Survey of pharmacy schools’ approaches and attitudes toward curricular integration

Abstract

Objective. To identify ways in which curricular integration is addressed in US pharmacy schools, the structure of therapeutics and foundational science courses, and perceptions of the effects current curricular integration methods have on student learning. Methods. An electronic survey was sent to academic leaders representing 131 pharmacy schools in the United States. Frequency data was tabulated and demographic analysis was performed. Results. Respondent data represents 94 schools of pharmacy. Arranging similar content from various disciplines in a course, a skills laboratory and pharmacy practice experiences were the most common methods for achieving curricular integration. More than one half of the schools indicated that foundational sciences were integrated with therapeutics. The most common reported challenge to curricular integration was logistics. Conclusion. Pharmacy education in the United States has evolved in addressing curricular integration in the curricula, which is consistent with changes in accreditation standards. Most pharmacy schools reported a variety of methods for achieving the intent of curricular integration.