I can step outside my comfort zone.

McFadyen, Morag C.E.; Diack, Lesley

Abstract

On embarking upon such a multifactorial, professional degree as Pharmacy, students often find it difficult to meld the scientific- and practice-based components of the course. In final year of the undergraduate Masters of Pharmacy degree (MPharm) within the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences at Robert Gordon University (RGU), students undertake a research project within a specific area. The aims of this study were to explore the effectiveness of a novel practice based approach to a biomedical science project, to identify elements of difficulty in the process, and to explore students' perceptions and reflections. Final year students were assigned to perform a systematic literature review working within a defined area of pharmacovigilance. Students were given individual ownership of the research question and were able to choose a topic of interest. Following the successful completion of the assignment, students were invited to explore their attitudes and views of the project and reflect on the process through a focus group using a talking wall method. The findings clearly identified a shift in mindset from predominantly negative opinions initially to an overwhelming positive viewpoint.

Citation

MCFADYEN, M.C.E. and DIACK, L. 2017. I can step outside my comfort zone. Pharmacy [online], 5(4), article number 59. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5040059

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 17, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Oct 22, 2017
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jan 22, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 22, 2018
• Journal: Pharmacy
• Electronic ISSN: 2226-4787
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: 59
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5040059
• Keywords: Evidence based medicine; Undergraduate pharmacy; Thematic analysis; Science practice integration; Systematic review
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/2678