Tenets of Professionalism for Pharmacy Students

The Impact of Two Longitudinal Professionalism Courses on Student Pharmacists’ Empathy

“…For follow-up scores, the KMO measure was .83, suggesting a suitable fit; Bartlett's test for sphericity was χ 2 (190)=1090.11, p<.001. Only three factors had items with acceptable loadings, and they nearly mirrored Hojat and LaNoue's three-factor model.…”

“…In the factor analysis of baseline empathy scores, the KMO measure was .77, indicating an adequate sample; Bartlett's test for sphericity indicated data were factorable (χ 2 (190)=652.86, p<.001.). Of the initial six-factor solution, two factors were not retained; one because it contained a single item (suggesting it was not stable) and another because it shared loadings with several factors.…”

“…Building a covenantal relationship with patients requires that pharmacists demonstrate a variety of interpersonal attitudes and behaviors, which are commonly aggregated under the construct of professionalism. [1][2][3][4] Accordingly, Standard 4 of the 2016 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards ("Standards 2016") requires that schools of pharmacy inculcate professional attitudes and behaviors among student pharmacists. 5 Implicit in Standards 2016 is that these attributes can be developed, yet few examples exist of educational interventions with sustained impact on professional attitudes and behaviors.…”

“…Empathy is consistently recognized as a core tenet of professionalism and necessary for fulfilling the responsibilities of a health care professional. [1][2][3][4] We used the definition of empathy proposed by Hojat (sometimes called "clinical" or "cognitive" empathy): "a predominantly cognitive (rather than an affective or emotional) attribute that involves understanding (rather than feeling) of the patient's experiences, concerns, and perspectives, combined with a capacity to communicate this understanding, and an intention to help." 6 Studies have shown that educational interventions may confer a short-term increase in empathy among student pharmacists but these effects are not sustained.…”

“…Altruism and self-awareness are also considered core tenets of professionalism, and the latter is thought to provide a gauge by which students self-evaluate professional attitudes and behaviors. 2,5 Grit has received considerable interest in academia and pharmacy education. [11][12][13] However, one criticism of grit as a target of instruction is that it overlaps with conscientiousness and may therefore be dispositional in nature.…”