Establishing a skills laboratory peer teaching assistant program in pharmacy education

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Medical Simulation

Background:

• Teaching Assistants (TAs) are increasingly integrated into healthcare curricula.
• Near-peer teaching (NPT) offers collaborative benefits for students and educators.
• Student TAs can reduce faculty workload and prepare students for entrustable professional activities (EPAs).

Purpose of the Study:

• Establish a TA program to address shortages in one-on-one skills instruction.
• Enhance individualized training, assessments, and faculty support in the first-year skills lab.
• Improve the quality of skills education and student preparedness.

Main Methods:

• Recruited second and third-year pharmacy students as TAs.
• TAs assisted in the first-year skills lab course series.
• TAs conducted student assessments within the skills lab.

Main Results:

• The TA program provided crucial assistance in skills instruction and assessments.
• Student TAs enhanced the learning experience for first-year students.
• The program supported faculty by alleviating workload.

Conclusions:

• Standardized TA training is vital for consistent feedback and reduced evaluation variability.
• TA programs effectively alleviate faculty workload.
• Implementing TA programs can improve student learning outcomes and self-confidence in teaching.