Jenny A. Van Amburgh

A vidcasting project to promote the pharmacist's role in public health

Seena L. Haines et al. — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:04:48 PDT

Objective. To develop, implement, and assess an Internet-based vidcasting project to promote the pharmacist's role in public health. Design. This was a collaborative effort for 2 different courses taught at 2 different schools of pharmacy. Faculty members created a special instructional design for students to follow in planning, producing, and publishing video public service announcements on the Internet.Assessment. Formative and summative assessments, including course examinations, a grading rubric, student survey, and focus group, were implemented to evaluate student learning and public reaction. Students believed Internet video public service announcements served as a useful reference for patients and professionals, aided in promoting disease prevention and wellness initiatives, positively impacted patient-provider relationships, and increased awareness regarding significance and financial impact of disease burden. Conclusion. Producing a public health information video and vidcasting it on the Internet increased pharmacy students' self-esteem, respect for peers, creative and critical-thinking abilities, and understanding of the need for and importance of pharmacists providing accurate public health information.

Status and recommendations for self-care instruction in US colleges and schools of pharmacy, 2006

Seena L. Zierler-Brown et al. — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:04:44 PDT

Teachers of pharmacy self-care courses have met annually since 1998 at the Nonprescription Medicines Academy (NMA) held in Cincinnati, Ohio. During these meetings, self-care faculty members discuss methods of enhancing the teaching of self-care in US colleges and schools of pharmacy. Self-care courses are taught using a variety of methods and content is woven into pharmacy curricula in many different ways. This manuscript sets forth the current state of self-care instruction in pharmacy curricula including the recommended core curriculum, instructional methodologies, course mechanics, existing standards, and assessment and curricular placement, and makes recommendations for the future.

A tool for measuring active learning in the classroom

Jenny A. Van Amburgh et al. — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:04:42 PDT

Objectives. To develop a valid and reliable active-learning inventory tool for use in large classrooms and compare faculty perceptions of active-learning using the Active-Learning Inventory Tool.Methods. The Active-Learning Inventory Tool was developed using published literature and validated by national experts in educational research. Reliability was established by trained faculty members who used the Active-Learning Inventory Tool to observe 9 pharmacy lectures. Instructors were then interviewed to elicit perceptions regarding active learning and asked to share their perceptions.Results. Per lecture, 13 ( range: 4-34) episodes of active learning encompassing 3 ( range: 2-5) different types of active learning occurred over 2.2 minutes ( 0.6-16) per episode. Both interobserver (>= 87%) and observer-instructor agreement (>= 68%) were high for these outcomes.Conclusions. The Active-Learning Inventory Tool is a valid and reliable tool to measure active learning in the classroom. Future studies are needed to determine the impact of the Active-Learning Inventory Tool on teaching and its usefulness in other disciplines.

Development of a peer teaching-assessment program and a peer observation and evaluation tool

Jennifer M. Trujillo et al. — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:04:39 PDT

Objectives. To develop a formalized, comprehensive, peer-driven teaching assessment program and a valid and reliable assessment tool. Methods. A volunteer taskforce was formed and a peer-assessment program was developed using a multistep, sequential approach and the Peer Observation and Evaluation Tool (POET). A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency and practicality of the process and to establish interrater reliability of the tool. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. Results. ICCs for 8 separate lectures evaluated by 2-3 observers ranged from 0.66 to 0.97, indicating good interrater reliability of the tool. Conclusion. Our peer assessment program for large classroom teaching, which includes a valid and reliable evaluation tool, is comprehensive, feasible, and can be adopted by other schools of pharmacy.

Service-learning at a camp for children with asthma as part of an advanced pharmacy practice experience

J. L. Kirwin et al. — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:04:37 PDT

Objectives. To describe a service-learning opportunity within an advanced pharmacy practice experience and report satisfaction survey results from 2001 through present. Design. Pharmacy students volunteered to attend asthma camp during an ambulatory care rotation. Students administered and monitored medications and coordinated educational activities for campers. Students set goals for the week and completed reflective journals about the experience. A survey was administered 1 week and 6 months after the experience to assess satisfaction, changes in attitudes toward children with chronic asthma, and empathy towards patients.Assessment. Most students accomplished their goals and were satisfied with the experience. Approximately 40% of students believed the experience changed their attitudes. Students agreed that volunteering at camp increased feelings of empathy towards patients with asthma. Conclusion. Students were satisfied with the camp and perceived that the combination of service-learning and clinical rotations enhanced their professional development.

Succession planning in US pharmacy schools

Jenny Van Amburgh et al. — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:04:35 PDT

The deans, associate and assistant deans, and department chairs of a college or school of pharmacy retain historic memories of the institution and share the responsibility for day-to-day operation, sustainability, and future planning. Between the anticipated retirement of baby boomers who are senior administrative faculty members and the steady increase in number of colleges and schools of pharmacy, the academy is facing a shortage of qualified successors. Succession planning involves planning for the effective transition of personnel in leadership positions within an organization. This paper describes the subject of succession planning at a sample population of AACP institutions by obtaining perspectives on the subject from the deans of these institutions via standardized interview instruments. The instruments were utilized with 15 deans; all interview data were blinded and analyzed using analyst triangulation. The majority of deans responded that some level of succession planning was desirable and even necessary; however, none claimed to have a formal succession planning structure in place at his or her home institution. Although widely accepted and well-recognized in the corporate and military sectors, succession planning within pharmacy schools and colleges is neither universally documented nor implemented. Differences exist within the administrative structure of these non-academic and academic institutions that may preclude a uniform succession planning format. While the evidence presented suggests that succession planning is needed within the academy, a concerted effort must be made towards implementing its practice.