Objective. To validate the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Students version (JSE-HPS) in pharmacy students. Methods. The JSE-HPS (20 items), adapted from the original Jefferson Scale of Empathy for use among students in the healthcare professions, was completed by 187 first-year pharmacy students at Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy. Results. Two factors, "perspective-taking" and "compassionate care," emerged from factor analysis in this study, accounting for 31% and 8% of the variance, respectively. These factors are similar to the prominent ones reported in previous research involving physicians and medical students, supporting the construct validity of this instrument for pharmacy students. In the current study, mean JSE-HPS score was comparable to those reported for medical students, and consistent with previous findings with medical students and physicians. Women scored significantly higher than men. Conclusions. Findings support the construct validity and reliability of the JSE-HPS for measuring empathy in pharmacy students.

Objectives. To ascertain background factors that influence pharmacy students' willingness to cheat, describe attitudes regarding methods of cheating, assess prevalence of cheating and determine atmospheres that may aid in preventing academic dishonesty. Methods. Third-professional year PharmD students at 4 institutions participated in a survey administered by a class representative. Results. Of the 296 students who completed survey instruments, 16.3% admitted to cheating during pharmacy school. Approximately 74% admitted that either they or their classmates had worked on an individual assignment with a friend. Students who cheated during high school or in a prepharmacy program were more likely to cheat during pharmacy school (p , 0.0001). Those who possessed a bachelor of science (BS) degree prior to pharmacy school were less likely to cheat (p , 0.0001). Conclusions. Academic dishonesty is prevalent among pharmacy students. While few respondents directly admitted to cheating, many admitted to activities traditionally defined as dishonest.

Objective. To measure changes in pharmacy and medical students' empathy scores after a 40-minute workshop during which students observed and discussed a theatrical performance about the challenges of aging. Methods. First-year pharmacy and medical students (n 5 187 and n 5 183, respectively) participating in the workshop observed and discussed a 10-minute performance in which students enacted problems and concerns faced by elderly patients. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) was administered just prior to the workshop (pretest), immediately afterward (posttest 1), and 7 or 26 days afterward (posttest 2). Results. Empathy increased significantly from pretest to posttest 1 for students of each profession ( p ,0.01). Improvement in empathy scores declined by the time the JSE was readministered to pharmacy students 7 days later and to medical students 26 days later (posttest 2). Similar patterns of improved and declining empathy were found when the data were analyzed by gender and medical student specialty interest (ie, primary vs non-primary care specialties). Conclusion. Empathy scores increased but were not sustained for both pharmacy and medical students after a brief workshop on aging that required limited personnel resources.

Objectives. To assess the validity and reliability of an instrument to measure pharmacy students' attitudes toward physician-pharmacist collaboration, and compare those attitudes to the attitudes of medical students. Methods. One hundred sixty-six first-year pharmacy students and 77 first-year medical students at Midwestern University completed the Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician-Pharmacist Collaboration.Results. Findings confirmed the validity and reliability of the Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician-Pharmacist Collaboration in pharmacy students, as observed previously for medical students. Pharmacy students' mean score was significantly higher (56.6 6 7.2) than that of medical students (52.0 6 6.1). Maximum likelihood factoring confirmed the 3-factor solution of responsibility and accountability, shared authority, and interdisciplinary education for pharmacy students. Conclusions. The Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician-Pharmacist Collaboration can be used for the assessment of interdisciplinary educational programs, for patient outcome assessment of interprofessional collaboration, and for group comparisons. Findings that pharmacy students expressed more positive attitudes toward collaboration than medical students have implications for interdisciplinary education.Keywords: interprofessional collaboration, interprofessional education, health professions students, reliability, validity, psychometrics, attitudes INTRODUCTIONInterprofessional collaboration in patient care among US health care professionals began in World War II when medical, surgical, and nursing teams worked together to treat injured soldiers. 1 Health care providers now consider collaboration and teamwork to be an important component of professionalism 2 leading to greater patient safety 1 and better patient outcomes. 3-9 Physician-pharmacist collaboration results in improved patient self-care skills, fewer drug interactions 10,11 and medication errors, 12 and more cost-effective use of medication, 13 all of which lead to more effective drug therapy and better patient outcomes.Interdisciplinary education in medical and pharmacy colleges and schools is designed to enhance the skills that physicians and pharmacists will need to function in interprofessional health care teams. 14 These educational efforts are to ensure that all health care practitioners effectively use their specialized training and expertise to optimize patient care and improve therapeutic outcomes. For example, medical and pharmacy students at Midwestern University are taught together in several basic science and communications courses and in an introductory course entitled Health Care Issues. A collaborative relationship between pharmacists and physicians is needed more than ever because of the rapid advancements in medical and pharmaceutical sciences, occurrence of complex drug interactions, increased costs of drug-related morbidity, greater possibility of medical errors, and rapidly rising health care costs. Schellens and colleagues stated: "In view of its increasing co...

Many faculty members, from a variety of disciplines and universities, complain about students' class attendance. Lack of class attendance can have a multitude of consequences, for both the faculty members and students. Faculty members may find themselves repeating information, directions, or explanations numerous times and in a variety of delivery formats. As a result, faculty members may require students who miss information presented in class to get that information from classmates. College students, after all, are young adults who are capable of making informed decisions and accepting the consequences of those decisions. A colleague from a nearby college of medicine recently said, "students don't go to class, but faculty don't care." Certainly, this view may be extreme, but it does express an ongoing problem in academia.The consequences of students not attending class are documented. There is a body of evidence that supports the positive correlation between class attendance and academic performance within college classes across disciplines and on national licensure examinations. 1-9 While these results cannot be interpreted as evidence of a cause and effect relationship, the evidence does suggest a relationship between class attendance and academic performance. Given this evidence, regardless of their personal attitudes toward class attendance, educators should support class attendance and develop effective teaching methodologies that enhance class attendance.Either from their experience or intuition, students also know there is a positive relationship between class attendance and performance. In a cursory review of student-authored articles on college tips to new students, the following comments were found: "Success in college is about getting your butt up and going to class and getting your work done," 10 "class attendance is crucial," 11 and "you may find it tempting to sleep-in and skip class. However, you will quickly find that success in the classroom is linked to class attendance." 12 While these statements are aimed toward undergraduate students, these tips on college success likely hold true for professional or graduate students. In a recent survey of over 200 undergraduate students at George Mason University, only 8% reported that receiving class notes after a missed class was as useful in learning course content as Objective. The objective of this study was to describe and categorize students' motivations for attending class or choosing not to attend class. Methods. Trained student facilitators conducted 5 focus groups. Nine first-year and 24 second-year pharmacy students participated in the focus groups, which were tape recorded and transcribed. A content analysis was conducted using the transcripts. Two coders coded the transcripts and percent agreement was used to assess inter-coder reliability. Frequencies were reported. Results. Eighteen variables emerged from the data. The percent agreement for each variable ranged from 0.83 to 1.00. The variables cited most frequently as motivators for class...