RESEARCH ARTICLES Perceived Stress and Quality of Life Among Doctor of Pharmacy Students

Objectives. To examine stress and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among third-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students. Methods. Stress and HRQOL were determined using Perceived Stress and SF-12 HRQOL survey instruments. A questionnaire was administered to determine factors students believed produced and eliminated stress. Results. Eighty percent of third-year students participated (n5109) in this pilot study. Mental HRQOL scores were significantly below US mean score for individuals aged 20-34 years (p,0.0001). As stress increased, mental HRQOL decreased and a significant negative correlation was found between the 2 measures (p,0.001). Family and relationships, examinations and scheduling, outside-of-class assignments, and finances were the most common stress triggers reported by students, while exercising, spending time with friends/family, sleeping, watching TV, and drinking alcohol were the most commonly reported stress-alleviating activities. Conclusion. Third-year PharmD students reported relatively high levels of stress and low mental HRQOL. Students employed mostly positive, but some negative, lifestyle choices to alleviate stress. Further investigation into the effectiveness of students' coping strategies is needed

Developing Entrepreneurial Competencies: A Student Organization Business

Entrepreneurship training requires a non-traditional approach in which students must learn to embrace the challenges of operating in a business environment that favors creativity and risk taking. Not only must students be exposed to a business education that emphasizes multi-disciplinary skills but they must participate in an “entrepreneurial experience”. This paper describes a student business organization’s project that provides for an “entrepreneurial experience”. The students applied course knowledge, exercised their analytical skills, learned to communicate effectively, utilized their negotiation skills, worked effectively in teams, complied with legal requirements, and utilized creative thought processes to solve business issues. The students experienced new business start-up issues such as writing marketing and business plans, obtaining a business loan, and applying for licenses and permits. The students experienced all aspects of business operations including writing a policy and procedures manual and human resource management manual. Through this “entrepreneurial experience” the students developed entrepreneurial competencies. The manuscript is of special interest to faculty that desire that their students have an actual “entrepreneurial experience”. The manuscript describes in detail the process of starting a student run business and continued operations of the business