Deficiencies in Mathematical Skills Identified in First-Year Students at Two Pharmacy Institutions

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Mathematics Assessment
• Student Preparedness

Background:

• Pharmacy curricula require strong mathematical underpinnings for accurate drug calculations.
• Incoming pharmacy students' baseline mathematics abilities can vary significantly.
• Identifying these variations is crucial for developing effective academic support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the mathematics ability of incoming student pharmacists at two US institutions.
• To identify specific areas of mathematical strength and weakness among these students.

Main Methods:

• A baseline mathematics assessment (BMA) was administered to 922 first-year pharmacy students over four years.
• The BMA covered fundamental math principles relevant to pharmacy calculations.
• Student surveys gathered data on prior math experience and self-perceived ability.

Main Results:

• The average BMA score was 73.8%, with significant variation between students and institutions.
• Students excelled in rounding, fractions/decimals, and proportions but struggled with conversions (29.7% performance).
• Native English speakers performed significantly better; self-ratings correlated with assessment performance.

Conclusions:

• Incoming pharmacy students exhibit diverse mathematics proficiency levels.
• Conversions represent a key area of weakness requiring pedagogical attention.
• These findings inform curriculum development and student support strategies in pharmacy education.