(168) Is there a curriculum gap?: Assessing future pharmacists’ preparedness to face end-of-life situations in practice

Objective : To assess student, alumni, and clinical faculty perceptions on the preparedness of future pharmacists to face end-of-life care situations in practice and the efficacy of the curriculum in equipping pharmacists to navigate end-of-life care.

Methods: A mixed-methods research design was used. A convenience sample of fourth-year PharmD students and alumni from a private, Midwestern pharmacy school completed a Qualtrics survey where they self-assessed their preparedness to face end-of-life situations in practice. Clinical faculty perceptions on end-of-life care preparation were collected via interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics through SPSS. Qualitative data was coded manually in Word using in-vivo and pattern coding prior to theme development.

Results: Fifteen (15) students and seventy-two (72) alumni completed the survey. Seven (7) clinical faculty participated in interviews. Students and alumni felt they could handle their personal emotions when faced with end-of-life care situations, but felt they did not know how to obtain resources to assist others. Nine (9) themes described the faculty’s perspectives. One such theme is described as “students need direct experience to truly understand and be prepared to face end-of-life care in practice.” This may or may not be available in the didactic curriculum.

Conclusions: Pharmacy students may benefit from curricular experiences that emphasize and improve their knowledge of end-of-life care resources available to patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Faculty perceptions on improving the didactic curriculum includes using a panel of experts or guest speakers to share their lived experiences, incorporating practical end-of-life care scenarios and encounters, and using IPE-related simulations involving end-of-life care. Identifying gaps in student knowledge and performance provides evidence to support curricular improvements that better prepare future pharmacists for end-of-life care in practice.