Student confidence with oncology pharmacy competencies

The purpose of this study was to assess the change in student confidence to perform oncology pharmacy competencies before and after completing oncology didactic instruction using a flipped classroom approach.

First year doctor of pharmacy students completed a survey prior to the Applied Science and Therapeutics (AST) oncology module (pre-survey) and the same survey following the completion of the oncology module (post-survey). The survey consisted of questions addressing prior oncology pharmacy experience related to employment (research or patient care) and education, level of interest in oncology pharmacy, and level of confidence to perform thirteen oncology pharmacy competencies.

One-hundred sixteen students completed the pre-survey and 35 completed the post-survey. Students completing both surveys reported greater confidence in all oncology pharmacy competencies (p < 0.0001) after instruction. The greatest increases in student confidence were related to chemotherapy dose calculations, patient education, and drug-drug interactions.

The delivery of oncology content using flipped classroom instruction in the AST course successfully increased student confidence in ability to perform oncology pharmacy competencies. Cancer screening, cancer risk factors, and the preparation and dispensing of chemotherapy were competencies identified as needing greater emphasis in classroom instruction. Future studies are needed to assess student's knowledge and application of oncology pharmacy competencies in both the experiential and classroom settings.