Background and statement of aim: Assessing practice readiness at the culmination of professional training requires strategies that authentically evaluate applied knowledge, decision-making, and performance under pressure. Traditional capstone assessments may inadequately capture learners’ ability to integrate pharmacotherapy knowledge, accurately evaluate prescriptions, and rapidly distinguish brand and generic medications in high-stakes environments. To address this gap, a Squid Game–inspired, game-based capstone assessment was implemented using childhood-game mechanics aligned with practice-readiness competencies. The aim of this educational innovation was to evaluate whether an immersive, competitive assessment could enhance engagement while maintaining rigorous evaluation of practice readiness.

Methods: This innovation was implemented during a capstone course for graduating professional students. Learners participated in four sequential games incorporating both team-based and individual challenges. Games assessed pharmacologic site of action (“Pin the Tail on the Donkey”), applied pharmacotherapy and prescription verification (timed relay race), rapid brand–generic identification (Simon Says), and clinical monitoring knowledge (musical chairs). Standardized instructions, strict time limits, and faculty moderation ensured consistency and rigor. Learners who were eliminated from gameplay entered an alternative assessment pathway (“exam of hell”) that required completion of mandatory surveys and cumulative, closed-book quizzes administered through UWorld. Learners were required to achieve ≥70% on each quiz, with a limited number of attempts; failure to meet the criteria resulted in a structured journal club assignment. Outcomes were learner’s perceived readiness for practice.

Results: A total of 62 learners completed the pre-activity, and 34 completed the post-activity surveys. Most learners (56%, 19/34) recommended continuing the activity and reported higher engagement than with traditional capstone reviews. Learners reported improved perceived readiness for practice (65%, 22/34), particularly in brand–generic recall, prescription evaluation, and applying knowledge under time pressure. Although the activity was described as stressful, learners frequently characterized the stress as realistic and beneficial for identifying knowledge gaps.

Discussion/conclusion: This immersive, game-based capstone assessment offers a novel, scalable approach to evaluating practice readiness through authentic, pressure-based tasks combined with structured remediation. By integrating engagement with rigorous assessment standards, this model supports meaningful evaluation of capability at graduation and may be adaptable across health professions education.

Background: The University of Queensland (UQ) Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) program recently underwent a redesign which culminated in its capstone pharmacy practice course being developed and taught for the first time in Semester 2, 2025. The aim of the program redesign was to embrace new and authentic approaches to curriculum design, delivery, and assessment towards producing more practice-ready graduates. For this capstone course, the traditional GPA and hurdle assessments required to pass the course did not authentically align with or assess the wide range of skills and competencies required of graduates into the pharmacy profession. Thus, a new assessment approach was developed to assess student competency against the domains of the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) Performance Outcomes Framework (2020).
Methods: Each individual criterion for all assessments in the course was aligned with one of the five domains of the APC Performance Outcomes Framework (Professionalism in Practice, Communication & Collaboration, Professional Expertise, Leadership & Management, and Research, Inquiry and Education). The total marks available across the semester were tallied for each domain. In place of individual assessment hurdles, students were required to demonstrate competency by achieving at least 50% of the total marks in each of the five domains over the whole course.
Results: Approximately 4% of students who otherwise would have passed the capstone course on GPA alone were required to sit supplementary assessment for not achieving 50% of the marks in one or more of the domains, primarily Professional Expertise. Conversely, many students who would have failed due to a high-stakes hurdle assessment (e.g. OSCE) were able to demonstrate overall competency across domains and pass the course.
Discussion: This approach provides a means to assess pharmacy students against professional outcomes and capabilities without relying on individual assessments for each outcome or applying hurdles to all assessments. While this approach utilised whole domains, it paves the way towards programmatic assessment focussing on individual outcomes and capabilities.

Background/Statement of aim(s):
Pharmaceutical compounding expectations for PharmD graduates are evolving, yet consensus on essential skills for experiential rotation and workforce readiness remains limited. Many curricula remain fixed in traditional formulations and resource constraints rather than systematic input from practicing stakeholders. This project aimed to identify contemporary compounding competencies to guide the redesign of a compounding laboratory course to better support practice readiness.

Methods:
Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with current PharmD students, recent pharmacy graduates (residents/fellows), and inpatient and outpatient preceptors. Audio-recorded sessions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive content analysis to generate priorities for core compounding competencies and curricular changes.

Results:
Five focus groups involving 13 students, 13 preceptors, and 4 residents/fellows were completed. Across stakeholder groups, regulatory standards literacy (e.g., USP 795/797/800), foundational sterile techniques (e.g., aseptic technique, PPE use, proper garbing), common nonsterile formulations (e.g., suspensions, creams) and calculations skills emerged as core compounding competencies. Participants urged increased alignment with other foundational courses, such as pharmaceutics, pharmacy law, and pharmaceutical calculations, and streamlining in-class activities to focus on high-yield experiences that directly support rotation performance and licensure examinations. These findings highlight consistent expectations for practice readiness and identify essential competencies to guide course content and assessment.

Discussion and/or Conclusion:
The results suggest opportunities for transformative curricular redesign by de-emphasizing infrequent formulations and legacy technologies in favor of realistic practice scenarios and transferable skills. Increased integration of the compounding course with other foundational courses could help reduce the cognitive load across courses, improve knowledge retention, and enhance learners’ ability to apply compounding principles during rotations and practice. This stakeholder-driven framework offers an adaptable solution for institutions seeking to “right-size” compounding education, ensuring compliance while advancing practice readiness.

Background/statement of aim(s): Simulation is widely used in pharmacy education, and best practice guidance for simulated participant (SP) methodology emphasizes that cases be grounded in authentic experiences and designed to respect the individuals represented¹-³. This study described and evaluated a collaborative skills lab in which SP Educators, pharmacy instructors, and SPs with lived experience co-developed and delivered an inclusive conversations session, departing from traditional models that position SPs solely as role-players, and examined its impact on students’ inclusive communication skills.

Methods: SP Educators and pharmacy instructors partnered with SPs of diverse lived experiences to co-author scenarios addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, gender-affirming therapy, microaggressions, and naloxone stigma in a required skills lab session focused on inclusive communication. SPs co-authored cases, portrayed the roles, and facilitated learner-centered feedback. Across four years, students completed post-session surveys; in the fourth year, an 11-item pre–post survey assessed self-reported skills in communication, cultural humility, and inclusive care. Quantitative data were analyzed with Mann–Whitney U tests; open-ended responses underwent thematic analysis.

Results: Over four years, 476 students participated and 451 completed surveys. Overall, 80% strongly agreed and 18.8% agreed that interacting with SPs significantly enhanced their learning. Among year-four respondents (n = 106), statistically significant improvements (P < 0.05) were observed in 9 of 11 competencies, including gender-affirming care, intersectionality awareness, inclusive communication, and patient advocacy. Active listening and comfort asking about pronouns and gender identity increased numerically but did not reach statistical significance. Thematic analysis identified five themes: realism and authenticity, diversity and inclusion, empathy and connection, feedback and reflection, and preparation for real-world practice.

Discussion: Involving SPs with lived experience as co-authors, role-players, and educators within a skills lab was associated with gains in students’ inclusive communication competencies and was perceived as valuable. This collaborative model offers a feasible approach for embedding authentic, inclusive conversations into pharmacy curricula.

1. Overview of implementation and learning outcomes of simulation in pharmacy education. JACCP. doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1784

2. An Exploration of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism in Standardized Patient Simulations. AJPE. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpe.2023.100594

3. The Association of Standardized Patient Educators Standards of Best Practice. Adv Simul. doi.org/10.1186/s41077-017-0043-4

Objective:
Pharmacy education is increasingly expected to prepare students to address social determinants of health (SDOH) and health inequalities through collaborative, patient-centred care. However, social care remains inconsistently integrated into interprofessional education (IPE) within pharmacy curricula [1]. To address this gap, we developed a cross-disciplinary, case-based interprofessional learning activity that embeds social care decision-making and referral pathways within a multidisciplinary context. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this activity and assess its impact on student’s understanding, confidence and applied reasoning.

Method:
A pre–post social care IPE evaluation survey was administered following a structured, case-based IPE workshop for MPharm students at University College London (UCL) and MSc students in Public Health and Health & Social Care Leadership & Management at London Metropolitan University. The workshop used realistic patient scenarios embedding SDOH and social care challenges, with matched questionnaires assessing changes across four domains: SDOH understanding, social care and referral confidence, interprofessional collaboration, and public health and system awareness. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric paired tests, and thematic analysis of free-text responses were used.

Results:
A total of 140 matched responses were analysed, with improvements observed across all four domains. The largest gains were in SDOH identification and understanding and in public health and healthcare system awareness, alongside increased applied social care and referral confidence, while interprofessional role clarity showed a ceiling effect due to high baseline scores but was further consolidated by the workshop. Qualitative findings showed a shift from abstract awareness to applied, action-oriented reasoning, including greater reference to referral pathways and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Conclusion:
These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating social care into pharmacy IPE through case-based learning. This holistic, collaborative approach enhances strengthens interprofessional competencies, and promotes systems level thinking, preparing future pharmacists to address SDOH and contribute to equitable and sustainable healthcare systems.

References:
1. Kiles TM, Rosario N, Leslie KF, Denton N, Dang DK, Singh D, Braden-Suchy N, Connor SE. Approaches for Embedding Structural Competency and Social Determinants of Health in Pharmacy Curricula. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. 2025 Apr 1;89(4):101384.

Viva assessments are often positioned as hallmark examples of authentic assessment, yet empirical research on students' lived experiences of authenticity remains largely confined to clinical education contexts. In non-clinical settings such as pharmaceutical sciences, where oral examinations are increasingly introduced to support professional readiness and address academic integrity concerns in the age of generative AI, little is known about whether students experience vivas as personally meaningful, engaging, or conducive to skill development. Drawing on authenticity as an emergent, learner-centred construct, this study examined how students experience viva assessments in terms of personal authenticity, and how these perceptions relate to engagement and perceived skills development.

A cross-sectional survey was administered to students enrolled in a Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences programme following completion of a coursework-based viva assessment. The survey measured perceived personal authenticity, engagement, and perceived skills development. Of 209 eligible students, 196 completed the survey. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and latent variable modelling with robust estimators.

Students reported high levels of perceived authenticity, particularly in relation to real-world relevance and competence development. Perceived authenticity was positively associated with engagement and with confidence in verbal communication, problem-solving, and professional self-concept. Exploratory modelling further suggested that experiences of choice and challenge were salient in shaping perceptions of skills development.

These findings suggest that viva assessments can function as authentic learning experiences in pharmaceutical sciences education when they support agency, challenge, and professional meaning. Beyond replicating real-world scenarios, authenticity appears to be experienced through how students are positioned as thinkers and emerging professionals, informing future-ready assessment design that supports engagement, skills development, and professional identity formation.

1. Quinlan KM, Sellei G, Fiorucci W. Educationally authentic assessment: reframing authentic assessment in relation to students’ meaningful engagement. Teaching in Higher Education. 2025;30(3):717–34.
2. Ajjawi R, Tai J, Dollinger M, Dawson P, Boud D, Bearman M. From authentic assessment to authenticity in assessment: broadening perspectives. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 2024;49(4):499–510.
3. Sokhanvar Z, Salehi K, Sokhanvar F. Advantages of authentic assessment for improving the learning experience and employability skills of higher education students: A systematic literature review. Studies in Educational Evaluation. 2021;70:101030.

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are increasingly used by pharmacy students to support learning and assessment tasks. However, limited empirical evidence exists on how students interact with GenAI and how such interactions influence knowledge acquisition, skill development, and learning outcomes.¹ This study aims to examine how pharmacy students communicate with GenAI, the factors influencing these interactions, and their implications for student learning outcomes.

Participants were asked to respond to an identical clinical question under two conditions: initially without GenAI support, followed by access to a GenAI chatbot (e.g. ChatGPT, DeepSeek). Student–GenAI interactions, including prompts entered into the GenAI platform, were analysed using qualitative coding to identify question-asking approaches, and student responses were compared before and after GenAI use to examine changes in accuracy, grammar, cohesion, and wording.

Thirty pharmacy students (n = 30) enrolled at a university with campuses in Australia (n = 18) and Malaysia (n = 12) participated in this study. Most student prompts focused on confirming clinical information or refining wording, whereas less than half involved seeking clarification or feedback. Students with more complete initial responses typically asked one-off prompts, whereas others engaged in extended conversational exchanges and made more substantial changes to their initial answers. The majority of responses produced after GenAI use were clearer and more structured, using more patient-friendly language. However, effects on clinical accuracy and conceptual understanding were mixed, with some inaccuracies introduced following GenAI use.

Thus, GenAI can serve as a supportive bridge that helps students improve their learning and clinical communication, while improvement in clinical understanding appears to be influenced by how students ask questions of GenAI and critically appraise AI-generated responses. These findings highlight the importance of educational approaches that support responsible interaction with GenAI, including ethical use and critical appraisal of AI-generated content, to promote effective learning in pharmacy education.

References:
Mortlock R, Lucas C. Generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) in pharmacy education: Utilization and implications for academic integrity: A scoping review. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2024;15:100481. doi:10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100481.