Pharmacy Graduates Research Articles

Addressing the global need for public health clinical pharmacists through student pharmacist education: a focus on developing nations

It is time for pharmacists to begin advancing their roles in public health and play a more integral part in public health initiatives. Within developed nations, the profession has demonstrated its value in advancing preventive care; however, the same cannot be said for pharmacists worldwide. Emphasis on training public health pharmacists should also be on developing nations, where the need for preventive care is highly unmet. To ensure all graduating pharmacists are prepared to engage in public health activities, education in this field must be provided during their main years of pharmacy school. In conclusion, public health education should be incorporated into pharmacy curriculae within developing nations so all pharmacy graduates are prepared to engage in public health activities.

StrengthsFinder® signature themes of talent in pharmacy residents at four midwestern pharmacy schools

Background and purposeStrengthsFinder® is a widely-used assessment that can be used to help student pharmacists discover their talents (i.e., signature themes [STs]) and develop their leadership skills. The assessment has also been used in pharmacy residents, but the prevalence of various STs in that group has not been compared to those in student pharmacists. Educational activity and settingResidents from four midwestern pharmacy institutions completed StrengthsFinder® 2.0 and received their top five STs. STs were organized and examined by domains (executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking). StrengthsFinder® data on student pharmacists were obtained from a previously published study. The distribution of the themes and domains was compared between residents and student pharmacists. FindingsResponses from 31 residency program cohorts, including 290 pharmacy residents from a pool of 304 (95.4%) possible respondents, were included in the study. The learner ST was more frequently reported in the top five in pharmacy residents versus student pharmacists (42.8% versus 35.5%, p = 0.022). The woo and communication STs were also more frequently reported in the top five, while the consistency ST was reported less frequently in the top five in pharmacy residents versus student pharmacists (p < 0.05). The executing and relationship building domains had the highest average number of STs (1.58 and 1.56, respectively). Discussion and summaryThe ST profile of pharmacy residents at residency programs affiliated with four midwestern schools of pharmacy is generally similar to that of pharmacy graduates. However, several STs were more or less prevalent in pharmacy residents. Recognition of these differences may assist residency program directors in marketing and design of programs and ranking of candidates.

Factors influencing professional state association membership decisions among recent pharmacy graduates

IntroductionState pharmacy association membership levels have remained stagnant in recent years despite active student organization involvement among student pharmacists and an increased number of pharmacy schools producing new pharmacy graduates in the United States. The objective of this project was to examine factors considered by recent pharmacy graduates when deciding to join state pharmacy associations. MethodsA 16-item cross sectional survey of recent pharmacy graduates collected respondents’ demographic profile, professional student organization involvement, association memberships, and membership decision factors. ResultsThe most influential factors in membership decisions included continuing education (62.8%), opportunity to advance pharmacy practice (51.1%), email updates (39.4%), and networking opportunities (37.2%). State pharmacy association meeting attendance (p = 0.004 and p = 0.028 for the Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Kentucky Pharmacists Association respectively), student organization membership (p = 0.038), committee service (p = 0.025), and state association board participation (p = 0.021) during pharmacy education increases the likelihood of membership in state associations. ConclusionsEarly engagement in state pharmacy associations during pharmacy school improves the likelihood of new practitioner membership. Pharmacy schools should engage with state association leaders to promote student committee participation, association board participation, and attendance at state meetings to ensure the continued success of state pharmacy associations.

Students' Satisfaction with a Web-Based Pharmacy Program in a Re-Regulated Pharmacy Market.

In response to the shortage of pharmacists in Northern Sweden, a web-based Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program was established at Umeå University in 2003. In 2009, the Swedish pharmacy market was re-regulated from a state monopoly to an open market, but it is unknown what impact this has had on education satisfaction. The objectives of this study were to examine the level of satisfaction among graduates from a web-based pharmacy program and to describe what subjects and skills students would have liked more or less of in their education. A secondary objective was to compare the level of satisfaction before and after the Swedish pharmacy market was re-regulated. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 with all alumni who had graduated from the pharmacy program between 2006 and 2014 (n = 511), and responses to questions about graduates’ satisfaction with the program were analyzed (n = 200). Most graduates (88%) agreed or strongly agreed that the knowledge and skills acquired during their education were useful in their current job. The graduates stated that they would have wanted more applied pharmacy practice and self-care counselling, and fewer social pharmacy and histology courses. Further, 82% stated that they would start the same degree program if they were to choose again today, and 92% agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend the program to a prospective student. Graduates were more likely to recommend the program after the re-regulation (p = 0.007). In conclusion, pharmacy graduates were very satisfied with their education, and no negative effects of the re-regulation could be observed on program satisfaction.

Exploring the Requisite Skills and Competencies of Pharmacists Needed for Success in an Evolving Health Care Environment

Objective. To identify and describe the core competencies and skills considered essential for success of pharmacists in today's rapidly evolving health care environment. Methods. Six breakout groups of 15-20 preceptors, pharmacists, and partners engaged in a facilitated discussion about the qualities and characteristics relevant to the success of a pharmacy graduate. Data were analyzed using qualitative methods. Peer-debriefing, multiple coders, and member-checking were used to promote trustworthiness of findings. Results. Eight overarching themes were identified: critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration across networks and leading by influence; agility and adaptability; initiative and entrepreneurialism; effective oral and written communication; accessing and analyzing information; curiosity and imagination; and self-awareness. Conclusion. This study is an important step toward understanding how to best prepare pharmacy students for the emerging health care needs of society.

Personal Attributes of Pharmacy Graduates From an Indonesian University as Care Providers

Objective: Pharmacists’ roles in providing patient care remain limited in Indonesia, hencethis study aimed to determine the preparedness of pharmacy graduates from one university in Indonesia todeliver patient care. Methods: Pharmacy graduates (both registered pharmacists [104] and recent graduateseligible for registration [45]) were sent a validated self-administered survey. The survey sought theirperceptions about whether they had acquired 16 patient care related attributes. Further, it sought theiropinion on the desirability of having those attributes.Data were analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Results:Sixteen of 104 (15.4%) registered pharmacists and 40 of 45 (88.9%) recent pharmacy graduates participatedin the study. More than 50% of participants in both groups were female and most participants were aged intheir 20s. Of the recent pharmacy graduates the majority perceived they had at least partially acquired fourof 16 list attributes. Male and female recent graduates had significantly different beliefs about their leadershipability (p=0.004). In comparison, most registered pharmacists perceived they had 10 out of the 16 listedattributes. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested that pharmacy graduates should be better preparedto deliver patient care, and that curriculum redesign with expansion of experiential learnings required.

Improving medication adherence and reducing treatment costs through a high-touch pharmacist intervention in a dual-eligible medicare population with hepatitis c

Electronic prescribing (ERx) is the ability for prescriber to send a digital prescription directly to a pharmacist through a dedicated secure network. A number of federally funded incentives such as the health information technology for economic and clinical health (HITECH) and Meaningful Use standards have led to ERx implementation. ERx is an integral part of primary care practice and today most community pharmacies are enabled to accept e-prescriptions.Little is known about the experience of rural pharmacists, primary care providers and patients regarding e-prescribing. This paper reports on the results of ERx from their perspectives. The findings are a portion of a larger qualitative descriptive study focused on the meaning of Meaningful Use in remote rural communities. One remote rural community in the Pacific Northwest was used for this research endeavor.Explore understandings of e-prescribing from both pharmacist and primary care provider perspective.Explore patients' understandings and experiences of e-prescribing.The conceptual model for this research was the Ecological Transactional Model. This model informed the research design, interview questions and analysis. A qualitative descriptive methodology – focused ethnography was used for this study. Six key informant interviews, 14 patient interviews and 15 hours of participant observation provided the data. Data analysis occurred collectively between a social pharmacy researcher, a primary care nurse practitioner–researcher and pharmacy graduate students. The research qualitatively identified contextual understandings and dimensions of ERx in this setting.Based on a focused ethnographic methodology, contextual understandings of rurality and role identity, both pharmacist and primary care provider, were explored. Perspectives on ERx of patients, clinic manager and RN staff were also elicited. Three dimensions of ERx were identified – technological, structural and communication.The structural, technological and communication dimensions are essential in understanding e-prescribing across settings and addressing digital divides in our health care system. Implications for interprofessional pharmacy education were addressed. Understanding the rural context and the need for role adaptability has implications for health care policy. Additional research is needed on the role of the rural pharmacist and how best to interact with primary care providers and patients.

Examining the Association Between the NAPLEX, Pre-NAPLEX, and Pre- and Post-admission Factors

Objective. To examine the relationship between the NAPLEX and Pre-NAPLEX among pharmacy graduates, as well as determine effects of pre-pharmacy, pharmacy school, and demographic variables on NAPLEX performance. Methods. A retrospective review of pharmacy graduates' NAPLEX scores, Pre-NAPLEX scores, demographics, pre-pharmacy academic performance factors, and pharmacy school academic performance factors was performed. Bivariate (eg, ANOVA, independent samples t-test) and correlational analyses were conducted, as was stepwise linear regression to examine the significance of Pre-NAPLEX score and other factors as related to NAPLEX score. Results. One hundred fifty graduates were included, with the majority being female (60.7%) and white (72%). Mean NAPLEX score was 104.7. Mean Pre-NAPLEX score was 68.6. White students had significantly higher NAPLEX scores compared to Black/African American students. NAPLEX score was correlated to Pre-NAPLEX score, race/ethnicity, PCAT composite and section scores, undergraduate overall and science GPAs, pharmacy GPA, and on-time graduation. The regression model included pharmacy GPA and Pre-NAPLEX score. Conclusion. The findings provide evidence that, although pharmacy GPA is the most critical determinant, the Pre-NAPLEX score is also a significant predictor of NAPLEX score.

An Empirical Study on the Employability Structure of Pharmacy Graduates

In this paper, through the interviews and questionnaires of the experts of medical colleges and universities in China, the executives of pharmaceutical enterprises and the graduates of pharmaceutical specialty, we use statistical analysis techniques such as exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to present and verify the pharmaceutical structural model of the employment ability of undergraduates. The results show that the structure of employment ability of the undergraduates of pharmaceutical specialty in China can be divided into four dimensions: Development ability, Social ability, Professional ability and Personal quality, and there is some correlation between these four dimensions. Among them, the innovation ability has the greatest impact on the development of pharmaceutical undergraduates. The organization and coordination ability has the greatest impact on social capacity of pharmaceutical undergraduates. The operational ability has the greatest impact on professional competence of pharmaceutical undergraduates; and the professional ethics has the greatest impact on personal quality of pharmaceutical undergraduates.

Current status, challenges and the way forward for clinical pharmacy service in Ethiopian public hospitals

BackgroundClinical pharmacy service has evolved steadily over the past few decades and is now contributing to the ‘patient care journey’ at all stages. It is improving the safety and effectiveness of medicines and has made a significant contribution to the avoidance of medication errors. In Ethiopia, clinical pharmacy service is in its initial phase, being started in July 2013. This study therefore aimed at assessing the status, challenges and way forward of clinical pharmacy service in the country.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in six regional states and one city- administration in September 2014. A total of 51 hospitals were included in the study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed for data collection.ResultsA total of 160 pharmacy graduates, and 51 pharmacy heads participated in the study. Internal Medicine and Pediatric wards were the major wards where the graduates provide clinical pharmacy service. Almost 94% of the new graduates were found to be involved in clinical pharmacy service, but 47% of them rated their service as poor. The overall satisfaction of the graduates was close to 36%. Thirteen hospitals discontinued and two hospitals not even initiated the service largely due to shortage of pharmacists and lack of management support. About 44% of the surveyed hospitals documented the clinical pharmacy service provided using either developed or adopted formats. Lack of awareness by the medical fraternity, high attrition rate, lack of support from the management as well as from the health care team, readiness of the graduates to deliver the service, and shortage of pharmacists were identified by the key informants as the major stumbling block to deliver clinical pharmacy service.ConclusionClinical pharmacy service is initiated in most of the surveyed hospitals and a large proportion of the graduates were involved in the service. Although there is a great enthusiasm to promote clinical pharmacy service in the surveyed hospitals, efforts made to institutionalize the service is minimal. Thus, concerted efforts need to be exerted to promote the service through organizing awareness forums as well as revisiting the curriculum.

Critical Care Pharmacist Market Perceptions: Comparison of Critical Care Program Directors and Directors of Pharmacy.

Background: While hospital beds continue to decline as patients previously treated as inpatients are stabilized in ambulatory settings, the number of critical care beds available in the United States continues to rise. Growth in pharmacy student graduation, postgraduate year 2 critical care (PGY2 CC) residency programs, and positions has also increased. There is a perception that the critical care trained pharmacist market is saturated, yet this has not been evaluated since the rise in pharmacy graduates and residency programs. Purpose: To describe the current perception of critical care residency program directors (CC RPDs) and directors of pharmacy (DOPs) on the critical care pharmacist job market and to evaluate critical care postresidency placement and anticipated changes in PGY2 CC programs. Methods: Two electronic surveys were distributed from October 2015 to November 2015 through Vizient/University HealthSystem Consortium, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Society of Critical Care Medicine, and American College of Clinical Pharmacy listservs to target 2 groups of respondents: CC RPDs and DOPs. Questions were based on the ASHP Pharmacy Forecast and the Pharmacy Workforce Center's Aggregate Demand Index and were intended to identify perceptions of the critical care market of the 2 groups. Results: Of 116 CC RPDs, there were 66 respondents (56.9% response rate). Respondents have observed an increase in applicants; however, they do not anticipate increasing the number of positions in the next 5 years. The overall perception is that there is a balance in supply and demand in the critical care trained pharmacist market. A total of 82 DOPs responded to the survey. Turnover of critical care pharmacists within respondent organizations is expected to be low. Although a majority of DOPs plan to expand residency training positions, only 9% expect to increase positions in critical care PGY2 training. Overall, DOP respondents indicated a balance of supply and demand in the critical care trained pharmacist market. In comparing RPD and DOP perceptions of the demand for critical care pharmacists, DOPs perceived demand to be higher than RPDs (mean, 3.2 vs 2.8; P = .032). Conclusion: Although there is a perception of the oversupply of critical care trained pharmacists, a survey of DOPs and CC RPDs found a market with positions available, rapid hiring, stable salaries, and plans for expanded hiring of critical care trained pharmacists.

Attitudes and Perceptions of Dual PharmD/MBA Degree Program Students

Objectives. To understand pharmacy students' reasons for pursuing a dual PharmD/MBA degree and their perceptions of the impact a dual degree will have on their careers. Methods. This was a cross-sectional survey of registered students in the University at Buffalo PharmD/MBA program. An electronic survey was developed through collaboration with the UB School of Management and administered in January 2015. Results. A total of 23/24 (96% response rate) students who were enrolled in the PharmD/MBA curriculum responded to the survey. Respondents identified employment opportunities following graduation and career advancement as the most influential determinants in deciding to pursue an MBA degree. All respondents (100%) felt the job marketplace for pharmacy graduates is becoming increasingly difficult, 96% believe they will earn a higher midpoint salary with a PharmD/MBA, and 82% would recommend a PharmD/MBA to first year pharmacy students. Conclusion. Students are increasingly perceptive of the challenges in the current job marketplace and are taking advantage of a dual PharmD/MBA degree.

Teaching End-of-Life Care Using Interprofessional Simulation.

Competency in end-of-life (EOL) care is a growing expectation for health professions students. This study assessed the impact of four EOL care scenarios, using high-fidelity simulation, on the perceived learning needs and attitudes of pharmacy and nursing students. On three campuses, pharmacy students (N = 158) were exposed to standard paper EOL case scenarios, while a fourth campus exposed eight graduate nursing and 37 graduate pharmacy students to simulated versions of the same cases. The paper-based groups produced similar pre-post changes on the End of Life Professional Caregiver Survey. Results were pooled and compared with the simulation-only group, revealing significantly higher changes in pre-post scores for the simulation group. Students participating in the simulation group showed some significant differences in attitudes toward EOL care, compared with students in the classroom setting. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(4):205-210.].

An innovative, residency-based, interprofessional faculty development program.

The impact of an interprofessional faculty development fellowship (FDF) on pharmacy graduates' careers is described. The FDF instructional approach is a longitudinal acquisition and application of knowledge, skills, and attitudes fostered by clinical care delivery, teaching experiences, structured reflection, the giving and receiving of feedback, research and scholarly projects, and leadership development and exercises. Interprofessional FDF fellows teach, learn, and provide care together in both inpatient and outpatient clinical settings as a part of the evidence-based medicine curriculum, providing educational sessions for medical students, pharmacy students, medical residents, attending family medicine physicians, and clinical pharmacy faculty throughout the year. Twenty-seven of the 30 pharmacist graduates of the fellowship (90% response rate) responded to an electronic survey about the influence of the FDF on their careers. Overall, pharmacy graduates were very satisfied with the fellowship. The fellowship fostered a clear pattern of continued, collaborative learning. While additional training beyond a pharmacy residency program is not necessary for a successful clinical career, 41% of graduates pursued additional training after completing the fellowship. Open-ended responses for motivations for completing the FDF and influences the FDF had on their careers fell unforced into the FDF curriculum domains, which reinforced the belief that these are the right areas to target for development. Pharmacy residents participated in a broad, interprofessional faculty development curriculum, which fostered teaching, scholarship, leadership, professional development, and clinical skills. Pharmacist graduates indicated that the experience significantly influenced their careers and professional development.

Incidence of Depression and the Coping Styles used for it by Under Graduate and Post Graduate Pharmacy students: A Comparison

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental conditions worldwide affecting the general population. Students are presumably prone to this condition because of academic and personal stressors. Depressed students employ a variety of coping methods to deal with their condition. A prospective study was conducted by stratified random sampling in which questionnaire was distributed randomly to 196 undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students out of 401 registered students of the pharmacy department of the institution. The study estimated the incidence of depression using CES-D scale and determined different coping styles used by depressed university scholars with the help of 28-item Brief Cope inventory. Various academic and personal stressors were also identified. Overall, (118) 60% university scholars were depressed. Female students were more depressed than male students. Assignments, frequent examination and quizzes were the major stressors for the students. Religion and substance use were the most and least commonly used coping methods for depression, respectively. Measures should be taken by the institution to routinely assess the mental health status of students and health promotional programs should be initiated for improving the personal and professional life of university scholars.

Effects of sharing information on drug administration errors in pediatric wards: a pre-post intervention study.

Background and purposeDrug administration errors are more likely to reach the patient than other medication errors. The main aim of this study was to determine whether the sharing of information on drug administration errors among health care providers would reduce such problems.Patients and methodsThis study involved direct, undisguised observations of drug administrations in two pediatric wards of a major teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This study consisted of two phases: Phase 1 (pre-intervention) and Phase 2 (post-intervention). Data were collected by two observers over a 40-day period in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the study. Both observers were pharmacy graduates: Observer 1 just completed her undergraduate pharmacy degree, whereas Observer 2 was doing her one-year internship as a provisionally registered pharmacist in the hospital under study. A drug administration error was defined as a discrepancy between the drug regimen received by the patient and that intended by the prescriber and also drug administration procedures that did not follow standard hospital policies and procedures. Results from Phase 1 of the study were analyzed, presented and discussed with the ward staff before commencement of data collection in Phase 2.ResultsA total of 1,284 and 1,401 doses of drugs were administered in Phase 1 and Phase 2, respectively. The rate of drug administration errors reduced significantly from Phase 1 to Phase 2 (44.3% versus 28.6%, respectively; P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the adjusted odds of drug administration errors in Phase 1 of the study were almost three times that in Phase 2 (P<0.001). The most common types of errors were incorrect administration technique and incorrect drug preparation. Nasogastric and intravenous routes of drug administration contributed significantly to the rate of drug administration errors.ConclusionThis study showed that sharing of the types of errors that had occurred was significantly associated with a reduction in drug administration errors.

Pharmacy education in Jordan: updates.

To describe the increasing number of pharmacy schools in Jordan. A review for numbers of schools and their curricula was conducted. To date, there are 18 pharmacy schools in Jordan. PharmD program is offered by two public schools. PhD program is offered by one school; while MSc program is offered by seven schools. Public pharmacy schools have two similar programs in terms of curricula, 'regular' and 'parallel'. The ratio of pharmacists to 1000 population was 2.1 in 2012. Substantial increase in pharmacists' integration is needed in public and private primary care settings. Number of pharmacy schools and pharmacy graduates in Jordan seems to be 'high'. If the schools are to remain on a track of growth, let the emphasis shift to PharmD expansion.

Describing Entrustable Professional Activities Is Merely the First Step

The profession of pharmacy needs a core set of entrustable professional activities (EPAs)--not only to describe what pharmacists do but also to set expectations and guide future action. Entrustable professional activities are units of work. (1) They can be observed and assigned by preceptors and supervisors. Unlike competency statements, which can seem abstract and academic to noneducators, (2) EPAs are intuitively understood by patients, practitioners, and policymakers. The EPAs for New Pharmacy Graduates reported in this issue of the Journal are an important first step, but far more needs to be done. (3) Entrustable professional activities were first described and subsequently used by medical residency training programs as a means to translate competency statements (ie, general qualities that every health professional should possess) into concrete tasks that supervisors can observe and delegate to trainees in the clinical environment. (1) Discipline-specific EPAs have been formulated for postgraduate training in family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. (4-6) In 2014, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published a list of 13 core EPAs for entering residency that medical school graduates are expected to perform without direct supervision on day 1 of residency, regardless of specialty. (7) The enthusiasm and speed with which EPAs have been embraced by medical schools and residency training programs suggests there has been a need for greater clarity regarding a core set of skills that all physicians should possess. Currently, 10 medical schools are pilot testing the AAMC core EPAs. (8) These institutions will formally report outcomes as well as lessons learned from implementing the EPA framework in their curricula. The development of the Core EPAs for New Pharmacy Graduates was rigorous. (9) Although input from a wide range of stakeholders was sought and received, undoubtedly some will view them with skepticism. To some, the EPAs represent yet another mandate that colleges and schools must somehow assimilate into their curricula and use to assess student progress. For others, the EPAs do not reflect their specialized areas of practice. And still others will have difficulty seeing the connection between the EPAs and the content they teach. These are legitimate concerns but miss the point. We argue that a lack of clarity regarding the role and responsibilities of pharmacists has hampered the advancement of pharmacy practice. Today the profession has a shared vision and model of practice. (10) The accreditation of doctor of pharmacy programs is contingent on producing practice-ready and team-ready graduates. (11) The Core EPAs for New Pharmacy Graduates reflect these realities. While the EPAs often are presented as a list of discrete tasks and activities, they are interrelated and over-lapping (Figure 1). Moreover, EPAs do not negate the need for a set of underlying competencies. (12) These competencies, which were derived from the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, are articulated in the CAPE 2013 Educational Outcomes statements. (13) The EPA statements flow from and are extensions of these competencies (Figure 2). Moreover, the Core EPAs for New Pharmacy Graduates describe the foundation for the development of EPAs for postgraduate pharmacy training programs. New pharmacy graduates should be able to perform all Core EPAs without direct supervision. (9) This does not imply that new pharmacy graduates are fully formed and no longer will need feedback, guidance, or coaching from exemplary role models after graduation (Table 1). Postgraduate training, both formal and informal, in the workplace after licensure should be structured in a way that will enable new graduates to refine their skills, build their confidence, and increase their proficiency. (14) Over time, pharmacy graduates should be entrusted to assume greater autonomy and the responsibility of supervising others. …

Core Entrustable Professional Activities for New Pharmacy Graduates

PREAMBLE The 2015-16 Academic Affairs Standing Committee of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) was charged by then AACP President Cynthia Boyle to identify the entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for pharmacy graduates as they transition from completion of advanced pharmacy practice experiences into practice and postgraduate opportunities such as residency training. The process for developing the draft EPAs was described in detail in the report of the 2015-16 Academic Affairs Standing Committee. (1) The 2016-17 Academic Affairs Standing Committee was charged by AACP President Joseph DiPiro with the following: (1) Compile comments and input from a broad range of stakeholders regarding the draft EPAs from the 2015-16 Committee (including comments from District meetings) and complete final edits to the document for submission to the November 2016 AACP Board of Directors meeting; (2) Develop potential uses and applications of EPA statements in pharmacy education; and (3) Create a roadmap for implementation of EPAs across the member schools and colleges. The 2016-17 Academic Affairs Committee Standing Committee Report will contain mapping to the CAPE 2013 Educational Outcomes and the JCPP Patient Care Process as well as recommendations to the AACP for broad implementation. (2,3) Entrustable professional activities are units of professional practice or descriptors of work, defined as specific tasks or responsibilities that trainees are entrusted to perform without direct supervision once they have attained sufficient competence. (4,5) EPAs are independently executable, observable, and measurable in their process and outcome. (4,5) Core EPAs for New Pharmacy Graduates are discrete, essential activities and tasks that all new pharmacy graduates must be able to perform without direct supervision upon entering practice or postgraduate training. These statements were labeled as to denote that these EPAs are expected of all graduates independent of practice setting. They serve as a baseline, not a ceiling. There were several points of clarification that arose from feedback received from stakeholders. Three key concepts apply across all core domain statements and example supporting tasks: professionalism, self-awareness, and communication. It is assumed that professionalism must permeate every EPA statement. Without professionalism none of these tasks would be possible. Further, no single task can comprise the entire construct of professionalism. For the same reason, self-awareness and communication skills are inherent within and essential to all EPA core domain statements. The core EPA domain statements are intended to be evaluated. Example supporting tasks offer suggestions to programs on the component parts of each EPA domain. Stakeholders may choose to supplement or modify the tasks to align with programmatic or regional practice. The final EPA Statements for New Pharmacy Graduates are presented in Appendix 1. A glossary is provided in Appendix 2 to help clarify bolded terms within the EPA Statements. REFERENCES (1.) Haines ST, Gleason BL, Kantorovich A, et al. Report of the 2015-2016 Academic Affairs Standing Committee. Am J Pharm Educ. 2016;80(9):Article S20. (2.) Medina MS, Plaza CM, Stowe CD, et al. Center for Advancement of Pharmacy Education 2013 Educational Outcomes. Am J Pharm Educ. 2013;77(8):Article 162 (3.) Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners. Pharmacists' patient care process. https://www.pharmacist.com/sites/default/files/files/PatientCareProcess.pdf. Accessed June 9, 2016. (4.) Mulder H, Ten Cate O, Daalder R, Berkvens J. Building a competency-based workplace curriculum around entrustable professional activities: the case of physician assistant training. Med Teach. 2010;32(10):e453-e459. (5.) Ten Cate O, Chen HC, Hoff RG, Peters H, Bok H, van der Schaaf M. Curriculum development for the workplace using Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs): AMEE Guide No. …

Reflections for a Year of Caring and Understanding

As we start 2017 after a most interesting 2016,1 hope you will grant me the liberty to take a few minutes of your time to read a viewpoint that is philosophical in nature. As faculty members and/or administrators, we continue to solve existing and new challenges as we strive for excellence in the education of our undergraduate students, doctor of pharmacy students, graduate students, residents, and post-doctoral fellows. We also continue to work to promote the success of our fellow academicians and their work in advancing the biomedical, pharmaceutical, clinical, and social administrative sciences necessary for promoting and enhancing pharmacy practice. Perhaps you have a different perspective, but I find it discouraging watching the increasing rhetoric and too many events demonstrating the lack of or unwillingness to value what each individual brings to his or her community. I reflect in these situations on what small things we can do as educators to demonstrate to those in our colleges and schools of pharmacy that we value each individual for their unique backgrounds, perspectives, beliefs, and talents and truly care for their individual successes and the collective successes of our institution. I respectfully propose we can make small changes by refocusing our thinking, thus providing the foundation for enhancing our understanding and caring for others. Understanding and care require deep listening, which can only occur if we are really present in our interactions with others. I would encourage us to have more personal interactions with our colleagues that don't involve computers or mobile devices, whether it is for one-on-one interactions, meetings or seminars. If we truly focus on listening to one another and what is happening in a meeting or seminar rather than a new e-mail or other work, then we will be able to better observe the non-verbal cues of others around us. Turning off or not bringing a personal electronic device is unlikely to change the course of any given day or project. Furthermore, all of us have experienced what we perceived to be a lack of caring or understanding when talking with another when they are focused more on their own phone or other mobile device. What potential new relationships could we develop or what new knowledge or perspective could we acquire if we were just to be in the present with those around us? I challenge each of you to start by having just one meeting per week where phones and other electronic devices are not allowed. Use that time to focus on what you can learn or better understand. Understanding and caring require us to think about our words and to move by leaving our desk and talking with others outside our offices, classrooms, laboratories, and clinics. Words and how they are spoken matter particularly in a time of stress and anxiety in our colleges and schools of pharmacy. We all can remember a time when something spoken caused us to become disengaged and discouraged. The other individual may not have even known the impact of these words, but these can have long-lasting repercussions in our relationships with others. Yet, perhaps these instances can be minimized if we take the time to get to know our colleagues outside of any e-mail trails, meetings or teaching activities. How many of us take the time to go for coffee or to lunch with our colleagues? I would think that most of us would agree that the most important relationships that we have developed have resulted by spending time together when we can share and learn from each other in an open and positive environment. I have always found it compelling during a memorial service when faculty colleagues share touching stories about a colleague who recently passed and the time they spent together at lunch, in a faculty lounge or other settings outside their offices and classrooms. They rarely reminisce about the times together while in meetings or in classrooms. What has caused us to be too busy to find time for a cup of coffee or lunch with a colleague? …