(436) Non-Traditional Workflows Employed at an Accelerated School of Pharmacy to Circumvent Resource Hurdles

Objective: To highlight non-traditional workflows utilized by William Carey University School of Pharmacy (WCUSOP) to maximize a productive educational environment with a small workforce and limited budget in an accelerated program.

Methods: The authors assessed strategies contributing to the effective completion of labor-intensive tasks and services. Areas assessed included admissions, didactic and experiential curriculum, professional development, scholarship, and service.

Results: To bolster admissions, recruitment efforts were directed at regional high schools and undergraduate campuses and driven by senior faculty and Deans. This allowed for one administrative staff member to focus on digital campaigns, prospective student communication and campus tours. Didactic curriculum adaptations included use of APPE students, interdepartmental faculty and community volunteers to assist with large-scale labs and OSCEs. Additionally, collaboration with the College of Medicine fostered participation in resource-heavy simulations. Given the School’s geographic location and limited healthcare resources, the Office of Experiential Education has built close partnerships with surrounding regions and states to provide diverse learning opportunities. The efforts of the Office of Student Services to oversee student organizations and academic success are supplemented by faculty mentoring programs and streamlined procedures. To enhance professional development, internal and external resources are leveraged to provide opportunities for faculty/staff growth and development. Extensive intra- and interdepartmental research collaborations allow faculty to overcome funding and workload challenges. As a result, our faculty have contributed to 108 journal articles, 105 conference presentations, 29 CE presentations and 6 grants since the inception of our program in 2018.

Conclusion: Critical elements for implementing non-traditional workflows are communication, relationship building, faculty/staff buy-in and process management. Without these tenants, any strategies to overcome limited resources would likely not be successful.