Traditional and Novel Predictors of Classroom and Clerkship Success of Pharmacy Students

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2003 by Kidd, Robert S, Latif, David A

Objectives. This study was designed to assess the extent to which 7 traditional and novel predictors contribute to overall pharmacy grade point average (pharmacy GPA), first through third year pharmacy GPA (1-3 year GPA), and clerkship GPA of pharmacy students.

Methods. This investigation used a convenience sample and a blinded retrospective record review of the first 3 class years of Doctor of Pharmacy students at Shenandoah University's Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy (Classes of 2000, 2001, and 2002).

Results. Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) score, essay score, California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) and Skills Test (CCTST) were all significant predictors of pharmacy GPA. PCAT and CCTDI contributed significantly to 1-3 GPA. Finally, only the CCTST proved to be a significant predictor of the clerkship GPA.

Conclusion. This study corroborated previous studies by concluding that several traditional predictors of students' performance appear to significantly predict academic outcomes. However, it advances the study of predictors of pharmacy students' performance by examining the role of critical thinking in students' performance.

Keywords: assessment, student performance, pharmacy students, success, grade point average, critical thinking, clerkship

INTRODUCTION

Idenitfying those applicants who are most likely to have success in classroom courses, and more importantly, those who are most likely to develop into competent practitioners is critical to both the mission of pharmacy schools and the profession of pharmacy. This determination process has long been a challenge for members of admission committees in schools of pharmacy. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine which preadmission criteria are the best predictors of various measures of academic success. Those quantitative and qualitative variables previously examined include the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) in part or in whole, prepharmacy grade point average (GPA), math and science course grades, involvement in extracurricular activities, age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, achievement of a 4-year college degree, rank of the applicant's undergraduate school, personal interview scores, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST).1-20 There is general agreement that many of these factors are predictors of academic performance. For example, Charupatanapong et al reported that older pharmacy students with lower prepharmacy GPAs were more likely to perform at lower academic levels.16

Chisholm et al demonstrated that the greatest predictors of the GPA of first-year pharmacy students included their prepharmacy math/science GPAs and whether they had completed a 4-year undergraduate degree prior to entering pharmacy school.17

Allen et al examined several prepharmacy predictors of success in pharmacy schools. The authors reported that the best predictors for the first professional year were a student's overall prepharmacy GPA, GPA for required prepharmacy courses, and PCAT scores.18 The strongest predictors of success in practice-related courses and clerkships were PCAT scores and the CCTST. Hardigan et al reported that prepharmacy mathematics GPA, cumulative prepharmacy GPA, verbal PCAT scores, faculty interview, and composite PCAT scores were all significant predictors of pharmacy students' first-year GPA.19

Most of these studies evaluated the potential predictors in relation to success early in the professional curriculum. The present investigation differs from these by examining not only predictors of performance in classroom-based courses in the first through third professional years, but also predictors of professional performance using the GPA for 4th professional year clerkships. One of many issues addressed by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's Commission to Implement Change was admission criteria, policies, and procedures. These recommendations were subsequently adopted in 1997 in the Accreditation Standards and Guidelines for the Professional Program of Pharmacy leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree of the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE).21 Guideline 16.5 states "Studies are encouraged that relate admissions criteria with student achievement in the professional program in pharmacy and performance in professional practice." Assessing how admission criteria correlate to performance in professional practice is more difficult than assessing how it correlates to classroom success. The main difficulty is identifying quantitative and/or qualitative measures of performance in a practice setting. Because of this problem, the value of many of these variables has not been thoroughly examined in relationship to performance of pharmacy students in a professional practice setting.

Guideline 16.3 of the ACPE Standards states "Admissions criteria, policies, and procedures should give consideration not only to scholastic accomplishments, but also to other factors such as motivation, industry, and communication capabilities that show the student's potential to become a life-long learner and an effective professional." To this end, applicants to our school are required to complete an application packet before consideration for matriculation is given. A complete packet includes an application, a copy of all undergraduate transcripts, PCAT score, and 3 letters of reference. The admissions committee examines transcripts based on both required prerequisites, and all prior pre-professional courses taken, which may include more courses than the required ones. In addition, an on-campus interview with current faculty members and students and an on-campus, timed essay is required. Entering students also undergo several other evaluations including the CCTST and the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) during the orientation period at the beginning of the first professional year.