Strategies and processes to design an integrated, longitudinal professional skills development course sequence

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Spring 2001 by Hammer, Dana Purkerson, Paulsen, Susan M

A longitudinal course sequence, "Professional Skills Development," was developed as part of a new entry-- level PharmD curriculum to aid assessment and student achievement of ability-based outcomes. The sequence emphasizes a patient-centered context for basic and clinical sciences, pharmacy practice principles, pharmaceutical care provision, and professional development. Implementation strategies for the first two semesters included: (i) horizontal integration of concurrent course material using multiple faculty from different disciplines; (ii) vertical, reinforced progression of content and abilities; (iii) active learning instructional methodologies; and (iv) multiple student assessments and feedback from self, peers, standardized patients and faculty. Weekly outcomes, mapped to course and curricular outcomes, guided design of activities and assessments. Student, faculty, and administrative response to the sequence has been positive. The instructional strategies and course design processes may serve as models for other schools.

INTRODUCTION

In the last three decades, the focus of the pharmacy profession has evolved from the preparation and distribution of pharmaceutical products to the provision of pharmaceutical care(1-3). Much has been written and discussed about the need for renewal in pharmacy education to reflect these changes(4-9). Related literature recommends development of ability-based, entry-- level Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree programs focused on achievement of educational outcomes(10-12). Additionally, this literature suggests that pharmacy education needs to facilitate students' integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes from various disciplines that serve as the basis of pharmaceutical care. Recently revised accreditation standards for schools and colleges of pharmacy also support these recommendations and will require compliance by 2005(13).

As schools and colleges of pharmacy work to create and implement entry-level PharmD degree programs, there is opportunity for complete revision of previous Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy curricula. Although labor-- intensive, many faculties have taken this opportunity to develop model PharmD programs that will meet the revised accreditation standards and help prepare students to practice pharmaceutical care. The faculty of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy (CUSOP) have worked diligently the last few years to create such a program. The resulting curriculum, implemented in the Fall of 1999, was designed as an integrated, ability-based entry-level PharmD degree program. This paper describes a required longitudinal course sequence in this new program, "Professional Skills Development (PSD)," that serves as the backbone of the curriculum and as a primary source of ability-based, integrated education.

METHODS

During the process of curricular revision, the CUSOP faculty adopted a set of general and professional ability-based outcomes (based on the AACP-CAPE outcomes) to guide development of the new program (Appendix A)(14). These outcomes are currently being defined in terms of progressive levels of development, and as such, are a work in progress. To facilitate development and achievement of these outcomes, the curriculum was constructed as a set of "tracks" that run longitudinally through the three-year didactic portion of the program. Various interdisciplinary teams of faculty have worked and are continuing to work to design these tracks of courses. The five tracks represent: (i) integrated basic and clinical sciences; (ii) pharmacy and health care; (iii) experiential learning; (iv) career development/seminar; and (v) professional skills development. The first year of the revised curriculum is shown in Figure 1.

The Professional Skills Development sequence was a track in the previous post-baccalaureate/"track-in" PharmD program and served as the "laboratory" portion of a pharmacotherapeutics course sequence in the last didactic year of that curriculum. This lab-course sequence served as the basis for the new sequence that would be incorporated into the first five semesters of the entry-level PharmD program. Instructional methods used in the former sequence, such as integrating and applying didactic course content, hands-on learning of clinical skills, and problem-solving using complex patient case studies, were retained and expanded in the new sequence.

Course Outcomes

The newly-adopted general and professional outcomes were reviewed to determine which would be best developed in the PSD sequence. It was determined to focus on the general set of abilities for the first year of the sequence at the introductory and developmental levels. Thus, the first two semesters' course outcomes focused on communication, teamwork, problem-solving, self-assessment, professionalism, and integration/application of knowledge in the context of pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical care. These outcomes are listed in Appendix B.

In addition, module outcomes were created for each week's course activities. Each activity was mapped to a module outcome(s), each module outcome was mapped to a course outcome(s), and each course outcome was mapped to the School's set of general outcomes (Appendix C). This process helped to establish a framework to document student achievement (or lack thereof) of curricular outcomes.