was the main barrier reported by BPharm students (P = 0.001). More BPharm students were of the opinion that patients should directly report ADRs as compared to PharmD students (P < 0.05). Conclusion PharmD students exhibited better knowledge of ADRs reporting than BPharm students. Future interventions should be targeted towards BPharm students to enhance their knowledge of ADRs and Pharmacovigilance.

Clinical pharmacy in Sri Lanka: translating training into practice

Clinical pharmacy in Sri Lanka: translating training into practice

A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge and Perceptions of Pharmacovigilance among Pharmacy Students of Selected Tertiary Institutions in Jordan

Purpose : To assess the perceptions and knowledge of pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting among Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students of selected tertiary institutions in Jordan. Methods : A cross-sectional study involving 434 pharmacy students from three different Jordanian universities was conducted from March - April 2014. During the study period, a validated structured questionnaire was administered to the participants to assess their knowledge and perceptions regarding pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting process. Results : Majority of the students had insufficient awareness and lack of knowledge of pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting with a mean knowledge score of 4/10. PharmD students had better knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting system than the BPharm students (knowledge score of 5.4 versus 3.2, respectively; p < 0.001). Also, higher knowledge scores were recorded for public university and fifth-year students (p < 0.001). About two-thirds of the students expressed a positive attitude toward pharmacovigilance and ADRs issues and agreed that they would be willing to report ADRs during their clerkship programme. Conclusion : BPharm and PharmD students have insufficient knowledge of the concept of pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting. There is a need to incorporate pharmacovigilance into pharmacy curriculum in order to increase its awareness among pharmacy students as this will positively impact on their practice and enhance public health. Keywords : Pharmacovigilance, Adverse drug reactions reporting, Pharmacy students, Knowledge, Perception, Awareness, Attitude

Comparison of knowledge and attitudes about antibiotics and resistance, and antibiotics self-practicing between Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy students in Southern India

There is limited research on pharmacy specialization based differences with regards to usage of antibiotics. To compare the knowledge, attitude and practice of Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students about usage and resistance of antibiotics in Southern India. This was a cross sectional study involving final year BPharm and PharmD students studying in two private institutions located in Andra Pradesh, India. The study was conducted for the period of 3 months. The questionnaire was divided into 5 components: demographics, knowledge about antibiotic use, attitude towards antibiotic use and resistance, self-antibiotic usage, and possible causes of antibiotic resistance. The study questionnaire was assessed for reliability. Data were analysed by employing Mann Whitney and chi square tests using SPSS version 19. The sample size comprised of 137 students. The response rate was 76.11% for the study. There was a significant difference in the knowledge of antibiotic use in BPharm and PharmD students (Mean score: 5.09 vs 6.18, p<0.001). The overall attitude of PharmD students about antibiotic use and resistance was positive compared to BPharm students (Mean score: 3.05 vs 2.23, p<0.05). The self-antibiotic practices was higher in BPharm students than PharmD students (36.4% vs 20%, p<0.05). A significantly high number of PharmD students believed that empirical antibiotic therapy led to antibiotic resistance (19.5% versus 48%, P<0.05). PharmD students were more knowledgeable about antibiotic usage and resistance compared to BPharm students who did not have accurate and the much needed information about the same. Future interventions should be targeted towards educating the BPharm students so that they can implement the acquired knowledge in their practice.

Perceptions of Libyan Pharmacy Academics about the Importance of Social Pharmacy Subjects in the Current Pharmacy Undergraduate Curriculum

Perceptions of Libyan Pharmacy Academics about the Importance of Social Pharmacy Subjects in the Current Pharmacy Undergraduate Curriculum

The Impact of an Innovative Learning and Teaching Module of Patient Self-Management of Chronic Pain on Undergraduate Pharmacy Student Learning

Methods: The study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire and all 4 Year BPharm students at Curtin University were invited to participate. The students were asked to indicate to what extent they felt that their different units of study (Clinical Placements, Pharmacotherapy and Pharmaceutical Practice) had assisted in the development of 16 personal attributes appropriate to deliver patient care.For the purpose of analyses, the responses, which were collected using a 5-point Likert scale (where 11⁄4strongly disagree and 5 1⁄4 strongly agree), were treated as though they are measures on a continuous scale. In this way the ‘mean’ response for each attribute could be calculated, and a ‘repeated measures’ ANOVA undertaken. The regression model included terms for the units and gender. Ethical approval was obtained from Curtin University. Results: A total of 106 students completed the survey (males 29, females 77). The differences in mean scores between units was generally fairly small, however they were statistically significant for all attributes (overall pvalue ! 0.05). The scores for placements were generally higher than for the other units, suggesting that respondents found that placements encouraged development of the attributes more than the other units. The difference in scores between Pharmaceutical Practice and Pharmacotherapy was generally smaller and less significant, however Pharmacotherapy appeared to contribute to developing key attributes necessary for problem solving. Differences in responses between genders were generally not significant, except for Attribute 11 (Motivation), where male respondents showed higher agreement with the statements than females. Conclusions: The results show that different units of study are perceived by students to have different value in preparing them to deliver patient care, with placements as most valuable.

Growing professionalism in pharmacy students

IMU is one of 17 institutions of higher learning conducting the Bachelor of course in Malaysia. The White paper on pharmacy student professionalism by the Task Force of the American Pharmaceutical Association Academy of Students of together with the American Association of Colleges of Council of Deans mentioned 10 essential traits of a professional, recommending their early development. Since the beginning of the IMU Bachelor of (BPharm) (Hons) course in July 2004 on Registration Day, IMU has adopted the concept of developing professionalism in the pharmacy student from the very first day of university, by having the White Coat Ceremony where the entire class takes the Pledge of Professionalism (adapted from the Task Force) against the Code of Conduct for Pharmacists and Bodies Corporate by the Board of Malaysia in the presence of the Senior Director of the Pharmaceutical Services Division of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia and the President of the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS). Throughout their 4 years in IMU, the pharmacy students are exposed to various aspects of professionalism in different subjects in their curriculum. On 23 rd April 2012, when the fifth cohort of BPharm students received their final examination results, Pharmacy Professional Day was launched. The graduating students took the Oath of a Pharmacist (adapted from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's Oath with slight amendment). Talks by alumni and speakers from MPS aimed to facilitate the transition of the new graduate to working life as a pharmacist.

Influences on Malaysian Pharmacy Students' Career Preferences

To identify and evaluate factors affecting the career preferences of fourth-year bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) students in Malaysia in the presence of a 4-year period of mandatory government service. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used in this cross-sectional study to collect data from final-year BPharm students enrolled at 3 government-funded universities and 1 private university in Malaysia. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Three hundred fourteen students responded (213 from public universities and 101 from the private university). Approximately 32% of public university students and 37% of private university students ranked their own interest in pharmacy as the reason for undertaking pharmacy degree studies; 40.4% of public and 19.8% of private university respondents stated that they would enter a nonpharmacy-related career upon graduation if given the choice. Public university students ranked hospital pharmacy as their choice of first career setting (4.39, p = 0.001), while private students ranked community pharmacy first (4.1, p = 0.002). On a scale of 1 to 5, salary received the highest mean score (3.9 and 4.0, p = 0.854) as the extrinsic factor most influencing their career choice. Final-year students at Malaysian public universities were most interested in hospital pharmacy practice as their first career step upon graduation, while private university students were most interested in community pharmacy. The top 3 extrinsic factors rated as significant in selecting a career destination were salary, benefits, and geographical location.