(442) Strengthening Faculty and Staff Success Through Professional Development and Leadership Opportunities

Objective: To promote continuous professional and leadership development, inclusive of faculty and staff, to enhance individual performance and satisfaction, advance the school reputation, and achieve mission-driven outcomes.

Methods: Multiple initiatives were launched to promote professional and leadership development of school personnel including: focus on leadership opportunities for junior faculty; school-wide workshops; support for conference attendance; encouragement of service in pharmacy professional organizations; funding support for professional development; and additional opt-in initiatives. To quantify these opportunities, a list of non-executive faculty and staff with at least two semesters of service over a two year period was compiled. An initial review was conducted to gather contributions in leadership and professional development activities,using historical data and summary results of the 2023 AACP Faculty Survey. Subsequently, a local survey was administered to detail development experiences, and to measure individual perceptions of growth, satisfaction, contributions to the school, and understanding of professional pharmacy.

Results: Fifty-two personnel met inclusion criteria, with over 85% of faculty and 40% of staff engaged in at least one leadership opportunity, and more than 75% of faculty involved in leadership outside their position title. More than 70% of personnel had professional development activities beyond the school’s semi-annual development workshops, spanning a spectrum of internal and external programming. Faculty responses to the 2023 AACP survey indicated >90% agreement with questions about access to professional development support. Individual satisfaction in such activities and perceptions of how this engagement impacts success and school outcomes will be reported.

Conclusions: An explicit focus on leadership roles and professional development has promoted widespread engagement by faculty and staff across units and ranks.