Workplace Learning in Pharmacy

A special issue of Pharmacy (ISSN 2226-4787).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2016) | Viewed by 19908

Special Issue Editors

School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia
Interests: drug discovery; infections diseases; drug protein interactions; allosteric modulators; promoter regions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pharmacy education in the 21st Century is, arguably, increasingly focussed on preparing graduates who are at least work-ready, and preferably, job-ready. Many different learning modalities are utilised in an endeavour to achieve these outcomes, such as the Flipped classroom, problem-based learning (PBL), team-based learning (TBL), and simulation-based learning (SBL). However, workplace learning (WPL), which involves the development and application of knowledge and skills in an authentic worksite, is often particularly valued by students as “it matters” since there are real patients who are interacting with the students.

However, workplace learning is more than just “playing a role” in a worksite, each episode of WPL has specific learning goals, often specific or suggested tasks, and benefits from effective risk assessment to protect the patient, student, worksite, and course reputation. Further, as workplace learning has been incorporated into pharmacy courses, significant innovations have also developed, sometimes rapidly, and this may pose challenges as to the reflection, redevelopment, and curation of the course and its curricular development.

Dr. Maree Donna Simpson
Dr. Greggory Maynard
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmacy is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • workplace learning;
  • work-integrated learning;
  • experiential;
  • curriculum

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

535 KiB  
Article
Educators’ Interprofessional Collaborative Relationships: Helping Pharmacy Students Learn to Work with Other Professions
by Anne Croker, Tony Smith, Karin Fisher and Sonja Littlejohns
Pharmacy 2016, 4(2), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy4020017 - 30 Mar 2016
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6389
Abstract
Similar to other professions, pharmacy educators use workplace learning opportunities to prepare students for collaborative practice. Thus, collaborative relationships between educators of different professions are important for planning, implementing and evaluating interprofessional learning strategies and role modelling interprofessional collaboration within and across university [...] Read more.
Similar to other professions, pharmacy educators use workplace learning opportunities to prepare students for collaborative practice. Thus, collaborative relationships between educators of different professions are important for planning, implementing and evaluating interprofessional learning strategies and role modelling interprofessional collaboration within and across university and workplace settings. However, there is a paucity of research exploring educators’ interprofessional relationships. Using collaborative dialogical inquiry we explored the nature of educators’ interprofessional relationships in a co-located setting. Data from interprofessional focus groups and semi-structured interviews were interpreted to identify themes that transcended the participants’ professional affiliations. Educators’ interprofessional collaborative relationships involved the development and interweaving of five interpersonal behaviours: being inclusive of other professions; developing interpersonal connections with colleagues from other professions; bringing a sense of own profession in relation to other professions; giving and receiving respect to other professions; and being learner-centred for students’ collaborative practice. Pharmacy educators, like other educators, need to ensure that interprofessional relationships are founded on positive experiences rather than vested in professional interests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Workplace Learning in Pharmacy)
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182 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Quality of Competency Assessment in Pharmacy: A Framework for Workplace Learning
by Shailly Shah, Jacqueline E. McLaughlin, Stephen F. Eckel, Jesica Mangun and Emily Hawes
Pharmacy 2016, 4(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy4010004 - 19 Jan 2016
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4122
Abstract
Demonstration of achieved competencies is critical in the pharmacy workplace. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of the competency assessment program for pharmacy residents at an academic medical center. The competency assessment program (CAP) survey is a validated, 48-item [...] Read more.
Demonstration of achieved competencies is critical in the pharmacy workplace. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of the competency assessment program for pharmacy residents at an academic medical center. The competency assessment program (CAP) survey is a validated, 48-item instrument that evaluates the quality of an assessment program based on 12 criteria, each measured by four questions on a scale of 0 to 100. The CAP was completed by residents (n = 23) and preceptors (n = 28) from the pharmacy residency program between 2010 and 2013. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, and non-parametric tests. Educational Consequences was the only quality criteria falling below the standard for “good quality.” Participants that completed residency training elsewhere rated the Comparability (0.04) and Meaningfulness (0.01) of the assessment program higher than those that completed residency at the academic medical center. There were no significant differences between resident and preceptor scores. Overall, the quality of the assessment program was rated highly by residents and preceptors. The process described here provides a useful framework for understanding the quality of workplace learning assessments in pharmacy practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Workplace Learning in Pharmacy)
557 KiB  
Article
Perceived Stress, Stressors, and Coping Mechanisms among Doctor of Pharmacy Students
by Jennifer W. Beall, Renee M. DeHart, Robert M. Riggs and John Hensley
Pharmacy 2015, 3(4), 344-354; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy3040344 - 25 Nov 2015
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 8855
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress in doctor of pharmacy students during their first, second, and third years of their program in a fully implemented new curriculum. The secondary objectives were to determine if there is a relationship [...] Read more.
The primary purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress in doctor of pharmacy students during their first, second, and third years of their program in a fully implemented new curriculum. The secondary objectives were to determine if there is a relationship between perceived stress and certain demographic variables, to compare student pharmacist perceived stress to the perceived stress in the general population, and to examine student reported stressors during pharmacy school and coping strategies employed for those stressors. A previously validated survey (Perceived Stress Scale-10) was given to first, second, and third year student pharmacists. Females exhibited higher mean stress scores than males. The under 22 years and over 32 years age categories exhibited higher mean stress scores than the 22 to 26 year old student population. There was no significant difference in perceived stress scores between classes of the program. Only a portion of the variation in stress scores was predicted by gender, age, marital status, race, and year in curriculum. Stress scores among these student pharmacists are higher overall than those in previously published probability samples in the general population. Class assignments and completing electronic portfolios were the top stressors reported. Spending time with family and friends was the most frequent coping mechanism reported. Programming related to stress reduction (particularly among female and nontraditional age students) appears warranted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Workplace Learning in Pharmacy)
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