Objective. To describe the landscape of teaching and learning curriculum (TLC) programs sponsored by US schools and colleges of pharmacy and evaluate their adoption of best practice recommendations. Methods. A 28-item electronic survey instrument was developed based on best practice recommendations published by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) for the conduct of TLC programs. The survey instrument was electronically distributed to 137 accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States. Results. Eighty-eight institutions responded, resulting in a response rate of 64%. Sixty-one TLC programs were included in the final analysis. Seventy-five percent of TLC programs reported using best practice recommendations; however, 10% of respondents indicated they were not aware of the published recommendations. Inconsistencies among programs were noted in required teaching experiences, participant evaluation, and ongoing programmatic assessment. Conclusion. Most institutions offering TLC programs are aware of published best practice guidelines and have adopted a majority of the published best practices. However, considerable variability exists across the country. Development of a formal external validation process for TLC programs is necessary to ensure consistent quality.

Objectives. To identify and assess changes made to the Indiana Pharmacy Resident Teaching Certificate program over 10 years to adapt to the growing number and changing needs of pharmacy educators in the next generation. Design. In 2011, all resident program participants and directors were sent an electronic survey instrument designed to assess the perceived value of each program component. Assessment. Since 2003, the number of program participants has tripled, and the program has expanded to include additional core requirements and continuing education. Participants generally agreed that the speakers, seminar topics, seminar video recordings, and seminar offerings during the fall semester were program strengths. The program redesign included availability of online registration; a 2-day conference format; retention of those seminars perceived to be most important, according to survey results; implementation of a registration fee; electronic teaching portfolio submission; and establishment of teaching mentors. Conclusion. With the growing number of residents and residency programs, pharmacy teaching certificate programs must accommodate more participants while continuing to provide quality instruction, faculty mentorship, and opportunities for classroom presentations and student precepting. The Indiana Pharmacy Resident Teaching Certificate program has successfully evolved over the last 10 years to meet these challenges by implementing successful programmatic changes in response to residency program director and past program participant feedback.

Objective. To describe the perceived value of teaching and learning curriculum (TLC) programs and related activities according to pharmacy practice department chairs in making hiring decisions. Methods. An 18-item electronic survey instrument was administered to pharmacy practice chairs (or equivalent) at Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs across the United States following pilot testing and establishment of intra-rater reliability. The survey addressed overall impressions of the value of TLC programs, relative importance compared to other accomplishments (eg, residency completion, board certification), and importance of specific activities. Results. There were 53 responses out of 127 usable emails, yielding a response rate of 41.7%. The majority of completers held a PharmD (90.6%), had been in their chair role for zero to five years (60.4%), and represented private institutions (54.7%). Overall, the majority of completers felt it was "very important" or "important" (32 of 49 who answered the question, 16.3% and 49.0%, respectively) that teaching experiences be completed within a formal TLC program. TLC programs were determined to be most important for candidates with less than five years of experience. TLC programs were not deemed to be more important than other accomplishments by most responders. The perceived most important TLC program activities were instruction on didactic and experiential teaching strategies, and experience developing learning objectives, developing examination items, evaluating examination results, and facilitating case conference or practice laboratory activities. Conclusion. TLC programs may provide the foundational experiences for their graduates to stand out among other candidates, although department chairs vary in their perceptions of value of TLC experiences as a whole.