Impact of an evidence-based pharmacotherapy elective on performance during the fourth-professional year

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of an evidence-based pharmacotherapy (EBP) elective on performance during the fourth-professional year.

Methods: We included students enrolled in the EBP course in the fall of 2009 and 2010 and matched them with students with similar GPAs not enrolled in the EBP course. Performance during the fourth-professional year was assessed based upon overall Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) grades and performance on a professional seminar presentation (a pass/fail course), journal clubs, and patient presentations. All included assessments were from full-time faculty preceptors.

Results: Twenty-eight EBP students and 58 GPA-matched students were included in the analysis. The mean APPE grades were 89.8% and 90.1% for the EBP and matched groups, respectively (P = 0.65). The first attempt pass rate for the professional seminar was higher in the EBP students (96%) compared to the GPA-matched students (86%), but did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.26). The proportion of students achieving "highest distinction" on the seminar was also higher in the EBP compared to GPA-matched students (36% vs. 19%), but also failed to reach statistical significance (P = 0.11). Grades on journal clubs (90.7% vs. 90.2%) and patient presentations (89.8% vs. 89.5%) were similar between the EBP students and GPA-matched students, respectively.

Conclusions: Students participating in the EBP elective performed similarly to GPA-matched peers on APPE rotations with full-time faculty members, but were more likely to pass their professional seminar on the first attempt, and more likely to achieve a rating of “highest distinction”. The EBP course requires students to critically evaluate and present primary literature throughout the semester. This translated into better performance on the high-stakes professional seminar course.