Identifying Best Practices for and Utilities of the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcome Assessment Examination.
Objective.A review was conducted to determine implementation strategies, utilities, score interpretation, and limitations of the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcome Assessment (PCOA) examination.Methods.Articles were identified through the PubMed andAmerican Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts databases using the following terms: "Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment," "pharmacy comprehensive examination," and "curricular assessment." Studies containing information regarding implementation, utility, and predictive values for US student pharmacists, curricula, and/or PGY1/PGY2 residents were included. Publications from theAcademic Medicine Journal, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (ACCP) were included for background information and comparison of predictive utilities of comprehensive examinations in medicine.Results.Ten PCOA and nine residency-related publications were identified. Based on published information, the PCOA may be best used as an additional tool to identify knowledge gaps for third-year student pharmacists.Conclusion.Administering the PCOA to students after they have completed their didactic coursework may yield scores that reflect student knowledge. Predictive utility regarding the North American Pharmacy Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and potential applications is limited, and more research is required to determine ways to use the PCOA.
University of Kentucky HealthCare, Lexington, Kentucky.
Timothy Y
TY
Mok
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, Kentucky; Associate Editor, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Alexandria, Virginia.
Frank
F
Romanelli
D000068:Accreditation; D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008009:Licensure, Pharmacy; D012580:Schools, Pharmacy / Q000592:standards; D013339:Students, Pharmacy
Comprehensive Assessment; Curricular Assessment; PCOA; Pharmacy Comprehensive Examination; Pharmacy Curriculum Outcome Assessment