Student-perceived impact of types of co-curricular activities in a Doctor of Pharmacy programme

Authors

  • Jaclyn D. Cole University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8600-1079
  • Sheeba Varghese Gupta University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3161-0800
  • Davina Devries University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
  • Angela M. Hill University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
  • Srinivas M. Tipparaju University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
  • Amy Schwartz University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
  • Heather Petrelli University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2023.231.159164

Keywords:

Activity type, Co-curriculum, Impact, Pharmacy, Student perception

Abstract

Background: Co-curricular (CoC) activity tracking and assessment are required by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) 2016 Standards. The purpose of this manuscript is to evaluate the student-perceived impact of the type of CoC activity chosen.

Methods: First-year (P1) through third-year (P3) students in a 4-year Doctor of Pharmacy programme were required to complete two Professional Development Unit (PDUs) activities each semester and two Self-Selected Activities (SSAs) longitudinally through each academic year. PDUs include passive attendance at practitioner presentations, whereas SSAs require more active engagement, such as membership in professional organisations. Students completed surveys for each CoC activity. Survey responses for spring 2020, fall 2020, and spring 2021 were collected through ExamSoft and analysed with PowerBI (2021) and IntellectusStatisticsTM (2019).

Results: Students reported positive perceptions for both PDUs and SSAs in the areas of being “different from prior experiences”, “complimenting the curriculum”, “increased my understanding of the profession”, and being of “high quality”. Professional organisation activities were the most commonly selected SSA. Those activities with lower perceived benefit were less clearly aligned with the professional role of a pharmacist, such as intramural sports.

Conclusion: Overall, most CoC activities that closely aligned with the profession of pharmacy were perceived to complement the curriculum and enhance students’ understanding of the field. Students reported perceived value in both active and passive CoC activities.

Author Biographies

Jaclyn D. Cole, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

Taneja College of Pharmacy

Sheeba Varghese Gupta, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

Taneja College of Pharmacy

Davina Devries, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

Taneja College of Pharmacy

Angela M. Hill, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

Taneja College of Pharmacy

Srinivas M. Tipparaju, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

Taneja College of Pharmacy

Amy Schwartz, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

Taneja College of Pharmacy

Heather Petrelli, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

Taneja College of Pharmacy

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Published

04-03-2023

How to Cite

Cole, J. D., Varghese Gupta, S., Devries, D., Hill, A. M., Tipparaju, S. M., Schwartz, A., & Petrelli, H. (2023). Student-perceived impact of types of co-curricular activities in a Doctor of Pharmacy programme. Pharmacy Education, 23(1), p. 159–164. https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2023.231.159164

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 1 (2023)

Section

Short Report

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