Outcomes assessment of a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program: Comparison of faculty and student perceptions of competency delivery and achievement

The practice of pharmacy and the education of future pharmacists have both recently undergone philosophical and structural shifts. The profession of pharmacy has recognized the potential needs and benefits to society of extending their services to include comprehensive counseling of patients and collaboration with other health providers. This recently adopted philosophy of practice is called pharmaceutical care. The education and preparation of pharmacists has recently transitioned from a baccalaureate professional degree (Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy) to a graduate professional degree (Doctor of Pharmacy) program in order that the educational preparation might include training of pharmacists for the provision of these comprehensive services. While these two initiatives have been implemented in the practice of pharmacy and the education of pharmacists, colleges of pharmacy are only just beginning to assess whether they are succeeding in delivering pharmacists trained meet the new demands of the profession. Therefore there is logical impetus for research associated with the assessment of educational outcomes of Doctor of Pharmacy programs.; The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of faculty and students about the delivery and achievement of professional competencies in a Doctor of Pharmacy program. A survey was designed for this research based on the operationalization of the philosophy of pharmaceutical care in the educational setting. The study captured data in a cross-sectional fashion and included both faculty and students in four years of a professional pharmacy curriculum. The context of this study centers around the investigation of educational research questions within the umbrella of a program evaluation.; Overall the results indicated that the survey respondents felt that the educational climate was a positive one and that they were aware of the programs' educational outcomes. Comparisons both within and between faculty and student populations of the perceptions of delivery and achievement of program competencies were used to identify program strengths and opportunities for curricular maintenance. A qualitative analysis of program competency mastery showed an increase in mastery by year in the program.