PHArmacy Students as Educators (PHASE): Implementation and evaluation of an educator's curriculum for pharmacy...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Health professions education
• Pharmacist competencies

Background:

• The Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada mandates competencies for teaching pharmacy team members, the public, and other health professionals.
• The PHArmacy Students as Educators (PHASE) program was developed to equip doctor of pharmacy students with essential educator skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the PHASE program on developing pharmacy students as educators.
• To assess students' perceptions and experiences with teaching and learning within the program.

Main Methods:

• A two-year pilot program (2017-2019) involving didactic and academic half-day sessions.
• Pre- and post-session surveys using Likert scales and qualitative analysis were administered to assess student learning and confidence.

Main Results:

• A significant increase in agreement that pharmacists are educators was observed post-didactic session (P < .005).
• Student confidence in educating others significantly improved after the academic half-day session (P < .001).
• Qualitative data revealed enhanced self-rated abilities in needs assessment, educational session development, and overall teaching confidence.

Conclusions:

• The PHASE program positively impacted pharmacy students' development as educators.
• Lessons learned from the pilot phase will inform future iterations of the program to further enhance pharmacist-educator training.