Impact of a novel project management course sequence on innovative thinking in pharmacy students

As healthcare continues to become more complex, pharmacist innovators have worked to advance the profession and expand the role of the pharmacist on the healthcare team. Accreditation standards for schools of pharmacy recognize the importance of developing future pharmacist innovators capable of making positive change in the profession, but there are limited resources available on how to best instill innovative thinking in student pharmacists.

A two-semester elective course sequence was created for third-year doctor of pharmacy students requiring completion of a longitudinal quality improvement project at a partnering health system. Students collaborated with key stakeholders to design a project plan and charter, identify deliverables, and deliver project results. Innovative thinking was assessed using a mixed methods approach including questionnaires with forced choice and open response items, focus group data, and semi-structured interviews. Each questionnaire item mapped specifically to an element of a validated model for employee innovation. From the beginning to the end of the course sequence, there were significant improvements in student-perceived project management self-efficacy and innovative thinking.

Student learning outcomes and the course structure mapped closely with a validated model of innovative behavior, demonstrating the effectiveness of utilizing project management to instill innovative thinking in student pharmacists. These findings support the concept that innovative thinking can be taught in pharmacy didactic curricula by situating students in the environment of real-world pharmacy practice.