Peer-assisted Learning: Clinical Skills Training for Pharmacy Students.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Clinical Skills Assessment

Background:

• Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are crucial for assessing clinical competency in pharmacy programs.
• Student confidence and performance in OSCEs can be influenced by preparation methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of peer-teaching on first-year pharmacy students' performance and confidence levels.
• To determine the efficacy of peer-led training sessions for objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) preparation.

Main Methods:

• A peer-led training session was conducted for first-year pharmacy students (n=45) by upperclassmen (n=17).
• Student scores on a final OSCE were compared between those who attended the training and a control group.
• Confidence levels were assessed using pre- and post-surveys on a 5-point Likert scale.

Main Results:

• Students participating in peer-teaching showed a 3% increase in objective skills examination scores.
• Confidence scores improved across all evaluated clinical skills, with an overall increase of 1.1 points on the Likert scale.
• Peer-assisted learning demonstrated a positive impact on both objective performance and subjective confidence.

Conclusions:

• Peer-assisted learning is an effective pedagogical approach for enhancing student performance and confidence in OSCEs.
• The positive outcomes support the continued development and implementation of peer-led training in pharmacy education.
• Peer-teaching strategies can be leveraged to improve clinical skills acquisition and readiness for summative assessments.