(321) Promoting Professional Identity Formation: Parallel Pathways in the Didactic and Experiential Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum

Objective : Professional identify formation (PIF), with an emerging focus on self-constructed, internal adoption of professional norms, is increasingly viewed as critically important for the education of future health professionals. PIF strengthens skills and attitudes to successfully address professional challenges with passion and personal commitment. In pharmacy, PIF builds on and enhances the profession’s longstanding commitment to student professional development. The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy PharmD program has been redesigned to promote PIF across the curriculum.

Methods: An emphasis on PIF has been incorporated in curricular, experiential, and co-curricular activities. Several didactic courses have aligned learning objectives with ACPE 2016 standards to promote self-awareness and professionalism and engage students in the process of identity-formation as members of an inter-professional practice-community. The Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process framework, threaded through therapeutics modules and skills development courses, incorporates experiences to encourage students to ‘think and act’ like pharmacists. Experiential education longitudinally engages students in diverse practice and co-curricular experiences to encourage PIF development by offering students opportunities for engagement with external stakeholders and patients.

Results: Assessment of PIF in students is complicated as the skills are not explicitly observable. Since identity evolves over time with self-construction and experiences, the School has developed a longitudinal quantitative and qualitative data collection plan to assess, modify, and improve PIF programming and student achievement via surveys, interviews, focus groups, and reflections. The plan calls for continuous monitoring and modifications as needed.

Conclusions: The School will continue to monitor closely the integration of programs and policies designed to support PIF. Through direct assessment and feedback, programs will be modified and enhanced to ensure that students develop these critical skills in preparation for professional practice.