Introduction: The SCCM endorsed consensus recommendation statements of critical care pharmacists (CCP) declares that CCP have a scientific role in all research that involves the pharmaceutical care of critically ill patients. The Research in Critical Care Pharmacotherapy elective course implemented a novel approach that promoted collaborative research across four campuses. The impact of a multi-semester research course on pharmacy student confidence and experience in critical care research are unknown. Methods: Retrospective evaluation over five years of a multi-campus, multi-semester research elective course in a PharmD program. A survey was developed to assess confidence and experience acquired in research skills and was distributed at the start of the elective and after the final semester of course completion. Confidence was measured using the Dreyfus model and 19 unique research skills were assessed. The primary outcome was median student confidence of overall research and secondary outcomes included median confidence and frequency of research experience encountered in the elective course in 20 specific areas of research. Results: 47 students were assessed over 5 years of the course offering. 45 of the 47 students responded to the pre-course survey and 43 students responded to the postcourse survey. There was a significant change from pre- to post-course in the frequency of Novice 9 (6-12) vs. 1 (0-7) and Competent 3 (0-4) to 6 (2-8) in the Dreyfus model. There was a statistically significant improvement in confidence in 17 of the 19 research categories assessed. More than 40% of students gained experience in 12 of the 20 total research areas offered. Conclusions: A multi-semester research elective improves confidence in most research skills and gives students a breadth of experiences across the research process.
Hawkins et al. (Sun,) studied this question.