(355) ALFP Debate: Are PharmD Students Customers of Schools of Pharmacy?

Objective : Describe the pros and cons of considering students as customers of schools of pharmacy.

Methods: The Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP) contributes to the development of leaders in the academy. ALFP Fellows participate in a debate on current topics in academic pharmacy. Members from Cohort 19 and an ALFP alumni team were assigned sides. Literature reviews of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Eric, and PsychInfo were conducted, and relevant references and online resources were also reviewed. Relevant full-text articles were reviewed and pertinent points included.

Results: The pro-side argues that students are customers because they pay for their education. However, students are not guaranteed a degree. Second, to financially sustain an institution, students are customers because pharmacy programs respond to their needs and demands. Finally, as customers of the education process, students have a shared responsibility for their education.

The con-side argues that students are not customers. Instead they argue the customers are employers, society and most importantly, patients. Second, education is not a transaction, so students cannot be considered customers solely because tuition is associated with the education process. Finally, there are dangers of treating students as customers, including entitlement, poor academic performance, less engagement, and limited relationship building.

Conclusions: Reflection and collaborative discussions by members of the academy on the transactional and relational elements of student, faculty, and institution relationships can be beneficial in supporting student development, achieving organizational outcomes, and in benefiting society as a whole.