Correlation of pre-pharmacy work experience in a pharmacy setting with performance in a top 200 drugs course

Abstract 

Background

Students that enter pharmacy school have varying pre-pharmacy work experiences in a pharmacy setting. Pharmacy students often take a course that requires them to learn basic drug information on the Top 200 Drugs dispensed in the United States.

Objective

To examine the correlation between pre-pharmacy work experience and performance in a Top 200 Drugs course.

Methods

Pre-pharmacy student data were collected from a questionnaire that students completed the summer before their entrance into pharmacy school. Student grades were collected from a Top 200 Drugs course. This course is taken during the first and second semesters of the first professional year in pharmacy school. Correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between pre-pharmacy work experience and course grades in a Top 200 Drugs course.

Results

Previous work experience is not a strong predictor of a student's grade in a Top 200 Drugs course. A significant correlation, however, was found between little or no pre-pharmacy work experience and receiving lower grades in a Top 200 Drugs course (α = 0.01, r = 0.284, t = 5.23). The lowest grades in the course were correlated to students who have little to no pre-pharmacy work experience.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that students who received the lowest final grades in the Top 200 Drugs course had little to no pre-pharmacy work experience.

Keywords: Top 200 Drugs course, Pre-pharmacy work experience, Education