Each question was evaluated for all respondents together, and for nine different respondent subgroups. The overall criteria for significance was α = 0.05 for each question, with Bonferroni correction for the ten overall comparisons made for each question. Results Thirty-two interviewers participated (20 faculty members, five preceptors, and seven student pharmacists). From the pre-MMI training survey through the post-interview survey, interviewers gained confidence in their ability to explain the rationale behind the MMI model, were more likely to agree that six minutes was adequate time to assess an applicant and believed MMI provides a fair assessment of an applicant's noncognitive attributes. Conclusions After interviewers received training and gained experience with MMI, perceptions of MMI improved.Background and purpose Through a realistic medication adherence activity, the objective was to improve students' ability to identify non-adherent patients, build empathy toward patients, and prepare them to provide patient-centered care. Educational activity and setting First- and second-year student pharmacists completed a two-month activity, which required adherence to a pre-specified medication regimen. Prior to starting, a survey was administered to assess students' perceived difficulty and success of the medication adherence activity. Upon completion, students were asked their perceived success and difficulty with the activity, challenges to maintaining adherence, and lessons learned from the project. Changes in perceived difficulty and success were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Challenges and lessons learned were coded for similar themes and frequencies. Findings 298 student pharmacists completed the pre- and post-survey (response rate 99%). Students' perceived difficulty of adherence was higher on the post-survey (median on post = 7.0 (out of 10) versus median on pre = 6.0, p = 0.023). Students' perceived success was higher on the presurvey (median on pre = 8.0 versus median on post = 6.0, p less then 0.001). The most frequent challenges were remembering to take the medications (n = 133) and medication regimen timing (n = 98). The most frequent lesson learned was that "adherence is a difficult concept" (n = 143). Summary Students participated in a "hands-on" medication adherence activity. Students found that medication adherence is more difficult than perceived. Future research should examine the long-term impact of students maintaining empathy toward patients and provision of medication adherence services.Introduction The University of Sydney School of Pharmacy offered provisionally registered pharmacy graduands the opportunity to complete the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) vaccination training course. This study evaluated participant perceptions of the vaccination training course and their experiences in administering the vaccines. Selleckchem CHIR-99021 Methods Graduands' perceived knowledge of influenza vaccinations and skills and confidence in administering vaccinations were assessed using anonymous, 17-item, pre- and post-course surveys (5-point Likert items, 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Pre-course completion was 68% (63 of 92 participants) and post-course completion was 62% (57 of 92 participants). Follow-up interviews with 18 participants provided an understanding of vaccination experiences and opinions of the quality and timing of the course in terms of preparing them to confidently administer influenza vaccines in a community pharmacy setting. Results The course resulted in significant increases in the graduands' perceived knowledge of influenza vaccinations (24.4% increase, p less then 0.001), skills in managing patients receiving influenza vaccines (27.1% increase, p less then 0.001), and confidence level to administer influenza vaccines (80.7% increase, p less then 0.001). Telephone interviews confirmed the survey results and showed that 55% of participants administered influenza vaccines during their intern year, with the majority (63%) of participants believing that the best time to complete the training course was shortly before commencing vaccinations. Conclusions The PGA vaccination training course significantly improved graduands' confidence, skill, and knowledge of influenza vaccination. However, the amount of time between completing the training course and first vaccination can affect confidence to administer vaccines.Introduction While technology's use and impact in the classroom setting is well-documented in literature, use during experiential education is less defined. Our objectives were to assess the change in clinical knowledge and application skills following a multisite topic discussion (TD) series using web-based conferencing technology during ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) and to assess student perceptions of learning through use of this modality. Methods A multisite TD series was created using web-based conferencing technology for students assigned to a clinical faculty member's ambulatory care APPE. Five topic discussions were conducted during each five-week rotation block covering disease states integral to ambulatory care practice. Pre- and post-assessments were administered to assess student learning and a survey was administered to assess student perceptions of learning. Results A total of 151 students were invited to participate in the study with 114 (75.5%) included in the final analysis. Overall student performance improved significantly from 53.3 ± 12.7% on the pre-assessment to 65.8 ± 14.3% on the post-assessment, with student performance on the post-assessment improving significantly in all topic areas. Students perceived that the TD series enhanced their learning and ability to apply clinical information while creating an online learning community. Conclusions The addition of a multisite TD series using web-based conferencing technology successfully enhanced student knowledge. Student perceptions of this new web-based learning community were positive overall, despite some technological limitations. The results of this study support the use of web-based conferencing technology to enhance student learning during APPEs.