(20) Assessment of Third Year Pharmacy Students’ Performance in a Journal Club Milestone

Objective : To develop a journal club milestone activity assessing professional year three (P3) pharmacy students’ ability to evaluate and present primary literature.

Methods: Two articles were selected for the milestone. Grading rubrics were developed, and evaluators were trained for consistency. Students were allotted one week to review the articles. On the day of their milestone, students were randomly assigned one of the articles to present to their assigned evaluator. Following the presentation, students were asked questions followed by immediate feedback. Overall, students were assessed on their ability to analyze the data, organize the information, and form a conclusion about the article's impact on clinical practice using a standardized rubric. A post-milestone survey was administered to obtain students’ perspective of preparedness for the experience on a Likert scale of 1 to 5.

Results: A total of 110 students completed the milestone. Students received a pass or fail grade, with passing defined as a score >70%. The average score was 90%, ranging from 64% to 100%. Four students failed and completed remediation. Sixty-three P3 students responded to the survey: 34% ranked their preparedness as 2 or less out of 5, 33% ranked their preparedness as 3 out of 5, 23% ranked their preparedness as 4 out of 5, and only 10% ranked their preparedness as a 5. The average ranking of preparedness amongst all responses was a 2.94 out of 5.

Conclusions: We successfully developed a method to assess over 100 students individually on their journal evaluation and presentation skills. Based on student survey responses, curriculum improvements are needed to increase students’ perceptions of their preparedness for journal article presentations.