Comparison of distance and on-campus pathways in PharmD student confidence and clinical assessment

To evaluate differences in self-perceived confidence and performance between on-campus (OC) and distance learning pathway (DLP) PharmD students completing a capstone course designed to integrate and assess the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP).

This prospective comparative study included third-year PharmD students enrolled in a capstone course that emphasized simulated patient care across community, ambulatory, and acute care settings. Both OC and DLP cohorts completed identical assessments and pre/post confidence surveys. Paired t-tests and Cohen's d were used to evaluate within-group confidence changes; independent t-tests compared performance outcomes between pathways.

Thirty-six students participated (25 OC, 11 DLP). Both cohorts demonstrated increases in confidence across PPCP domains (collect, assess, plan, implement, follow-up) from pre- to post-course surveys. Effect size analysis indicated medium to large improvements in many confidence items in both groups (OC: d = 0.69-1.26; DLP: d = 0.50-1.07). Performance outcomes were generally comparable across pathways, with similar final course grades between groups (91% vs. 89%, p = 0.27). OC students achieved higher scores in Simulation 1 (SOAP notes), although the magnitude of this difference was modest (88% vs. 82%, p = 0.01, d = 0.45).

The capstone course effectively enhanced confidence and competency in both OC and DLP students, supporting the equivalence of distance learning when assessments and active learning strategies are standardized. These findings affirm that hybrid and distance models can achieve comparable outcomes to traditional instruction and provide a foundation for future work examining longitudinal performance and practice readiness.