(266) Academic Success and Achievement Planning at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy

Objective : To describe an academic success approach utilized at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and evaluate the utilization and engagement in the program by student pharmacists.

Methods: The Academic Achievement Program (AAP) identifies academically at-risk students through evaluation of exam scores and absences in all core classes in addition to instructor, peer, and self-referrals. Following referral the program provides an opportunity for one-on-one academic coaching with a dedicated Academic Affairs team member. Once identified, students engage in a process referred to as Academic Success and Achievement Planning (ASAP) which includes the following steps: Collect, Assess, Plan, Implement, Follow-up, and Evaluate. The ultimate goal is the development of a student-centered plan that will result in academic improvement. To evaluate the utilization of the program by student pharmacists, key metrics such as number of students enrolled in the program, number of individual referrals, and frequency with which these students took advantage of available resources has been tracked and evaluated.

Results: From September 2019 to December 2022, there have been a total of 1,062 individual referrals to the AAP. On average 98 students are referred each year with more referrals taking place in the fall semester as compared to the spring. Of those referred, just over 200 students developed a plan through an academic coaching session with a member of the team. Of those thus engaged, over 75% successfully completed the courses in which they were previously identified as “at-risk”.

Conclusions: Student engagement in the AAP has increased over the four years of data collection and with this engagement has come academic improvement for the majority of the students enrolled in the program.