Introduction: Students enter pharmacy school with varied levels of preparation in prerequisites, particularly calculation skills. This presents an opportunity to support students in building a strong foundation for success in pharmacy school. With the goal of reducing disparities in academic readiness and building classroom community, we developed an immersion course to provide students with a foundation in medical terminology and basic calculations.
Methods: All incoming students completed this 1-credit immersion course, Rx Essentials, with 15 contact hours during the first week of the semester. Regular courses began in the second week. Class sessions used active learning strategies including games, case scenarios, pre-class assignments, and group discussions. To pass, students needed a minimum score of 70% on one medical terminology exam and three calculation quizzes. Individual tutoring and re-assessment were available for those who did not meet this threshold. Student perceptions were assessed through course evaluations and focus groups. Scores on a calculations-based pre-assessment in the Pharmaceutics course were reviewed.
Results: All students (n=100) successfully passed. Four students required one re-assessment attempt (two calculations and two medical terminology). Course evaluations were positive with scores ranging from 4.2 - 5.0, on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). Themes from student comments revealed varied experiences with the calculations content: some found it easy or unnecessary, while others appreciated the refresher. The feedback also highlighted a need to allocate more time to mastering medical terminology and practicing calculations that more directly prepare students for the Pharmaceutics course. Students that completed Rx Essentials outperformed their 2023 peers on the Pharmaceutics pre-assessment (68% v 52%).
Conclusion: The Rx Essentials course effectively bridged gaps in pre-requisite knowledge and enhanced readiness for pharmacy coursework. Positive evaluations and improved Pharmaceutics pre-assessment scores indicate the course’s impact. Student feedback will guide refinements to align content with curricular needs.

Introduction: Pharmacists routinely give advice on appropriate administration of medicines and nutritional products. Pharmacy students are taught to locate and synthesise information relevant for specific situations. However, without practical experience of different administration processes and practical considerations, there is a risk that advice provided will be confusing and unrealistic.
Methods: A practical, hands-on 2-hour session was designed using the constructs of active learning and knowledge contextualisation and incorporated into the paediatrics and geriatrics module, which occurs late in the BPharm programme. Four stations were designed, supported by specialist multidisciplinary staff from both University and clinical settings:
• Hospital Play Specialists explaining child development, behaviour management techniques and teaching children to swallow solid doses.
• A gastroenterology nurse supporting students to ‘administer’ tablets and capsules via nasogastric tubes, with a pharmacist discussing considerations when crushing solid dose forms.
• Intravenous administration, where students view, touch and experience administration via luers of different gauges and a range of central lines, alongside a paediatric nurse discussing intravenous line insertion and use, and a pharmacist explaining considerations relevant to neonatal, paediatric and adult patients.
• Taste tests of enteral feeds and electrolyte replacement products in different flavours and at different temperatures, supporting discussion on product selection and taste masking.
Results: Students reported the workshop was useful and universally recommended continuation for future cohorts. All stations were mentioned in free-text evaluation comments asking which aspects they considered most useful (play specialists n=8/44; tasting n=34/44; IV lines n = 21/44 and nasogastric tubes n=24/44). Comments included “being able to observe, interact, hold, taste, at the different stations really helped to consolidate the knowledge we've learnt in class. It was fun and interesting”.
Conclusion: The practical medicines administration workshop was well received by students, provided a valuable learning experience and is now permanently integrated into the module.

Introduction: Pharmacy regulation and ethics course introduce students to pharmacy laws, ethics, and regulations in the pharmacy profession. Learning through international comparison assignments can significantly impact students' academic performance. The aim of this study is to identify students’ perceptions of using the international comparison as an interactive teaching method in learning ethical regulation and law course.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used a mixed methods approach that included quantitative and qualitative data collection. The survey was divided into five domains: knowledge development, international perspective, future prospects, personal enjoyment, and an overall evaluation of the learning experience. Students' levels of agreement were assessed using a five-point Likert scale, with five indicating the strongest agreement and one indicating the strongest disagreement. Additionally, open-ended questions encouraging students to reflect about their experiences were included in the survey.
Results: A total of 214 students completed the questionnaire, achieving a response rate of 81.6 %. Nearly 90 % of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that a comparison of the two international perspectives was effective in supporting their knowledge of drug approval processes in Saudi Arabia and other countries. However, approximately three-quarters of the students strongly agreed or agreed that international comparison and contrast assignments would influence their career choices. The students were enthusiastic about the assignment's development and improvement of a set of crucial abilities, including searching, analyzing, summarizing, critical thinking, and teamwork, which are crucial for healthcare students, particularly pharmacy students.
Conclusions: Overall, learning by using an international comparison of contrast assignments as an interactive teaching method can positively impact students' academic and professional development by helping them develop critical thinking, research, writing, cultural awareness, and communication skills.

Introduction: Weight bias can lead to negative patient outcomes and discourage individuals from seeking healthcare. Stigma operates on multiple levels: micro (interpersonal interactions between patients and health professionals), mezzo (physical environment, including equipment and decor), and macro (institutional policies). To promote equity, health professionals must recognize their own biases, advocate for weight-inclusive spaces, and develop policies ensuring care for patients of all sizes. Exploring these issues in an interprofessional education (IPE) setting can foster multidisciplinary dialogue on providing weight-inclusive care. This study aimed to assess the impact of a 4-hour IPE workshop on student knowledge and attitudes regarding weight bias.
Methods: Students from twelve health professions participated in a Zoom-based IPE workshop designed to improve knowledge and attitudes related to weight bias. The workshop included lectures from subject matter experts and three breakout room sessions where interprofessional teams applied lecture content to problem-based scenarios. Breakout sessions were titled: 1) Introduction to weight stigma using a comic strip, 2) Identifying barriers to care in the built environment, and 3) Practicing interventions in potentially stigmatizing situations. Students completed a pre/post-event survey, including the Knowledge and Beliefs About Weight Stigma (KABAWS) scale, a 24-item, 5-point Likert-based survey developed for the workshop. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to determine changes in the pre/post KABAWS survey.
Results: Six hundred and forty-seven students participated, with 529 completing the pre/post survey (response rate 81.8%). Statistically significant improvements were noted on 19 items of the KABAWS survey, including “It is unacceptable for fat people to leave a healthcare appointment feeling bad about their weight” (p<0.001) and “Fat people should lose weight so they don’t experience weight stigma anymore” (p=0.002).
Conclusion: Few studies have addressed weight bias among health professions students. This study suggests that the IPE workshop successfully shifted student attitudes regarding weight bias and stigma.

Introduction: Therapeutic decision-making is a core competency in pharmacy and there is an increasing need to support student development of these skills. However, educational institutions often face limitations in time and resources to provide sufficient training in this area. Online teaching and learning may assist the institution to better prepare the students for these skills. This is the first study conducted to identify the needs, expected outcomes, supporting resources, and potential barriers to teaching therapeutic decision-making skills online in an Indonesian university.
Methods: Online interviews with faculty executives, pharmacy academics, and hospital preceptors in an Indonesian university were conducted. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using deductive coding guided by the program decision-making CIPP (Context-Input-Process-Product) combined with inductive coding. This study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committees of Monash University and the Indonesian university.
Results: Eight pharmacy academics, three faculty executives, and six pharmacist preceptors participated in this study. Participants suggested a need to enhance students’ therapeutic decision-making skills before graduation, as hospital placements alone were insufficient to develop these competencies. Some participants expressed concerns about the effectiveness of teaching skills online, citing limited real-time interaction with students critical for refining their abilities. Most participants identified the students’ skill acquisition as the primary expected outcome of teaching therapeutic decision-making skills online. Resources identified to support online teaching and learning included Internet access, online learning platforms, clinical literature, and faculty training.
Conclusion: Academics, administrators, and preceptors agreed on the need for additional support for students to develop therapeutic decision-making skills with online learning as a potential solution. However, some barriers were anticipated, including effectiveness concerns. These findings suggest that successful implementation of online therapeutic decision-making training will require dedicated resources for technological infrastructure and faculty development, along with careful consideration of pedagogical approaches that enhance student engagement and skill acquisition.