Professionalism: a determining factor in experiential learning

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Professionalism Assessment
• Experiential Learning

Background:

• Establishing clear professionalism expectations is crucial in pharmacy education.
• Accountability mechanisms are needed to ensure professional behavior in students.
• The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy sought to address these needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of explicit professionalism criteria.
• To review the outcomes of applying these criteria in experiential learning.
• To foster a culture of professionalism within the pharmacy school.

Main Methods:

• Developed 3 professionalism criteria in 2001 for intermediate and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs).
• Required 100% acceptable ratings for students to pass rotations.
• Enhanced criteria by 2005 and applied them to all experiential courses.

Main Results:

• Most students demonstrated professional behavior.
• Nine students did not meet the established professionalism criteria.
• Remediation strategies and further professional development were employed.

Conclusions:

• Systematic implementation of professionalism criteria established clear expectations.
• The criteria created a mechanism for student accountability in professionalism.
• The initiative successfully promoted a culture of professionalism throughout the School.