The externship program of the School of Pharmacy of the University of Missouri at Kansas City was evaluated. Both the teaching associate pharmacist and the extern were asked to complete externship evaluation questionnaires at the end of the training. The externships were divided into two groups for analysis of the evaluation questionnaires: those…

An expert in medical education discusses the need for change in aspects of that field, including curriculum content, training sites, faculty roles, and collaborative research and teaching, and notes trends and issues in general health occupations education that may have implications for pharmaceutical education as well. (MSE)

Poison Control Centers are being utilized by more schools of pharmacy each year as training sites for students. This paper discusses what such a center is, its services, changes anticipated in the poison center system in the next several years and how they may influence pharmacy education, specifically as it relates to clinical toxicology.…

A clinical pharmacy educational program is described. Under the guidance of pharmacy faculty members, senior pharmacy students participate in patient care activities with general internal medicine and internal medicine subspecialty teams consisting of an attending faculty physician, an internal medicine resident, two interns, and four junior or…

The College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, engaged in an innovative, intense approach to clerkship curriculum development based on the nominal group process. The nominal group process is defined as a method of soliciting ideas and constructive input from experts with differing backgrounds and perceptions. (Author/MLW)

A computer-assisted exercise consisting of a case history of an asthmatic patient and a series of multiple-choice questions that forced the student to reanswer until reaching the correct response enable students to practice using clinical information, follow treatment steps, and have feedback on their treatment choices. (Author/MSE)

A survey of undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Nebraska examined whether they rated product- or patient-oriented pharmacist behaviors more highly and to determine any difference in perception of pharmacists' behaviors among bachelor degree students post-clerkship as compared to doctoral students prior to clinical experiences.…

Project Porvenir functions as a manpower resource for primary health care systems developing in rural New Mexico. By providing supervised interdisciplinary teams of students in medicine, nursing, and pharmacy, Porvenir increases the service capabilities of the facilities with which it is affiliated. (LBH)

Two pharmacy computer training laboratories were developed in Nebraska to facilitate student acquisition of computer skills for patient education prior to their clerkships at Nebraska Drug Information Network rural sites. Students' previous computer experience and computer use in delivering education during clerkships were assessed. Patterns in…

A survey of 1,044 graduates of an entry-level PharmD program looked at preparation for practice, career outcomes, professional contributions, and job satisfaction, with special attention paid to effects related to gender and postgraduate residency training. Results affirm strong and positive influence of residency training on professional…

Continuing education programs for pharmacists must integrate basic science knowledge with information on its practical application. Such programs are only achievable through interdisciplinary planning by the basic science and clinical practice faculties. (JMD)

The process approach is an effective method of teaching clinical pharmacy clerkship orientation, the major advantage of which is increased student participation based on improved early identification of predetermined learning outcomes. The primary disadvantage is the difficulty of implementation. A lesson plan is appended. (MLW)

The development and use of a bank of test items, utilizing the Rasch model in the calibration and scaling of these test items, is described. The items were used to construct tests for pre- and posttesting students in the Pharmacy Practice Externship at the University of Kentucky. Typical questions from the bank are appended. (JMD)

It is suggested that the pharmacist can provide a vital information link between parents, teachers, and the family physician in the management and treatment of children with learning disabilities. A course is outlined that integrates a clinical clerkship in the field into the pharmacy curriculum. (MSE)

To investigate the effectiveness of the Area Health Education Center Pharmacy Training Program at the University of Texas, a study was undertaken to determine the amount of time pharmacy externs spend in predefined work categories and to compare them to program objectives. (JMD)