(319) Professional Identity Formation: Using an Institutional EPA based IPPE assessment

Objective : As the AACP Strategic Plan 2021-2024 emphasizes professional practice identity of future pharmacists, we sought to evaluate our university’s embedded model of immersive co-operative education (co-op)/IPPE as a change agent in the development of professional identity formation (PIF) in pharmacy students. Our co-op/IPPE model’s tenets of preparation, activity, and reflection allows our students to complete 1360 IPPE hours immersed in pharmacy practice settings.

Methods: Retrospective analysis and comparison of co-op/IPPE student self-assessments and preceptor evaluations of our IPPE EPA-based competency tool. Summary statistics and observed trends were identified. We categorized questions from our EPA-based assessment tool based on PIF tenets (thinking (T), feeling (F), acting (A)). Three assessment questions were coded as TFA, 9 as TA, and 4 as A, with 2 elements deemed unrelated to PIF.

Results: Seventy-eight students in the class of 2023 and 57 preceptors completed evaluations. Out of 15 EPAs in an institutional practice setting, student alignment with preceptor evaluations was mixed. Students reported higher incidence of performing tasks related to TFA: professional development (88% vs. 70% p=0.01), communication (79% vs. 61% p=0.03) and self-awareness (88% vs. 60% p=0.002). However, other questions revealed students stated they did not meet(DNM) or perform(P) EPAs to the same level as preceptor’s evals, primarily in the TA coded questions: EPA 4.1(DNM 33% vs. 9% p=0.008, P 18% vs. 33% p=0.04), 7.1(DNM 40% vs 11% p< 0.0008), 8.1(DNM 21% vs. 4% p=0.004), 10.1 (DNM 50% vs. 16% p=0.0001, P 12% vs. 26% p=0.04).

Conclusions: An immersive institutional coop/IPPE experience appears to be a strong scaffold for students to develop their professional identity, particularly in the areas of thinking and acting.