A three-year reflective writing program as part of introductory pharmacy practice experiences

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Reflective Practice
• Lifelong Learning

Background:

• Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) are crucial for developing pharmacy students' clinical skills.
• Integrating reflective writing into IPPEs can foster self-assessment and continuous improvement.
• The study addresses the need for structured programs to enhance pharmacy students' reflective capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a 3-year reflective writing program within a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum.
• To assess the program's impact on students' self-assessment, learning, and reflective writing skills.
• To determine the effectiveness of using practitioners, faculty, and senior students as writing preceptors.

Main Methods:

• Reflective writing assignments were integrated into six IPPE courses across three academic years.
• Students were guided to self-assess patient care performance, identify learning opportunities, and evaluate progress.
• Practitioners, faculty, and fourth-year PharmD students acted as preceptors, providing feedback on student writing.

Main Results:

• The program demonstrated high success, with class pass rates exceeding 99% over eight years.
• A large majority of writing preceptors confirmed that students met the program's learning objectives.
• A dedicated pool of 99 writing preceptors was established to support the program.

Conclusions:

• A 3-year reflective writing program significantly improved pharmacy students' reflection and reflective writing skills.
• The program effectively contributed to developing lifelong learning abilities essential for future pharmacists.
• The structured approach to reflective writing in IPPEs is a valuable pedagogical tool in pharmacy education.