Objective. To assess the impact of peer-teaching on student scores and confidence when preparing for a final objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) within a Doctor of Pharmacy program. Methods. First-year pharmacy students (n545) attended a peer-led training session led by upperclassmen (n517) on a variety of clinical skills to be assessed on a final course OSCE. Their scores were collected and compared to students who did not attend the training. Confidence scores were also evaluated using voluntary pre-and post-surveys. Results. An overall 3% increase in scores was recorded from the objective skills examination. Student confidence scores also increased for each of the skills evaluated with an overall improvement of 1.1 on a 5-point Likert scale. Conclusion. Peer-assisted learning was effective in increasing student performance and confidence in the OSCE. Based on the positive results, the peer-led training event will be improved upon and used again in the future.
Documentation from this innovative program suggests improvement in medication reconciliation and enhanced patient care with limited time required of student pharmacists. A similar program could be developed and utilized at other clinical sites.
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