Treating Mentoring Programs as a Scholarly Endeavor

The author discusses mentoring programs for pharmacy school faculty and the research literature around forming these programs

Laptop Versus Longhand Note Taking in a Professional Doctorate Course: Student Performance, Attitudes, and Behaviors

Objective: To determine the relationship between longhand note taking versus laptop note taking on pharmacy students’ examination performance and identify differences in attitudes and behaviors as it relates to the note taking process. Methods: A small group of students consented voluntarily to take longhand notes, doing away with their laptops during portions of the course administered by study investigators. Analyses were conducted on block examination performance, with each student’s score on the first examination serving as a performance benchmark to assess change. Laptop and longhand note takers completed a survey regarding various aspects of their note taking attitudes and behaviors, and also included open text comments to capture qualitative experiential data. Results: Based upon a relatively small number of participants in the longhand cohort (n=11), the differences between the groups on subsequent examinations was approximately 3.5 percentage points in favor of the longhand note-takers. There were significant differences observed between the two groups on several survey items, with longhand note takers less likely to be distracted in class and more likely to agree that other students ask to review their notes due to the quality of those notes. Conclusions: Longhand note taking might facilitate more accurate recall or retrieval in test situations, thus producing improved test scores for certain types of students in certain types of courses; however additional research is needed. Faculty may consider whether modifying students’ classroom note taking practices may contribute to an improved learning experience

Pharmacy Technician-Administered Vaccines: On Perceptions and Practice Reality

Doucette and Schommer recently surveyed U.S. community pharmacy technicians on their willingness to perform tasks including the administration of vaccines. They found that 47.1% of technicians reported they were “unwilling” to administer a vaccine, although this finding must be placed into proper context. The first nationwide survey of U.S. pharmacist perceptions on immunizations in 1998 revealed only 2.2% of pharmacist respondents had administered adult vaccines and only 0.9% had administered childhood vaccines. They also found pharmacists to be “slightly negative on administering immunizations” with many perceived barriers. Nonetheless, pharmacist-provided immunizations have been an unqualified public health success. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) predicts intention from attitude and perceived behavioral control, among other factors. Given low involvement, exposure, and perceived behavioral control to administer vaccinations, technicians’ attitudes or willingness to participate from the Doucette and Shommer study can be regarded as quite positive. Given the results of a successful pilot project in Idaho and that subjective norms and perceived behavioral control will likely shift upward, one can only expect technicians’ willingness to participate in vaccinations to become more favorable and ultimately become a success

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Reported Management of Chronic Conditions

Chronic conditions (CCs) management during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the pandemic on patient activation (PA) and health locus of control (HLOC) remain unknown. This cross-sectional online survey study examined the role of COVID-19 pandemic-related worry or fear in PA and HLOC among patients with CCs. Individuals with CCs (n = 300) were recruited through MTurk Amazon. The questionnaire included sociodemographic questions, the Patient Activation Measure, and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control–Form B. Out of the 300 participants, 9.7% were diagnosed with COVID-19, and 7.3% were hospitalized. Patients with cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, drug abuse/substance abuse, and stroke reported significant difficulties in managing their CCs due to worry or fear because of COVID-19. More than half of the sample (45.7%) reported COVID-19-related worry or fear about managing their CCs, and these patients had lower PA and lower external HLOC compared to patients not affected by COVID-19-related worry or fear. Health professionals should provide more support for patients facing difficulties in managing their CCs during the COVID-19 pandemic

Applying Contemporary Management Principles to Implementing and Evaluating Value-Added Pharmacist Services.

Value-added pharmacy services encompass traditional and emerging services provided by pharmacists to individual and entire populations of persons increasingly under the auspices of a public health mandate. The success of value-added pharmacy services is enhanced when they are carried out and assessed using appropriate theory-based paradigms. Many of the more important management theories for pharmacy services consider the servicescape of these services recognizing the uniqueness of each patient and service encounter that vary based upon health needs and myriad other factors. In addition, implementation science principles help ensure the financial viability and sustainability of these services. This commentary reviews some of the foundational management theories and provides a number of examples of these theories that have been applied successfully resulting in a greater prevalence and scope of value-added services being offered

Design fundamentals of mentoring programs for pharmacy professionals (Part 2): Considerations for mentors and mentees

Developing a mentoring program is multifactorial, and organizations developing such programs must be reflective in considering their own organizational culture to determine the goals and outcomes assessment of a mentoring program that aligns with the organization's mission and values. Part 1 of this series of papers on devising mentoring programs for pharmacy professionals paid mind to their structure, logistical concerns, and basic design consideration. Designing a program, though, cannot be successful without consideration of the people involved, and the very human process that is mentoring and being mentored. This Part 2 paper takes into account the human needs of mentors and mentees, both independently and as pairs or groups involved in a potentially intimate and caring relationship that lasts anywhere from several months, to potentially a lifetime should the relationship be successful. As such, this commentary pays careful attention to the evolving roles each person plays and what this means to administrators overseeing or assessing the results and implications from such a program so as to strive for maximum organizational effectiveness for employing institutions and self-actualization for persons involved in the program

Design fundamentals of mentoring programs for pharmacy professionals (Part 1): Considerations for organizations

Mentoring programs have been offered by organizations within and outside of healthcare for years. This commentary examines the literature under the prism of design fundamentals for these programs, drawing particular considerations for schemes aimed at pharmacy professionals. The central argument presented is that mentoring can be used as a vehicle to support pharmacists to learn from others and each other, to reinforce and own their professional identity so that the uniqueness of the pharmacy profession is established within a global health landscape of constant change. In this Part 1 of a series of papers, a wealth of literature, theories, and evidence are presented aiming to inform the general structure and logistical considerations for both in-person and distance mentoring programs