Background: Contemporary pharmacy practice demands sophisticated person-centred communication skills for workforce readiness. Simulation-based learning (SBL) provides immersive opportunities for authentic practice, yet pharmacy education often lacks theory-informed approaches to simulation design. This study evaluates innovative theory-informed simulation design grounded in Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice (1) and transformative learning theory (2), examining how intentional design creates psychologically safe conditions enabling meaningful engagement with vulnerability and interpersonal risk inherent in observed performance.
Methods: This three-year longitudinal action research study examines theory-informed simulation design across multiple learning activities. This presentation reports findings from Simulation 1, conducted in Semester 1, 2025. 133 Second-year Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) students participated in simulated over-the-counter consultations with simulated patients, either as direct participants or peer observers. Pre-post attitudes toward person-centred care were measured using the validated RUS-LatCon instrument (3). Post-simulation focus group interviews with eight students underwent systematic thematic analysis (4).
Results: Among 133 participants, 45 completed paired pre-post surveys. Quantitative analysis of these surveys revealed significant attitude changes toward person-centred care with medium to large effect sizes. Thematic analysis of focus group discussions with eight participants revealed five themes: 1) authenticity as foundation for engagement, 2) vulnerability and mistakes as catalysts for learning, 3) practiced frameworks as structural anchors, 4) differential learning by role, and 5) theory-practice dissonance.
Conclusion: Intentional simulation design that builds trust, frames mistakes as learning opportunities, and employs evidence-based frameworks enables students to engage with risks inherent in participating in SBL while developing interpersonal competencies.
References:
1) Watts PI, McDermott DS, Alinier G, Charnetski M, Ludlow J, Horsley E, et al. Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice: Simulation Design. Clin Simul Nurs. 2021;58:14-21.
2) Mezirow J. Transformative learning: theory to practice. New Dir Adult Contin Educ. 1997;74:5-12.
3) Ng YK, Shah NM, Loong LS, Pee LT, Hidzir SAM, Chong WW. Attitudes toward concordance and self-efficacy in decision making: a cross-sectional study on pharmacist-patient consultations. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2018;12:615-24.
4) Naeem M, Ozuem W, Howell K, Ranfagni S. A step-by-step process of thematic analysis to develop a conceptual model in qualitative research. Int J Qual Methods. 2023;22:16094069231205789.

Background/Statement of Aim(s)

Health professionals are increasingly expected to contribute to the design of care models and services, yet many students receive limited training in structured, human-centered problem solving. Design thinking offers a practical framework that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and iterative solution development, making it well suited for addressing complex healthcare challenges. Its intentional use within interprofessional education (IPE), particularly at scale, remains underexplored. This project describes a virtual IPE workshop that applied a design thinking framework to reimagine dementia care in the United States. The aims were to assess changes in students’ self-perceived design thinking skills related to dementia care and their attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration.

Methods

Students from nine health professions programs at the University of the Pacific participated in a three-hour, Zoom-based IPE workshop. The session began with a one-hour overview of a Dutch model of dementia care, followed by facilitated small-group activities in which interprofessional teams applied design thinking principles to develop innovative dementia care proposals for the U.S. context. Students completed pre- and post-workshop surveys, including the Students’ Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education–Revised Version 2 (SPICE-R2) and the Interprofessional Design Thinking for the Enhancement and Advancement of Dementia Care (IDEA-DC) survey. The post-workshop survey also assessed students’ likelihood of applying the knowledge and skills gained to future practice.

Results

A total of 417 students participated, with 348 completing matched pre- and post-workshop surveys. Statistically significant improvements were observed across all IDEA-DC domains, indicating enhanced self-perceived design thinking skills related to dementia care. Improvements were also noted in 9 of 10 SPICE-R2 items, reflecting more positive attitudes toward interprofessional learning and collaboration. More than 85% of respondents reported being likely or very likely to apply the knowledge and skills gained in future practice.

Discussion and/or Conclusion

Thisdesign thinking–based IPE workshop enhanced students’ design thinking skills and interprofessional attitudes. Embedding human-centered design frameworks within IPE may help prepare future health professionals to collaboratively address complex care challenges, including dementia care.

Background and Statement of Aim:
Immersive simulation (IS) is an innovative pedagogical approach in pharmacy education that enables learners to engage in realistic scenarios designed to enhance clinical judgment and collaborative skills. To strengthen experiential learning within the PharmD and international pharmacy graduate bridging program (QeP), the Faculty of Pharmacy initiated a project to integrate IS into its curriculum as part of the optimization of skills laboratories. The primary aim was to design and implement authentic simulation environments and activities that complement existing skills laboratories.

Methods:
A multidisciplinary working group—including professors, clinical instructors, coordinator, pharmacy technician, and program director—conducted a needs assessment and strategic planning process. Targeted competencies for IS were defined for each trimester of both programs. A focus group identified over 20 relevant professional situations, including crisis resource management cases. Infrastructure development involved collaboration with architects and IT specialists, to design simulated community pharmacy spaces, integrate audiovisual recording systems, and secure essential resources such as hardware, pharmaceutical supplies, and trained personnel (facilitators, simulated patients, support staff).

Results:
By Fall 2025, construction of the simulation spaces was completed, and immersive simulation activities with structured debriefing were implemented. All 2nd- and 3rd-year PharmD students, as well as 1st-year QeP students, participated in IS activities, representing a total of 415 students. To date, seven of the 15 planned scenarios applicable to both programs have been developed and IS is progressively integrated into the curriculum.

Conclusion:
The integration of IS into pharmacy education offers students a safe and controlled environment to develop technical, interpersonal, and decision-making skills prior to real patients encounters. This pedagogical innovation enhances collaborative learning and better prepare graduates for the complexities of clinical practice. Future evaluations will focus on assessing the impact of IS on student performance, confidence and readiness for professional roles.

Background and Statement of Aim(s): Quality improvement (QI) is key to the development of safe and effective pharmacy services.¹ ² Introduction to QI during experiential learning may prepare undergraduates for future roles by integrating clinical, analytical and leadership skills, whilst building a culture of improvement.³ This study aimed to evaluate the integration of pharmacy undergraduate-led QI projects into extended placements, focusing on the impact on student professional development.

Methods: Final-year MPharm students attending four-week extended placements led QI projects and were invited to complete a Likert-scale-based evaluation. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively. Open-ended responses were analysed using content analysis.

Results: Seventy-two students (79.1%, 72/91) completed the survey. Of these, 51.3% (37/72) attended placements in hospitals, 40.3% (29/72) - in general practice surgeries and the rest - either in community pharmacy or other settings (8.3%; 6/72). Most agreed that the placement helped them gain a better understanding of the pharmacy profession, with a specific focus on QI (88.9%, 64/72), and that new learning/skills would assist them in both future studies and career (87.5%, 63/72). They agreed that delivery of QI projects contributed to development of communication skills (97.2%, 70/72), organisation/time management (93.1%, 67/72), problem-solving ability (91.7%, 66/72) and teamworking (81.9%, 59/72). Students praised first-hand learning opportunities when interacting with patients, felt integrated within multidisciplinary teams and thought that their projects would improve services and/or patient outcomes. Some respondents highlighted the need to balance clinical activities against QI project delivery, and to revise the training for placement providers.

Conclusion: To our knowledge this is the first documented evaluation of QI-focused undergraduate pharmacy placements. Findings from this evaluation suggest that this novel approach to experiential learning may support the development of problem-solving and organisational skills whilst preparing students to deliver QI within multidisciplinary teams and contributing to improved patient care.

References
1. Gulzar N, Latif A, Ansong T, Gohil S. Quality improvement in pharmacy practice. The Pharmaceutical Journal, August 2022;309(7964).
2. Baptista R, Williams M, Price J. Improving the impact of pharmacy interventions in hospitals. BMJ Open Quality. 2023;12:e002276.
3. General Pharmaceutical Council. Standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists. 2021.

Background/Statement of aim(s): Interprofessional education (IPE) is required in pharmacy curricula to improve collaboration and quality of care.¹ However, implementing meaningful IPE experiences can be challenging. Simulation is an innovative pedagogy and well-suited to IPE. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a large-scale interprofessional simulation activity on interprofessional attitudes and confidence.

Methods: Students from four healthcare disciplines (nursing, medicine, social work, pharmacy) and two universities with campuses in western North Carolina participated in an educational session: 20-minute orientation to the activity and role of different professions, including a video demonstrating interprofessional “rounding” on a patient; 20-minute “get to know you” activity in assigned interprofessional teams with prompted questions to better understand the background, education, and role of the other professions; 60-minute simulation in the same teams, including a standardized patient encounter for an inpatient substance use disorder case; and 30-minute debrief to discuss experiences. Students completed an immediate-pre-survey and immediate-post-survey. Primary outcomes were changes in modified Brief Attitudes for Interprofessional Collaborative Learning (BASIC-L)² and self-efficacy/confidence responses for all participants. Secondary outcomes were the above for pharmacy learners and reflection responses for all participants. Paired t-tests were used to assess outcomes using Microsoft Excel with alpha 0.05.

Results: One-hundred twelve students participated, and 93 (83%; 43 nursing, 24 medicine, 11 social work, 15 pharmacy) completed both surveys. A statistically significant improvement was seen in 6 of 11 modified BASIC-L² items and 5 of 5 self-efficacy/confidence items. For the subgroup of pharmacy students, four modified BASIC-L² and four self-efficacy/confidence items improved. Overall, participants strongly agreed that working in an interprofessional team was beneficial, and they would recommend this activity to others.

Discussion and/or Conclusion: This interprofessional simulation activity improved attitudes and confidence related to working in an interprofessional team.

References:
1. Accreditation standards and key elements for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree ("Standards 2025"). Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
2. Schneider GW, Lage O, Fairclough J, Raventos VD, De Los Santos M. The Brief Attitudes Survey for Interprofessional Collaborative Learning: The Design, Reliability, and Validation of a New Instrument. Cureus. 2021;13(12):e20238.

Background: The internationalization of higher education and health professions education has led to the development and growth of international university partnerships.(1,2) While some literature focuses on international academic research partnerships, much less is on education. This study aims to evaluate published articles on international health professions education partnerships between universities.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted between January 1, 2000 through October 20, 2024 featuring five health professions: medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry, and public health. Methodology followed Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) criteria.(3) Peer-reviewed articles in English were searched across Medline, Embase, Scopus, and CINAHL. Articles had to describe the purpose of the partnership and two of the following regarding its: development, outcomes, and/or insights. Qualitative data analysis used NVivo (v15.2) with two independent coders applying conventional content analysis and a living codebook.

Results: 8398 abstracts were screened leading to 592 articles for full review and 58 articles meeting inclusion criteria. Most articles involved medicine (33) followed by nursing (21). Most partnerships (47/58) were global north-south collaborations and supported by external funding (38/58). The primary purpose for nearly 80% of partnerships was capacity building with a smaller number describing cultural enrichment and non-capacity building curricular innovation. Development aspects focused on communication, planning, goals, and relationships. Outcomes predominantly included new training programs and curricular changes. For insights, partners emphasized commitment, stakeholder engagement, relationships, funding, shared decision making, cross-cultural communication, trust, respect, and sustainability as success factors.

Discussion: Additional exploration is needed to determine why some health professions, such as pharmacy and dentistry, are not well represented despite several widely known university collaborations. Faculty may not be focused nor incentivized to evaluate and publish on the partnership itself. More research is needed to determine which success factors are most important.

References:
1. de Wit H, Altbach PG. Internationalization in higher education: global trends and recommendations for its future. Policy Rev High Educ. 2021;5(1):28-46. doi:10.1080/23322969.2020.1820898
2. Eddy PL. Partnerships and collaborations in higher education. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 2010
3. Peters MDJ, Marnie C, Tricco AC, et al. Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews. JBI Evid Synth. 2020;18(10):2119-2126. doi:10.11124/JBIES-20-00167

Background/Aims:
Pharmacists developing prescribing capability may report high confidence while experiencing difficulty integrating information and articulating clinical reasoning during simulated consultations.¹ Simulation-based education often prioritises task completion rather than making reasoning explicit, limiting opportunities for feedback on clinical reasoning.² This innovation applied low-burden micro-interventions across a simulated history taking teaching sequence to make clinical reasoning more visible and improve feedback without increasing curricular burden.

Methods:
Three micro-interventions were embedded across three sessions in a prescribing programme. Structured triad and hybrid fishbowl formats supported observer engagement and feedback. A rapid “history relay” rehearsed fluency in structured history taking prior to full cases. “Reasoning pauses” required learners to verbalise differential diagnoses and reasoning during consultations. Evaluation used pre/post self-ratings of confidence (0–10 scales), Likert-based survey items, facilitator observations, and free-text feedback across multiple cohorts of postgraduate pharmacists.

Results:
Self-rated confidence increased following simulation across all cohorts, with differing post-session confidence patterns between intervention and non-intervention groups. Post-session confidence was lower in groups completing the history relay and reasoning pause interventions. Facilitator observations and learner feedback suggested increased awareness of the structure and complexity of history taking and clinical reasoning, reflected in more cautious confidence ratings. Survey timing was identified as a potential confound, as the non-intervention group completed the survey later in the day following physical examination teaching. During reasoning pause sessions, facilitators observed earlier verbalisation of differential diagnoses and more explicit articulation of clinical reasoning. Structured observer roles were associated with more specific peer feedback, although observers reported only moderate comfort delivering constructive critique (mean 3.46/5).

Conclusion:
Targeted design changes applied across a simulation sequence can make clinical reasoning more visible and support more meaningful feedback. Lower post-session confidence following fluency- and reasoning-focused interventions appears to reflect improved calibration rather than reduced capability, highlighting limitations of self-reported confidence as a proxy for competence.


References

1.Ilgen JS, Eva KW, de Bruin A, Cook DA, Regehr G. Comfort with uncertainty: reframing our conceptions of how clinicians navigate complex clinical situations. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2019;24(4):797–809. doi:10.1007/s10459-018-9859-5

2.Eva KW. What every teacher needs to know about clinical reasoning. Med Educ. 2005;39(1):98–106.

Background and aim. Simulation-based learning (SBL) provides pharmacy students with valuable opportunities to practice and develop clinical skills, however sustainable high-quality SBL can be challenging to maintain long-term. This study aimed to develop authentic video-based simulations focused on clinical decision-making for appropriate antibiotic selection, to enrich the learning experience for pharmacy students; and to evaluate their impact on student learning and satisfaction.
Methods. Two video-based SBL scenarios - tuberculosis and polymicrobial infection - were developed with expert input and produced using professional actors and a small film crew. Second-year pharmacy students enrolled in 2019, and from 2022 to 2024 were invited to participate in tutorial-based SBL activities using these simulations. Learning outcomes and perceptions were evaluated using pre- and post-tutorial questionnaires.
Results. Across the five-year period, completed paired questionnaires were obtained from 233 students (62.5%; 233/373) for the tuberculosis scenario and 275 students (54.9%; 275/501) for the polymicrobial infection scenario. Statistically significant improvement in pre- and post-tutorial scores were observed in all years except for the tuberculosis scenario in 2019. Most students rated the SBL activities as outstanding or excellent (tuberculosis: 80.0 – 98.2%; polymicrobial infection: 82.1 – 93.6%), with minimal variation across years. The majority reported that the activities helped them to acquire critical thinking skills (mean: 90.1% for tuberculosis; 93.2% for polymicrobial infection) and supported better learning (mean: 95.2% for tuberculosis; 97.7% for polymicrobial infection). Almost all students (93.6 - 95.0%) expressed a desire for more SBL activities to support their learning in the future. Positive outcomes were consistent across the five-year timeframe.
Conclusion. Video-based SBL represents a sustainable and effective approach to enhancing pharmacy students’ learning experiences, supporting consolidation of knowledge about antimicrobial agents and practice of clinical decision-making skills in selecting appropriate antibiotics to treat infectious diseases.