Elective Course in Nutrition Taught by a Pharmacy Student

Objective. To create, implement, and evaluate an elective team-based learning (TBL) course on nutrition and lifestyle modification for pharmacy students.Design. An elective course with 15 contact hours was developed for second-year pharmacy students based on the principles of TBL. Student knowledge gained and satisfaction with the course were measured. Assessment. Sixty-two students completed the course. Knowledge about nutrition and lifestyle modification was significantly improved by completing the course (59% and 91%, respectively, p5,0.001). The satisfaction survey instrument had a response rate of 97%, and the majority of students (.85%) responded favorably to the TBL components.Conclusion. An elective course using TBL effectively delivered course content while teaching students communication and teamwork skills. The course was well received by students.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Team-Based Learning Course on Nutrition and Lifestyle Modification

Pogge

2013

“…Machen and colleagues' study demonstrates an elective nutrition course taught by a doctor of pharmacy student who was also a registered dietician was useful to students in the course, and highly recommended to their peers. 4 In another college of pharmacy, pharmacy students' knowledge of dietary supplements improved significantly following a smallgroup self-guided active-learning format for a complementary and alternative medicine curriculum and subsequent peer presentations. 5…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Supplement Use, Knowledge, and Perceptions Among Student Pharmacists

Marku

McCarthy

2017

To the Editor: The recent article by Axon and colleagues evaluated dietary supplement use between student pharmacists and the general population, student pharmacists' knowledge of dietary supplements, and student pharmacists' attitude on their dietary supplement education. One of the authors' most important conclusions was student pharmacists considered their dietary supplement education to be inadequate. 1 Although more education in pharmacy curriculums on dietary supplements may be necessary, it is our intent to provide additional perspectives on the author's methods used to evaluate student pharmacists' respective knowledge and attitudes.Four year pharmacy programs typically consist of a first year (P1) curriculum in which student pharmacists reinforce and build on their basic biological sciences, as seen with this surveyed student pharmacists' curriculum at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. 2 Axon and colleagues administered this survey to first-, second-, and third-year (P1, P2, and P3) student pharmacists before a regularly scheduled class of the fall semester. Further, the authors detailed the student pharmacists do not receive didactic teaching of dietary supplements until the spring semester of their second year (P2). Therefore, only third year (P3) student pharmacists would have received their complete didactic teaching at the time this study concluded students considered their education on dietary supplements to be inadequate.As a single center study, detail of the quality of the didactic teachings of dietary supplements provided in the second year of the curriculum would have been of value in interpretation of the authors' conclusion. In a 2015 study at Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy, the researchers implemented a sophisticated pharmacy course that provided scientific, therapeutic, and clinical principles regarding the use of natural products. After years of feedback, modification, and improvement of the course, students' scores demonstrated an increase in their knowledge of natural products, ability to evaluate scientific literature, and identify drug-food/herbal interactions. 3 Lastly, more information regarding the faculty credentials and system of providing the dietary supplement didactic teachings would also been of value. Machen and colleagues' study demonstrates an elective nutrition course taught by a doctor of pharmacy student who was also a registered dietician was useful to students in the course, and highly recommended to their peers. 4 In another college of pharmacy, pharmacy students' knowledge of dietary supplements improved significantly following a smallgroup self-guided active-learning format for a complementary and alternative medicine curriculum and subsequent peer presentations. 5

“…20 Finally, there is a report of a nutrition elective taught by a pharmacy student who was also a registered dietician. 21 One additional consideration is the use of formal faculty development programs to train students interested in academic careers. Two publications describe faculty development programs within a dental school and a public health school.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a Teaching Assistant Program for Third-Year Pharmacy Students

Bradley

Khanova

Scolaro

2016

Objectives. To determine if a teaching assistant (TA) program for third-year pharmacy students (PY3s) improves confidence in teaching abilities. Additionally, 3 assessment methods (faculty, student, and TA self-evaluations) were compared for similarities and correlations.Methods. An application and interview process was used to select 21 pharmacy students to serve as TAs for the Pharmaceutical Care Laboratory course for 2 semesters. Participants' self-perceived confidence in teaching abilities was assessed at the start, midpoint, and conclusion of the program. The relationships between the scores were analyzed using 3 assessment methods. Results. All 21 TAs agreed to participate in the study and completed the 2 teaching semesters. The TAs confidence in overall teaching abilities increased significantly (80.7 vs 91.4, p,0.001). There was a significant difference between the three assessment scores in the fall (p50.027) and spring (p,0.001) semesters. However, no correlation was found among the assessment scores. Conclusions. The TA program was effective in improving confidence in teaching abilities. The lack of correlation among the assessment methods highlights the importance of various forms of feedback.