title: Best Practices in Establishing and Sustaining Consortia in Pharmacy Education.
abstract: Objective.To describe best practices, necessary resources, and success or lessons learned from established consortia in pharmacy education.Methods.Using semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis, interviews with members of established consortia in pharmacy education were conducted until saturation was reached. Themes were analyzed and meaningful descriptions of consortia characteristics were developed using systematic text condensation.Results.Thirteen interviews were conducted. The primary purpose for forming a consortium was identified as threefold: share ideas/best practices; facilitate collaboration; and perform shared problem-solving. For experiential education consortia, two additional purposes were found: share capacity for practice sites, and promote standardization across programs. When investigating best practices for established consortia, three main themes were identified. These included strategies for: (1) relationship building within consortia, (2) successful outcomes of consortia, and (3) sustainability. Successful outcomes included scholarship and, sometimes, program standardization. Sustainability was linked to structure/support and momentum. Respect was considered the foundation for collaborative relationships to flourish in these consortia.Conclusions.Pharmacy education consortia form through a process that involves relationship building to produce outcomes that promote sustainability, which benefits both pharmacy schools and individual faculty members. Consortium formation is a viable, productive, and often necessary institutional goal for pharmacy schools.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Danielson
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hincapie
authors.affiliation: West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baugh
authors.affiliation: Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sy
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Penm
authors.affiliation: Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albano
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D000071216:Faculty, Pharmacy; D006801:Humans; D012580:Schools, Pharmacy / Q000592:standards; D013339:Students, Pharmacy
keywords: consortium; educational assessment; experiential learning; pharmacy education; qualitative research