Journal of the American Pharmacists Association www.japha.org 678 •฀ JAPhA฀ • 51:6฀• Nov /D ec ฀2011 ASSOCIATION REPORT New directions in pharmacy education APhA–APPM Bonnie A. Falcione APhA–APRS Pamela U. Joyner, Robert A. Blouin, and Russell J. Mumper APhA–ASP Kyle Burcher and Whitney Unterwagner APhA–APPM Pharmacy has em- braced technol- ogy for decades. This tradition enables practitioners within our profession to increase productiv- ity and improve safe medication practices in diverse and enu- merable ways. Technology in pharmacy education has been described as “almost ubiquitous.” 1 This is unique in higher education, which is seemingly criticized for sluggish technology uptake amidst a widely digital native student population. 2 Evidence suggests that the challenge in pharmacy education may no longer be whether we should integrate technology but rather which technologies should be integrated. Technologies in action Advances in technology outpace our abil- ity to comprehensively describe their ap- plications. However, a nationwide survey of U.S. colleges and schools of pharmacy recently captured a snapshot of the ex- panse of technology in our programs, demonstrating that 100% of respondents use a course management system for content delivery. Other applications they found in pharmacy classrooms included presentation software in educational lectures (98.9%), audience (student) response systems (88.8%), electronic testing (79.8%), classroom capture soft- ware for later viewing (70%), document collaboration (66.3%), wiki tools (66%), and blogging (60%). 1 Indeed, technology is embedded in pharmacy education. Although few of my faculty col- leagues claim “techno-geek” status, ma- ny at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy use a range of technologies to design active teaching and learning culations and equations on computer screens for simultaneous large-screen projection and subsequent classwide distribution. Students review prere- corded lectures before class, permit- ting in-class discussion and case-based activity time. 3 Outside of class, students complete popular faculty-designed vir- tual patient cases that introduce a pa- tient, present clinical dilemmas, pose decision-point questions, and evolve in response to the student’s decisions. Students receive customized feedback. 4 Sessions with high-fidelity mannequin simulators at the school of pharmacy and the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research are designed by university faculty to “answer” student questions, replicate physical exam findings, and demonstrate physiologic responses to “administered” drugs, allowing students to practice in- terviewing, data collection, assessment skills, and real-time evaluation of drug therapies in a safe environment. 5,6 A hy- brid online/classroom interprofessional The Association Report column in JAPhA reports on activities of APhA’s three academies and topics of interest to members of those groups. The APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA–AP- PM) is dedicated to assisting members in enhancing the profession of phar- macy, improving medication use, and advancing patient care. Through the six APhA–APPM sections (Administrative Practice, Community and Ambulatory Practice, Clinical/Pharmacotherapeutic Practice, Hospital and Institutional Practice, Nuclear Pharmacy Practice, and Specialized Pharmacy Practice), Academy members practice in every pharmacy setting. The mission of the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science (APhA–APRS) is to stimulate the discovery, dissemination, and application of research to improve patient health. Academy members are a source of au- thoritative information on key scientific issues and work to advance the phar- maceutical sciences and improve the quality of pharmacy practice. Through the three APhA–APRS sections (Clinical Sciences, Basic Pharmaceutical Sci- ences, and Economic, Social, and Administrative Sciences), the Academy provides a mechanism for experts in all areas of the pharmaceutical sciences to influence APhA’s policymaking process. The mission of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP) is to be the collective voice of student pharmacists, to provide opportunities for professional growth, and to envision and actively promote the future of phar- macy. Since 1969, APhA–ASP and its predecessor organizations have played a key role in helping students navigate pharmacy school, explore careers in pharmacy, and connect with others in the profession. The Association Report column is written by Academy and section officers and coordinated by JAPhA Contributing Editor Joe Sheffer of the APhA staff. Suggestions for future content may be sent to jsheffer@aphanet.org. strategies. Innovation is encouraged among University of Pittsburgh faculty, as evidenced by the annual Provost’s Advisory Council on Instructional Ex- cellence (ACIE) award. Faculty in our school have received support to develop innovative teaching technologies with lo- cal and university-wide applicability dur- ing the past 8 years. Examples of technologies currently in action at our school include use of polling questions woven into PowerPoint presentations for anonymous student re- sponses and immediate feedback. Both students and faculty glean real-time as- sessment of their level of comprehen- sion. Faculty members handwrite cal- Falcione Downloaded From: http://japha.org/ on 12/01/2015