by Ryan
Costantino, Pharm.D., PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Resident, University of Maryland
Medical Center
In sports, business, politics, or healthcare,
leadership is a highly sought after character trait. Over the past several
years I have repeatedly heard “Pharmacy needs to train more leaders.” Interest in training and developing leaders
has been mentioned by Harvey A.K. Whitney Award recipients1, in a Rho
Chi Lecture2, and it appears several times in the current ACPE accreditation
standards.3 While the need for leadership education and training is
clear, the best method to train leaders in pharmacy is not.
Articles or reports published in scholarly
journals that specifically address leadership education for pharmacy students
are sparse.4,5 Boyle and colleagues
describe an elective course implemented to develop pharmacy students’
leadership and political advocacy. Course evaluations from the elective
identified benefits including building public-speaking skills, debating skills,
increasing confidence at business functions, and networking. The authors also report that students sought leadership
positions after completing the course and felt a sense of empowerment with
increased confidence to become more involved in organizations as leaders and
advocates.
From an instructional design standpoint, Boyle
and colleagues designed their course well. It had clearly stated objectives and
used a variety of assessment methods that required students to verbally discuss
and debate issues as well as summarize their course experience in a written
reflective paper. The course also had an experiential component that required
students to participate in various professional organizations or activities. I
believe an experiential component is essential for any leadership education
program because leadership is more than having knowledge or skills. It’s also
the ability to act at the appropriate time and in the appropriate way to exert
influence.
Another manuscript that described leadership
education was published by Sorensen and colleagues from the University of
Minnesota. The course included didactic,
experiential, and self directed learning activities. It focused on developing
core leadership skills, self-awareness, and awareness of the process for
leading change. The authors used activities such as StengthsFinder®, and reputable books such as Our Iceberg is Melting to augment the
classroom-based activities. Course evaluations by the students were generally
positive and students rated the activities in the course moderately to very
useful. The authors also stated that evaluations from both students and
practicing pharmacists suggested that the course could serve as an effective
tool in preparing students to lead change when they enter the profession.
Both of these courses appear to have been
constructed with sound principles of instructional design in mind. They incorporated a variety of didactic classes and
experiential experiences to convey knowledge regarding leadership. However, on the negative side, both courses
relied heavily on course evaluations from student to evaluate course
effectiveness.
After searching the literature regarding leadership
education, it’s clear that there is a lack of evidence about how best to teach
someone to be a leader. It is unclear if either of these courses have had a
long-term impact on students. Evaluating additional outcomes is needed.
For example, it would be useful to survey the entire pharmacy class and see
if students who took the course were more involved in leadership roles or
professional organizations than students who did not enroll in the course. Or
perhaps surveying employers of these graduates to assess whether the employer
thought the student possessed leadership skills or traits at a higher level
than what would be expected for an entry-level pharmacist.
Leadership courses for pharmacy
students have approached leadership development in a very appropriate manner
using a variety of instructional activities and tools. What
we don’t seem to do well is critically evaluate and assess whether these
courses actually produce the desired results.
Leadership education would be well served to apply the same rigorous
standards we apply to other disciplines by examining long-term outcomes.
Leadership will continue to be a desired
character trait in pharmacy and healthcare. All pharmacists should possess
fundamental leadership skills regardless of whether they hold a formal
leadership position because all pharmacists influence people. Pharmacy schools would be prudent to continue
to encourage faculty to develop innovative programs and courses that work to
mentor and develop future leaders and equip all graduates with the skills they
need to lead at all levels in an organization. Leadership courses and programs should
continue to be created using the principles of instructional design but must
employ more rigorous evaluations if we want to critically assess whether they are effective.
References
1. White SJ. Leadership:
successful alchemy. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2006; 63:1497-1503.
2. Grabenstein,
JD. 2011
Rho Chi Lecture: Mortars & Pestles, Maps & Compasses, Vaccines &
Syringes. Am J Pharm Educ 2011: 75: Article 79.
3. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Accreditation standards and
guidelines for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of
pharmacy degree [Internet]. Chicago: Accreditation Council for Pharmacy
Education; 2011. 97 p. [cited 2012 Oct 8]
4. Boyle, CJ, Beardsley, RS, Hayes, M. Effective
leadership and advocacy: amplifying professional citizenship. Am J Pharm
Educ 2004;68:Article 63.
5. Sorensen, TD, Traynor, AP, Janke, KK. A pharmacy course on leadership and leading change. Am J Pharm Educ 2009;73:Article 23.
5. Sorensen, TD, Traynor, AP, Janke, KK. A pharmacy course on leadership and leading change. Am J Pharm Educ 2009;73:Article 23.
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