Richard O’Brocta, PharmD, Asim Abu-Baker, PharmD, et al, A Continuous Professional Development Process for First-Year Pharmacy Students. Am J Pharm Educ. 2012; 76(2) Article 29.
This was a pilot designed to examine the feasibility of a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) process for first year pharmacy students. The study included training for both students and faculty on the CPD 4-step process: Identifying learning objectives (Reflect), creating a plan (Plan), completing the learning objective (Act) and evaluating learning outcomes (Evaluate). A total of 75 students and 24 faculty participated. Fifty-six percent of students completed a midpoint survey and 32% of students completed a second survey. The most significant barrier for both students and faculty was their inability to make the CPD process a priority. In addition, students had difficulties identifying their objectives. The study concluded that it is feasible to implement CPD process in first year pharmacy students, although it also reported that 54% of the students did not recognize the value of the CPD process.