(381) Breaking the Stigma: Unveiling the Truth About Fear of Failure Among First-Year Pharmacy Students

Trainee Category: Student Pharmacist

Objective : To characterize first year pharmacy students’ attitudes towards failure upon entering the Doctor of Pharmacy program and following the first semester. To evaluate whether student response to failure changes as they progress through the first professional year.

Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to first year pharmacy students enrolled at Ferris State University Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. Students were given class time to complete the survey which consisted of 5 domains: study habits and academics, response to failure, attitudes and beliefs, personal definition of failure, and demographics. The modified performance failure appraisal inventory (mPFAI) was adapted to assess student attitudes and beliefs. Aggregate scores were compared between fall and spring semester to assess overall response to failure. For students that completed both the fall and spring surveys, answers were compared to evaluate a change in response to failure. Qualitative analysis was used to identify themes in student’s personal definitions of failure.

Results: Of the 107 first year pharmacy students, 89 (83.2%) and 72 (67.3%) completed the surveys in fall and spring, respectively with 44 (41.1%) completing both surveys. There was no difference in aggregate mPFAI scores between fall and spring (-6.98 ± 11.3 vs. -4.58 ± 14.1; p = 0.47). For students that completed both surveys, mPFAI scores did not change (-7.52 ± 11.0 vs. -5.13 ± 13.1; p = 0.19). Qualitative analysis for the definition of failure included grades, effort, learning, and success.

Conclusions: Fear of failure did not change from the first to second semester of the curriculum for first year pharmacy students. Future research should focus on what resources or interventions impact fear of failure in pharmacy students.