Evaluating generic skills through the PROG test in Japanese pharmacy education: A pilot study

The Progress Report On Generic Skills (PROG) test has been used to assess generic skills in a variety of educational programs in Japan. It categorizes generic skills as either literacy or competency. Literacy involves applying previously acquired knowledge, while competency includes proper interaction with the environment. We aimed to examine student progression using the PROG test through a pharmacy program from the first year through the fifth year.

Undergraduate student pharmacists undertook the PROG test three times: in their first year (July 2019), before their on-site clinical internship in the fifth year (May 2023), and after the five-month clinical internship (December 2023). The scores of the three tests were compared to assess the outcomes of the on-campus didactic education and those of the clinical internship.

During the on-campus didactic education from the first year to the fifth year, both literacy and competency scores decreased (5.0 to 4.7, p = 0.468, r = 0.257; 2.4 to 1.9; p = 0.042, r = 0.693; respectively). During the clinical internship, on the other hand, the literacy improved (4.9 to 5.7; p = 0.009, r = 0.679) while the competency reduced (2.0 to 1.9; p = 0.773, r = not calculated).

The PROG test scores may reflect changes in students' generic skills through their education program, suggesting that it holds potential for evaluating educational outcomes and providing educators with feedback to improve the efficacy of their educational programs.