Progress Examination for Assessing Students' Readiness for Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Abstract

Objectives. To create a valid assessment tool to evaluate the readiness of pharmacy students for advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Design. The Triple Jump Examination (TJE) was tailored to the 4-year, 2-plus-2 curriculum of the College. It consisted of (1) a written, case-based, closed-book examination, (2) a written, case-based open-book examination, and (3) an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The TJE was administered at the end of each 4 academic semesters. Progression of students to APPEs was dependent on achieving a preset minimum cumulative (weighted average) score in the 4 consecutive TJE examinations. Assessment. The predictive utility of the examination was demonstrated by a strong correlation between the cumulative TJE scores and the preceptor grades in the first year (P3) of APPEs (r 5 0.60, p . 0.0001). Reliability of the TJE was shown by strong correlations among the 4 successive TJE examinations. A survey probing the usefulness of TJE indicated acceptance by both students and faculty members. Conclusion. The TJE program is an effective tool for the assessment of pharmacy students' readiness for the experiential years. In addition, the TJE provides guidance for students to achieve preparedness for APPE.

Reliability of a Minimal Competency Score for an Annual Skills Mastery Assessment

“…2 Several different methodologies for conducting a psychometrically sound, comprehensive progress assessment have been developed. [3][4][5][6] While some may consider it a problem that there is no universally accepted method for performing a progress examination, others would argue that the assessments should be tailored to the curriculum, culture, and resources available to the individual school, and this may necessitate the use of a variety of techniques.…”

An Electronic NAPLEX Review Program for Longitudinal Assessment of Pharmacy Students' Knowledge

“…2 The Touro University California College of Pharmacy also developed its own progress examination program called the Triple Jump Examination. 4 Students took the examination 4 times, ie, at the end of each semester of the first 2 years of the 4-year curriculum. The examination had 3 components: 2 case-based, written examinations (one was closed-book and the other was open-book) and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).…”

“…The examination also had formative and summative elements; it also had been used to evaluate the readiness of students for APPEs. 4 Thus, unlike the MileMarker Assessments and the Triple Jump Examination, which were locally developed in-house assessment tools, the comprehensive diagnostic examination uses multiplechoice questions, some of which are case based, from a commercially available NAPLEX review software program. The comprehensive diagnostic examination, specifically examination 3, was administered beyond the completion of the didactic portion of the curriculum, ie, at the end of the fourth 6-week APPE.…”

“…[1][2][3][4] A progress examination has been defined as a method of assessing both the acquisition and retention of knowledge at 1 or more points in the curriculum relative to curricular goals and objectives. 1 In 2007, the assessment committee at the Massachusetts School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) School of Pharmacy-Worcester/ Manchester embarked on a search for an assessment tool that could be administered at key intervals in its accelerated, year-round, 34-month PharmD degree program to help diagnose curricular areas of strengths and weaknesses, so that timely and appropriate interventions could be initiated.…”

Traffic Light Report provides a new technique for Assurance of Learning

“…The TLR elements (NCS and Miller's pyramid) were combined to ensure the usability of the NCS for educators and their students in their context. Influenced by the Triple Jump Test (Mészáros et al, 2009), the mileMarker (Szilagyi, 2008), topographical curriculum maps (Plaza, Draugalis, Slack, Skrepnek, & Sauer, 2007) and the work of Janke, Traynor and Sorensen (2011), the TLR applies a course wide approach to assure student learning.…”