Objectives. This study was designed to assess the extent to which 7 traditional and novel predictors contribute to overall pharmacy grade point average (pharmacy GPA), first through third year pharmacy GPA (1-3 year GPA), and clerkship GPA of pharmacy students. Methods. This investigation used a convenience sample and a blinded retrospective record review of the first 3 class years of Doctor of Pharmacy students at Shenandoah University's Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy (Classes of 2000, 2001, and 2002). Results. Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) score, essay score, California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) and Skills Test (CCTST) were all significant predictors of pharmacy GPA. PCAT and CCTDI contributed significantly to 1-3 GPA. Finally, only the CCTST proved to be a significant predictor of the clerkship GPA. Conclusion. This study corroborated previous studies by concluding that several traditional predictors of students' performance appear to significantly predict academic outcomes. However, it advances the study of predictors of pharmacy students' performance by examining the role of critical thinking in students' performance.

Objectives. To ascertain the extent and depth to which pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics is being taught in schools of pharmacy in the United States. To assess perceptions regarding future curricular emphasis dedicated to pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics instruction. Methods. A survey was developed based on recommendations provided in a recent report on pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics by AACP's Academic Affairs Committee. It was mailed to 85 deans at colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States. Results. Forty-one usable surveys were returned to the authors (48% response rate). Seventy-eight percent of the sample provided some instruction in pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics. Items from the domains of the genetic basis of disease, ethical applications, and social and economic impact were used to assess depth of pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics instruction. Coverage of these domains varied significantly between schools. Conclusion. Although the majority of surveyed schools provide some instruction in pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics and plan to increase it in the coming years, many presently do not provide the depth recommended by AACP's Academic Cabinet.

No abstract

Objective. This paper describes the planning and implementation of a 3-credit pharmacy management skills course taught to third-year Doctor of Pharmacy students at Shenandoah University. The purpose of this course was to help pharmacy students to develop and improve their management skills. Design. The curriculum for the course was based on a 5-step social learning theory model that included self-awareness, skill learning, skill analysis, skill practice, and skill application. A diverse number of methods were used to assess the students' managerial skills, including administration of a standardized test at the beginning and end of the class. Students were assessed on learning and demonstration of the requisite managerial skills deemed to be critical to their future success as managers. Assessment. Based on both the instructor's assessment of student performance and on student feedback concerning the worthiness of the course, students appeared to develop new and improve existing management skills. Conclusions. A substantial body of research supports the correlation between managerial skills and both career and personal effectiveness. Based on instructor assessment and student feedback, the course appears to have succeeded in at least making students cognizant of the need for management skills and how they can develop and improve their skills.Keywords: management, curriculum, doctor of pharmacy INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this paper is to describe the planning and implementation of a 3-credit pharmacy management skills course taught to third year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students at Shenandoah University. Management skills refer to general and specific behaviors that contribute to managerial effectiveness. [1][2][3][4][5] Professional Pharmacy Management is a 3-credit hour course taught to pharmacy students in their third professional year. The same instructor has taught the course since its inception in the fall of 1998. The first several years of the course where taught from an organizational behavior/human resource management perspective. Emphasis was placed on the functions of management and how they relate to pharmacy. Topics of discussion included managerial decision-making, motivating and rewarding employees, team building, performance appraisals, and basic leadership issues. While these topics are important, it is difficult to cover the topics in sufficient detail in approximately 42 contact hours (one semester). Rather, a whole semester could be spent on each topic. Thus, the instructor believed that pharmacy students were being taught about the many aspects of management, but were not exposed to and provided with sufficient guidance and practice time to develop their management skills. The basic question asked was, "How can this course increase the probability that students will develop into good managers?" After examining the management literature, it was believed that helping to develop students' management skills was the best answer to the above question. The rationale for this and the model used fo...

Objectives. This study was designed to assess the relationship among students' grade expectations, actual grades, and evaluations of courses. Methods. A total of 5,399 individual student evaluations from 138 course offerings taught over 4 academic years were compiled and analyzed. In addition to questions evaluating the course effectiveness, the instrument included a query of the grade the student expected to receive in the course. Results. In this study, the students' grade expectations for a course had a strong positive correlation with the mean course evaluation score (P < 0.001, Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.508). Conclusions. The validity of using students' course evaluations as the primary measure of teaching performance for faculty performance reviews, recognizing and rewarding excellence in teaching, promotion, and tenure considerations, and other purposes is questionable.