Kari L. Franson
Associate Professor & Associate Dean for Professional Education
University of Colorado, Denver
School of Pharmacy
Mail Stop C238-L15, 12631 East 17th Avenue
Aurora, CO 80045
303-724-4734
Kari.franson@ucdenver.edu
Bringing student pharmacy work experiences into the curriculum
a. What is the central question, issue, or problem you plan to explore in your proposed work?
This research will investigate the impact of pharmacy student extracurricular work on their understanding of the practice of pharmacy, and to see if curricular offerings can influence this impact. The primary study outcome will be to determine how our students view their pharmacy internship settings as a teaching environment, with a focus on the impact of their supervisors as they enter our curriculum, and periodically through it. Secondarily, we will try to influence this impact by tying specific curricular educational activities with internship reflection exercises.
b. Why is your central question, issue, or problem important, to you and to others who might benefit from or build on your findings?
Following an apprenticeship model, state Boards of Pharmacy (including Colorado) require upwards of 1500 hours of ‘work experience’ to be completed prior to allowing a student to sit for the National Board exam.1 Pharmacy students can obtain their state intern license from the first day of school and build up their hours over the fours years of the curriculum. Until recently in Colorado, the more than 1500 hours of work during the 4th year of rotations could not be used to fulfill this requirement. Despite the recent change in requirements, greater than 95% of University of Colorado Pharmacy students choose to work as interns during the curriculum.
Only a few educators have studied the influence that extracurricular work in pharmacies had on student performance. Several years ago one group determined that working and nonworking students shared the same opinions on the effects of working on academic achievement and reported similar grade point averages.[1] There was one study from 8 Midwestern colleges of pharmacy that showed that pharmacy students’ work schedule and perceptions of career fulfillment had the most influence on their future choice of pharmacy careers.[2] Another group of researchers found that students with work experience prior to admission do poorly in social, behavioral and administrative pharmacy sciences.[3] It is surprising that other groups have not tried to integrate this unique educational opportunity with Schools of Pharmacy curricula.
1 DeYoung M, Sorofman BA. Working during the Academic Year: An Examination of Pharmacy Students. Am J Phar Ed 1989; 53(1):20-23
2 Siracuse MV, Schondelmeyer SW, Hadsell RS, Schommer JC. Third-year pharmacy students’ work experience and attitudes and perceptions of the pharmacy profession. Am J Phar Ed 2008; 72(3):article 50
3 Mar E, Barnett MJ, Tang TT-L, Sasaki-Hill D, Kuperberg JR, Knapp K. Impact of previous pharmacy work experience on pharmacy school academic performance. Am J Phar Ed 2010; 74(3):article 42
c. How do you plan to conduct your investigation? What sources of evidence do you plan to examine? What methods might you employ to gather and make sense of this evidence?
I intend to include all students entering the Fall of 2010 and follow over the P1 through P3 years. The primary outcome will be measured by obtaining a baseline and yearly reflection and survey of work experience and students’ perceptions of their supervisors (Do they see them as mentors, teachers, advisors, or supervisors?) and learning activities. This will be achieved through the newly obtained eValue web-based database survey and portfolio system.
The secondary outcome measures will be tied to educationally-specific activities where the student can reflect on their extracurricular work experience as well as obtain peer and expert feedback in the following areas:
1) Professionalism: written clinical vignettes will be used to demonstrate appropriate behaviors
2) Patient counseling: skills course practice using role plays and assessed using simulated patients
3) Drug information: health care course practice and timed assessments
4) Sterile compounding: skills course compounding practice and assessment
The analysis for the main outcome will be via the qualitative data retrieved from the students’ reflections (possibly by using the Grounded-theory approach?). The Kruskal-Wallis test (3 groups of non-parametric ordinal data) will be used to determine differences in student attitudes and opinions between the P1, P2 and P3 years.
The analysis for each of the secondary outcomes (e.g. for Patient counseling: how many sections of the patient counseling task were covered, how much time did it take) will be done by using Students’ t-test for each year, comparing peer versus expert scores. In addition, to evaluate the secondary outcomes between the P1, P2 and P3 years an analysis of variance will be used.
d. How might you make your work available to others in ways that facilitate scholarly critique and review, and that contribute to thought and practice beyond the local?
I intend to submit the manuscript of this article to the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. In addition, I am running for the Secretary of the Assessment Sub-Committee of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. I hope that in this position, I will be able to share my experiences with colleagues from all schools of pharmacy.
e. Include a literature review of the theory and effective teaching practice of the subject of your inquiry in order to locate your research in the literature preceding it.
1 DeYoung M, Sorofman BA. Working during the Academic Year: An Examination of Pharmacy Students. Am J Phar Ed 1989; 53(1):20-23
2 Siracuse MV, Schondelmeyer SW, Hadsell RS, Schommer JC. Third-year pharmacy students’ work experience and attitudes and perceptions of the pharmacy profession. Am J Phar Ed 2008; 72(3):article 50
3 Mar E, Barnett MJ, Tang TT-L, Sasaki-Hill D, Kuperberg JR, Knapp K. Impact of previous pharmacy work experience on pharmacy school academic performance. Am J Phar Ed 2010; 74(3):article 42
f. What is your record of innovation in teaching and/or the assessment of learning?
PhD Thesis: Provision and assessment of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy education across an integrated medical school curriculum.
Innovations in Teaching – Honorable Mention, “Discovery Maps: A Student-Centered Approach to Reinforcing the Curriculum” American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, 2000
Innovations in Teaching - Honorable Mention, “Incorporating Abilities-Based Outcomes Using an Expanded S.O.A.P. Format” American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, 1995
g. Are you able to attend the required meetings as specified the sections titled, “What are the Benefits?” and “What commitments are expected of participants?”
Yes.
h. Can you suggest an appropriate coach/mentor for your project?
Since I am new to the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, I would like a mentor that is well established in the local educational community, therefore I suggest I work with Chris Turner, PhD, School of Pharmacy.
i. If your project is selected, are you willing to serve as a coach in PTLC in a future year?
Yes.
