Admission variables predictive of academic struggle in a PharmD program

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Higher education admissions
• Academic performance analysis

Background:

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs utilize diverse admission pathways.
• Identifying predictors of academic success is vital for student support and retention.
• Understanding variables associated with poor grade attainment informs admissions and progression strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify admission variables that predict poor academic performance in two distinct PharmD program pathways.
• To characterize differences in predictive factors between traditional and provisional PharmD admission routes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of PharmD student course grades from 2000-2009 (N=1,019).
• Comparison of academic predictors for students in traditional ('1 plus 5') and provisional (direct from high school) pathways.
• Statistical association of admission variables with grades of D or less.

Main Results:

• 18% of students (N=183) earned grades of D or less, predominantly in the first pharmacy year.
• For the traditional pathway, Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores, pre-pharmacy GPA, cumulative coursework hours, and interview scores predicted poor grades.
• For the provisional pathway, PCAT, pre-pharmacy GPA, and American College Testing (ACT) scores predicted poor grades.

Conclusions:

• Admissions committees should prioritize PCAT scores and GPAs for both PharmD pathways.
• Progression committees should monitor early program coursework to implement effective retention strategies.