Development of a pharmacy student research program at a large academic medical center

Abstract

A collaborative program between an academic medical center and a college of pharmacy has enabled pharmacy students to conduct research at the medical center and has been associated with increases in the numbers of poster presentations and publications involving students.

Engaging Pharmacy Students in Research Through Near-Peer Training

“…3 From 2014 to 2017, during which near-peer teaching practices were adopted, research dissemination efforts continued with students contributing to 51 posters at national conferences and co-authoring 20 manuscripts with research mentors. Overall, pharmacy student engagement produced 97 poster presentations and 27 publications in peer-reviewed journals.…”

“…3 The first two years characterized the developmental phase of our program during which the infectious diseases pharmacist and fellow selected several students to assist with data collection and presentation of research findings. Once the program structure was solidified and research mentors recruited, the program flourished and rapidly expanded in size over the next two years with student involvement increasing nearly tenfold with the production of numerous academic contributions.…”

“…These skills can be honed through the creation and dissemination of knowledge by conducting clinical research. 3 Therefore, the development of critical thinking skills and clinical competence through research instruction for pharmacist trainees has been identified as essential for the advancement of the pharmacy profession. 4,5 To ensure that future generations of pharmacists are prepared with these skills, numerous organizations including the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) have called for more researchbased scholarship in pharmacy curricula.…”

“…9 We developed a student research program utilizing a near-peer/peer-assisted modality (individuals close to oneself, but not at the same level of experience in the training continuum) to overcome several of the barriers to research instruction. 3,9 Key advantages to this model include opportunities to reinforce and augment one's own learning and enhanced capacity for teaching nearpeers how to conduct research while also promoting selfreflection and deeper learning. 11 Adoption of near-peer teaching provides opportunities for experienced students to partake in research-related activities at a high level of engagement.…”

Evaluation of the Effect of A Structured Program to Guide Residents’ Experience in Research (ASPIRE) on Pharmacy Residents’ Knowledge, Confidence, and Attitude toward Research

“…This suggests that many institutions do not have the necessary infrastructure and preceptors to deliver a meaningful research experience. Our findings add to the body of literature discussing strategies to improve resident and student research training such as the development of residency research advisory boards, involvement of trained researchers through practice‐based research networks or dedicated research teams, and collaborations between academic medical centers and college of pharmacy …”