Pharmacy residents as primary educators within a professional pharmacy elective

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Medical Education
• Continuing Professional Development

Background:

• Faculty-led professional pharmacy electives are common.
• Transitioning teaching roles can impact student experience.
• Evaluating educational innovations is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess student satisfaction and learning after shifting a pharmacy elective from faculty-led to resident-led instruction.
• To compare student outcomes between faculty-led and resident-led teaching models.
• To evaluate the integration of pharmacy residents into didactic teaching roles.

Main Methods:

• A drug-induced diseases elective course was transitioned to be primarily led by pharmacy residents.
• Student learning roles remained consistent throughout the transition.
• Course evaluations and overall student grades were compared between the resident-led year (2014) and the preceding faculty-led year (2013).

Main Results:

• No significant difference was observed in overall course grades between the resident-led year (94.2 ± 36.6) and the faculty-led year (94.1 ± 2.7).
• Student course evaluations were similar to the previous year, with favorable feedback.
• Pharmacy residents were successfully integrated into teaching roles within the elective.

Conclusions:

• A pharmacy resident-led elective course can maintain comparable student satisfaction and academic performance to a faculty-led format.
• The integration of residents into teaching roles is feasible and effective in professional pharmacy education.
• This model enhances resident training opportunities while providing valuable educational experiences for students.