Design and implementation of an elective career planning course for pharmacy students

Objective: The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards 2016 encourage student pharmacists to examine and reflect on attributes necessary for professional and personal growth. Data from an AACP survey of recent graduates also indicated perceived deficiencies in career planning. Therefore, an elective course was created for 5th year students (0-6 program) to encourage self-assessment and preparation for post-graduate employment and personal development. The objective of this poster is to describe important elements of this course to aid faculty at other intuitions. Method: The course was designed after review of publications regarding career advancement and life-skills. Additionally, business faculty who had taught similar courses were consulted. The course has been team-taught for five years by two pharmacy faculty with speakers including business faculty, advanced pharmacy practice experience students, alumni and a financial planner. Topics and assignments have been revised based upon course feedback and past student suggestions. Results: Qualitative data is collected throughout and at the culmination of the course utilizing feedback cards, class discussion, and an online survey. Data collected through course evaluations show that 100% of students “agree” or “strongly agree” that they “gained an important skill set” by taking the course. Additional assessments include comparing students’ reported confidence and knowledge before and after the course and placement data upon graduation for students taking this course with those who did not. Implications: This course is easily implemented, well-received by students, and encourages student learning and development while also improving confidence in the area of personal and professional planning

Admission Criteria as Predictors of Student Success

Objective: Evaluate impact of various admission criteria elements (cognitive, behavioral) as predictors of first-term college GPA and on-time graduation. Methods & Results: Predictive models were developed to examine if the current admission criteria: high school GPA (HSGPA), ACT Composite score, interview score, etc are significant predictors for student success defined as first-term college GPA, on-time graduation among PharmD students at a direct entry private university. The study sample consisted of 395 pharmacy students matriculated as first-time freshmen students during fall 2007 through fall 2009. Results from the hierarchical linear regression analysis indicated that both HSGPA and ACT Composite score were significant predictors for first-term college GPA. After taking into account relevant demographic factors, the final model explained 22% of the total variance in first-term college GPA, with HSGPA accounting for 18% of the total variance and ACT Composite score accounting for only 3%. For predicting on-time graduation using the logistic regression method, HSGPA alone was the significant predictor while the model had no substantial impact on predicting on-time graduation (4% of the total variance). Further study is needed to develop a more comprehensive model involving behavioral or psychosocial factors impacting student success outcomes. Implications: This data was used to adjust relative weight of HSGPA and standardized tests scores in the application evaluation rubric. It is also being used to allocate student services resources for student retention initiatives