Objectives. To understand pharmacy students' reasons for pursuing a dual PharmD/MBA degree and their perceptions of the impact a dual degree will have on their careers. Methods. This was a cross-sectional survey of registered students in the University at Buffalo PharmD/ MBA program. An electronic survey was developed through collaboration with the UB School of Management and administered in January 2015. Results. A total of 23/24 (96% response rate) students who were enrolled in the PharmD/MBA curriculum responded to the survey. Respondents identified employment opportunities following graduation and career advancement as the most influential determinants in deciding to pursue an MBA degree. All respondents (100%) felt the job marketplace for pharmacy graduates is becoming increasingly difficult, 96% believe they will earn a higher midpoint salary with a PharmD/MBA, and 82% would recommend a PharmD/MBA to first year pharmacy students. Conclusion. Students are increasingly perceptive of the challenges in the current job marketplace and are taking advantage of a dual PharmD/MBA degree.

Objectives. To characterize pharmacy/MBA professionals during their entry-level and current positions and to describe their attitudes and perceptions toward their combined degree. Methods. A cross-sectional survey of University at Buffalo (UB) alumni who obtained both pharmacy and MBA degrees was used. An electronic survey was developed through collaboration with the UB School of Management and administered in winter 2015. Results. A total of 68/115 (59% response rate) pharmacy/MBA professionals responded to the survey. Postgraduate training was completed by 24% of respondents, and most commonly it was a residency program. After adjusting for inflation to 2014 dollars, the median entry-level salary for pharmacy/MBA

No abstract

Introduction: In response to the opioid crisis, New York State (NYS) mandated training for all licensed professionals authorized to prescribe controlled substances. Content included state and federal requirements for prescribing controlled substances, pain management, appropriate prescribing, managing acute pain, palliative care, prevention, screening and signs of addiction; responses to abuse and addiction; and end-of-life care. Training was required to be completed by 1 July 2017. Objectives: The primary aim of this analysis was to answer the question: Would a large-scale, enduring, online training program administered in an academic environment be feasible? Methods: An interdisciplinary team from the University at Buffalo developed a 4-hour accredited enduring training program which was launched on 15 March 2017. Pre-and posttests were required, with a score of ≥70% on the posttest set as successful completion of the course. Results: As of 1 July 2017, 31 909 participants had completed Module 1, with 26 511 (83.1%) originating from NYS. For Module 2, 29 450 participants completed the training, with 24 460 (83.1%) originating from NYS. A participant survey found that the overwhelming majority of participants were satisfied with the course. Prescribers (physicians, residents, dentists, nurse practitioners, midwives, and physician assistants) all demonstrated significant improvement for both course modules. Aggregate Module 1 scores improved from (mean ± SD) 79.88 (14.67) at baseline to 93.18 (7.45) postcourse (P < .0001). Aggregate Module 2 scores improved from 67.21 (14.8) to 89.13 (8.09; P < .0001). Conclusions: Our experience demonstrates the feasibility of deploying a credible, enduring, multiprofessional online educational program. The program has been wellaccepted, with a demonstration of increased knowledge across disciplines through pre-and posttraining assessment. Further study is needed to address the impact of this training on patterns of opioid prescribing.

Objective: To examine the impact that participation in 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination clinics had on students’ self-assessed ability to vaccinate and secondarily, to examine the impact these experiences had on student perspectives of pharmacist engagement in public health.     Methods: Student pharmacists who volunteered in COVID-19 vaccination clinics were invited to complete an anonymous, electronic survey consisting of items pertaining to their self-assessed ability to vaccinate and attitudes towards pharmacist engagement in public health in a retrospective pre/post-experience.    Results: Students indicated that the experiences were valuable, participation increased their comfort level with vaccination, and they were better prepared to engage in vaccination following engagement. Additionally,  student attitudes toward pharmacist engagement in public health improved after engagement.     Conclusion: Participation in COVID-19 vaccination clinics had a positive effect on students’ self-efficacy toward vaccination and their attitudes toward pharmacist engagement in public health. Similar opportunities should be promoted to student-pharmacists to facilitate their professional development.