Virtual simulation to personalize student learning in a required pharmacy course.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Virtual Simulation Technology
• Medication Dispensing Skills

Background:

• Virtual simulation offers a safe and realistic environment for pharmacy students to practice skills.
• The MyDispense program was integrated into a first-year pharmacy practice skills course.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual simulation in teaching medication dispensing skills.
• To assess student engagement and performance with the MyDispense program.

Main Methods:

• First-year pharmacy students completed required and optional exercises using the MyDispense virtual simulation.
• Student performance was analyzed based on practice attempts and final exam component scores.

Main Results:

• Students completed an average of 16.6 optional exercises, with significant practice attempts per student.
• All students passed the virtual simulation component of the final exam, with a high average score of 92.9%.

Conclusions:

• Virtual simulation is an effective tool for learning medication dispensing skills in a classroom setting.
• The program facilitated self-directed practice, allowing students to determine their necessary skill development.
• Implementation challenges included the time required for exercise creation and testing.