West Coast University School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, California;
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy, Erie, Pennsylvania; and.
Adv Physiol Educ. 2016 Dec;40(4):501-508. doi: 10.1152/advan.00073.2016.
The purpose of the present study was to assess the current status of physiology education in US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs. A survey instrument was developed and distributed through SurveyMonkey to American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Biological Sciences section members of 132 PharmD programs. Survey items focused on soliciting qualitative and quantitative information on the delivery of physiology curricular contents and faculty perceptions of physiology education. A total of 114 programs responded to the survey, resulting in a response rate of 86%. Out of 114 schools/colleges, 61 programs (54%) offered standalone physiology courses, and 53 programs (46%) offered physiology integrated with other courses. When integrated, the average contact hours for physiology contents were significantly reduced compared with standalone courses (30 vs. 84 h, P < 0.0001). Survey respondents identified diverse strategies in the delivery and assessment of physiology contents. Eighty percent of the responding faculty (n = 204) agree/strongly agree that physiology is underemphasized in PharmD curriculum. Moreover, 67% of the respondents agree/strongly agree that physiology should be taught as a standalone foundational course. A wide variation in the depth and breadth of physiology course offerings in US PharmD programs remains. The reduction of physiology contents is evident when physiology is taught as a component of integrated courses. Given current trends that favor integrated curricula, these data suggest that additional collaboration among basic and clinical science faculty is required to ensure that physiology contents are balanced and not underemphasized in a PharmD curriculum.
本研究旨在评估美国药学博士（PharmD）课程中生理学教育的现状。我们开发了一种调查工具，并通过 SurveyMonkey 分发给美国药学院协会（AACP）生物科学分会的 132 个 PharmD 项目成员。调查项目重点征集生理学课程内容的交付情况以及生理学教育方面的教师看法的定性和定量信息。共有 114 个项目对该调查做出了回应，回应率为 86%。在 114 所学校/学院中，有 61 个（54%）项目提供独立的生理学课程，有 53 个（46%）项目将生理学与其他课程整合。整合后，生理学内容的平均接触时间明显少于独立课程（30 小时与 84 小时，P<0.0001）。调查受访者确定了在生理学内容的传授和评估中使用的多样化策略。80%（204 名）的教师表示同意/强烈同意生理学在 PharmD 课程中被低估。此外，67%的受访者同意/强烈同意生理学应作为一门独立的基础课程教授。美国 PharmD 项目中生理学课程的深度和广度存在很大差异。当生理学作为整合课程的一部分教授时，生理学内容的减少是显而易见的。鉴于目前有利于整合课程的趋势，这些数据表明，基础科学和临床科学教师之间需要进一步合作，以确保生理学内容在 PharmD 课程中保持平衡且不会被低估。
