Pharmacy faculty perspectives about implementing competency-based education in pharmacy education

Introduction

There is increasing interest in competency-based pharmacy education (CBPE). Little is known about pharmacy faculty's perspectives about CBPE. The purpose of this study is to investigate pharmacy faculty's perspectives about the traditional education system and the benefits, challenges and appropriateness of adopting CBPE.

Method

Following IRB approval, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in the summer of 2022. A national sample of pharmacy faculty completed a 52-item online survey designed by the investigators.

Results

Of the 174 respondents, the majority were from private institutions (59.9 %) and from the pharmacy practice discipline (61.0 %), with over 10 years of work experience (56.0 %). Most held favorable views of the traditional pharmacy education system, with 66.6 % agreeing it meets the needs of the profession. Respondents also expressed concerns about CBPE, noting that it would increase faculty workload (67.4 %), faculty training requirements (83.1 %), and the time dedicated to teaching and assessment (68.3 %), with 82.0 % acknowledging many challenges associated with its implementation. Furthermore, 51.7 % indicated their programs lacked sufficient faculty to implement CBPE successfully, and 71.7 % reported inadequate faculty training. Over half (58.6 %) felt their programs were not prepared to adopt CBPE.

Conclusion

Pharmacy faculty generally hold positive views of both the traditional education system and CBPE, though there is a lack of understanding of CBPE and concerns about its implementation challenges. Future studies should further explore faculty and student perspectives on CBPE to better inform its adoption.