Early Introduction to Professional and Ethical Dilemmas in a Pharmaceutical Care Laboratory Course

Abstract

Objective. To study the effects of an early professional development series in a pharmaceutical care laboratory (PCL) course on first-year pharmacy students' perceptions of the importance of professional attitudes and action. Design. Three hundred thirty-four first-year students enrolled in a PCL course participated in a new required learning activity centered on development of professional attitudes and behaviors. Students discussed situational dilemmas in pharmacy practice in small groups, highlighting application of the Oath of a Pharmacist and the Pharmacists' Code of Ethics. Assessment. Students completed an optional questionnaire at the beginning and end of the semester to assess change in their attitudes and behaviors related to professionalism in pharmacy practice. Conclusion. While students entered their training with a strong appreciation for professionalism, they felt more confident in applying the Oath of a Pharmacist and the Pharmacists Code of Ethics to dilemmas in practice following the new learning activity.

Investigation of final-year pharmacy students' views on professionalism and ethics in pharmacy practice: an interventional study

“…Efficacy of the educational intervention was assessed using eight items of the previous published 19‐item pre‐/post‐intervention questionnaire (Professionalism in Pharmacy Practice Questionnaire) with a 4‐point Likert scale ranging from ‘strongly disagree' to ‘strongly agree'. This paper‐based self‐completed questionnaire collected student responses to professional dilemmas, the value of the oath and the code, and behavioural expectations of professionals.…”

“…Therefore, the inclusion of detailed components of professionalism and ethics in pharmacy practice course of the undergraduate curriculum and delivery of same through diverse methods such as didactic lecture and group discussions have the capacity to instil professional attitudes and behaviours in students for effective pharmacy practice upon graduation. These findings are consistent with a previous study done in an American school of pharmacy that reported that significantly more respondents strongly agreed after participation in the professional development series that they were aware of ethical dilemmas that arise in pharmacy practice, were confident in their ability to handle the dilemmas, knew how to apply the oath and the code to resolve ethical dilemma, although this study was related to first‐year pharmacy students rather than final‐year pharmacy students and also was done for a longer period than the present study.…”

“…However, while the importance of inculcating professional tenets in undergraduates cannot be overemphasized, published strategies and efforts in pharmacy curricula remain scarce . To my knowledge, there is no published work that investigated professionalism among pharmacy students in Nigeria.…”

Self-reported perception of a Dedicated research semester in Pharmacy curriculum in enhancing research competencies

“…The importance of the right training in instilling ethical knowledge was again emphasised in another study in which the effectiveness of an early professional development series in a pharmaceutical care laboratory (PCL) course for first-year pharmacy students that highlighted the application of the Oath of a Pharmacist and the Pharmacists' Code of Ethics. The results showed that while students entered their training with a strong appreciation for professionalism, they felt more confident in applying the Oath of a Pharmacist and the Pharmacists Code of Ethics to dilemmas in practice following each new learning activity that required active participation and application (Smith & Dinkins, 2015).…”

Reflections on the Pharmacist-Patient Covenant

“…There are many examples in the pharmacy educational literature where students are asked to apply the Code of Ethics to a case or scenario and reason to what course of action should be taken. 15,16 Despite the number of references to the covenantal concept, there is a paucity of reflection, criticism or questioning in the pharmacy literature on the appropriateness of this ideal concept for pharmacy. Is it prescriptive or descriptive?…”