Objective. To assess the impact of a journal club elective course on measures of student's longitudinal performance throughout an accelerated three-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum. Methods. Students were separated into two groups (those who did and did not complete a journal club elective). The following primary and secondary student outcomes were assessed using hierarchical linear regression analysis: score on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA), overall course grade in the Pharmacotherapeutics IV course, overall course grade in the Research Design and Literature Evaluation II course, and average grade on acute/ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Results. One hundred ninety-seven students were included in the study (73 students who completed the journal club elective and 124 students who did not). After controlling for baseline confounders, enrollment in the journal club elective was associated with students scoring 24.5 points higher on their overall scaled score on the PCOA. Enrollment in the journal club elective also appeared to add 2% to a student's overall grade in each of the courses and APPEs. All results were statistically significant. Conclusion. An elective journal club course can significantly improve multiple objective measures of pharmacy student learning. Components of this course, such as reading primary literature, presenting a journal club, learning from peers, and scaffolding of pharmacotherapeutic concepts are important elements to consider when designing a journal club curriculum.
The Problem: Effective medical writing requires a mastery of many skills including those of data interpretation, literature evaluation, written communication, and leadership. A number of these skills are considered educational goals and objectives for residents by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, yet preceptors and residents oftentimes face challenges in gaining competency, confidence, and success in medical writing.
Innovation: A structured yet individualized plan for medical writing, including idea creation, peer reviewing, manuscript preparation, and team management for post-graduate year two pharmacy residents was implemented as an elective learning experience.
Results: Feedback from residents participating in the elective was positive. Each of the two residents who participated produced a manuscript that was subsequently published.
Conclusion: Though data is limited by number of residents that have completed this learning experience, this longitudinally designed elective has potential benefits and barriers to execution that should be considered, but may be an excellent opportunity to develop critical skills in scholarly endeavors for residents and preceptors alike.
Article Type: Note
Objective. To determine the level of epistemic curiosity in a sample of student pharmacists from three Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs as well as any differences in epistemic curiosity levels that exist between programs and with regard to professional year. Methods. Litman's Epistemic Curiosity Scale (ECS) was administered to student pharmacists at three different PharmD programs. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and overall mean ECS scores as well as mean scores on epistemic curiosity motivated by intellectual interest (I-type) and informational deprivation (D-type) were compared among student pharmacists at the three institutions using analysis of variance. Reliability analyses were also performed on the data. Results. A total of 569 out of 1143 eligible students responded to the survey, for an overall response rate of 49.8%. The mean overall ECS score was 27.6 (SD54.9). Mean I-type epistemic curiosity was 14.9 (SD52.8) overall, but was statistically different among the schools. Mean D-type epistemic curiosity was 12.7 (SD53.2) overall, but was statistically similar among the programs. Overall, the data demonstrated good internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of .81. Conclusion. This study was the first to characterize epistemic curiosity in student pharmacists and included data from multiple years and multiple programs. Future analyses should investigate associations between epistemic curiosity and other factors of interest to help elucidate how better understanding epistemic curiosity or enhancing it in student pharmacists may help facilitate student success.
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