A Web-based PharmD Pathway:
A Preliminary Overview of One Library's Role

A. James Bothemer & Jeanne M. Burke*

Abstract - A web-based pathway Pharm.D. program was launched at Creighton University in 2002. By all measures the web-based students have performed as well as the on-campus students. Information access for the distant education students was one critical component to assure their academic success. The Health Sciences Library's role in providing education and access to information is described.

A Web-based PharmD Pathway:
A Preliminary Overview of One Library's Role

In the spring of 2005, 50 individuals completed a unique program at Creighton University in Omaha , NE. These 50 individuals (30 females and 20 males) who had been 55 in the inaugural class in the fall of 2001, graduated with their PharmD granted by the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions. Receiving a PharmD by itself is a commendable achievement but these individuals completed their degree entirely through a Web-based pathway. And, they did it in comparable fashion with traditional on-campus students. As of this writing, the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions (the School) Web-based pathway for the Pharm.D is unique in this country.

The pathway was conceived based on a shortage of pharmacists and somewhat in response to a white paper authored by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1999, which described this predicted shortage. (as reported in American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education [1]).

The pathway was funded with a $1 million grant awarded to Creighton University by the Institute for the Advancement of Community Pharmacy (American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education [1]) The online pathway is a full-time program that is completed with three didactic years followed by a 4 th year of clinical rotations. (American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education [1]).

What follows is a short informational piece on the Creighton University Health Sciences Library's (HSL) role in serving the information needs of this unique group of students. One key to success was the strong collaboration between the Library and the School.

Web-based students are encouraged to participate in traditional on-campus activities such as committees and student organizations. However, most are on campus only for two weeks each year. The goal of the HSL staff was to make most library services and resources available to on-campus students also accessible to Web-based students. This was a realistic goal with the increased number of electronic resources available. It was possible to deliver services and resources to remote users much easier than it would have been during days of a primarily paper bound library.

If a resource was not available electronically copies of the print version would be scanned and sent electronically, faxed, or sent via mail depending on the student's preference, and in compliance with copyright laws. A student “library” fee was assessed by the School to all Web-based students for library services in lieu of other fees assessed to on-campus students. Part of this money was used to fund a half-time library faculty member who was responsible for training students and helping faculty negotiate copyright for their Web-based courses as well as being one of several reference librarians to assist the Web-based students with their information needs. The library fee was also used to purchase electronic resources (e.g. LexiComp, Clinical Pharmacology, IDIS, etc.).

Each year, the Library Staff does a training and orientation session for the incoming Web-based Pharmacy Students. This one hour, on-campus "Boot Camp" occurs during the two-week orientation for new students in August. After the first year the orientation time was extended to one and a half hours to be able to cover more material but reduced back to one hour again in 2004.

TRAINING AND ORIENTATION

Year Students Time
2001 48 1 hr.
2002 60 1.5 hrs.
2003 65 1.5 hrs.
2004 65 1 hr.
2005 65 1 hr.

 

In the summer of 2002 a new elective, PHA 375 (Introduction to Online Information Retrieval) was offered as a Web-based course by the library's Reference Staff. This class focuses on improving search techniques for online databases and other resources.

INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

Year with Students Students Contact Hours
2002 (Summer) 6 60 hrs.
2003 (Fall) 6 60 hrs.
2004 (Winter) 4 60 hrs.
2005 (Winter) 4 60 hrs.
2005 (Fall) 8 144 hrs.
2006 (Winter) 9 160 hrs.

 

In the Fall of 2004, Reference Staff supplied a guest lecturer for two 50 minute classes on database searching & full-text access for PHA 329 (Introduction to Drug Information and Pharmaceutical Care). Reference Staff also helped design this course and reviews it each year for accuracy and relevance. The audio part of the presentation was taped and put up on the course web site for both the web students and on-campus students. Each fall revised presentations are recorded and added to the course's website. Podcasting is being investigated for future lectures.

During the first two years, Reference Staff received a mix of questions concerning technology along with the standard reference questions such as, “how do I access” or “how do I find information on….” The volume of calls was heaviest on evenings and weekends from students working on their class assignments. Many of the technology questions came to the Reference Department simply because help was available on evening and weekends. Many of the technology problems were caused by firewalls or Internet service providers and were eventually resolved by the students. Firewall problems still occur for students who are trying to use resources from their job sites. Problems with contacting students and sending their messages have been getting easier as more students use their university e-mail accounts. Fall is still the library's heaviest time for reference requests from students seeking help, advice, or other reference assistance. Technology related questions and problems decrease each year as knowledge and comfort with the technology grows with each new class.

As might be expected, Web-based pathway students tend to be more interactive with the library by calling or e-mailing questions when they need help. Cell phones have been really helpful for these students. The addition of cell phones allows students to remain online as the librarian works with them, making it easier and faster for them to get the answers they need.

The Library Staff has incorporated sections, such as the Distance Education (under Library Services), on the Library's website [ http://www.hsl.creighton.edu/ ], which help to provide Web-based students more information on the services available to them. Electronic forms, staff contact information, hours of operation, remote access instructions, and database search tips are also on the library's website. Both the Web-based and traditional students go to these web pages but the Library Staff tries to provide enough explanation so remote students can easily work on their own.

The need for access to electronic resources has fueled the addition to the collection of electronic books, resources, and journals. When Library Staff reviews electronic resources, they put an added emphasis on ease of use and the reliability. The Reference Staff makes a point to communicate to the vendors or database designers any problems or changes that they or the web students feel would be helpful to resource users.
The Library Staff spends time working with faculty on electronic reserves materials and information for their on-line course sites. The staff have created “canned” searches, reviewed course content, and assisted faculty in locating and adding Internet resources to their course sites.

Library Staff members strive to develop its resources and services from a perspective of serving both on and off-campus users. Librarians must be sure that information and services provided to the Web-based students include enough description and details to allow them to spend their time on learning and not on the mechanics of using library resources.

A web based satisfaction survey was conducted in the summer of 2004. Results indicated that the Web-based Pathway students were satisfied with the library resources and services. The lowest mean score on a 5-point Likert scale (with 5 being very satisfied and 1 being very dissatisfied) was 3.44, which was scored for the Interlibrary Loan Services. The cost and delay of obtaining the information seemed to be the primary reason for a somewhat lower score. Everything else was rated at 3.5 or higher.

The Web-based Distance pathway (Online Pharmacy Program) provides a new, full-time educational method to obtain a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. It involves several innovative approaches to education. First, all didactic courses in the program are taught by distance mechanisms, which use the Internet and CD-ROM. Interactions with faculty and mentors occur via Internet chat rooms, e-mail, fax, and telephone. Secondly, the Online Pharmacy Program is taught on a three semester basis (year-round), which allows students to complete the program by taking the laboratory courses in a condensed manner during the summers. The on-campus laboratory sessions last for 1-2 weeks. [From Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions web page ( http://pharmacy.creighton.edu/newpharmacyVer2/
pharmacy/EntrypharmacywebProgram.asp ) accessed April 11, 2006]

The library's role in the education of the Web-based pathway students has been an important one, evidenced by the preliminary survey results. Preliminary data indicates the library has had a positive role in the education of the students in a Web-based pathway. Further studies will be conducted in an attempt to verify this preliminary

finding and to determine the efficacy of the library's role in the education of the Web-based pathway students.

References

1. Malone, P.M.; Glynn, G.E.; and Stohs, S.J. “The Development and Structure of a Web-based Entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy Pathway at Creighton University Medical Center .” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 68(Spring 2004): Article 46: 1-18.

2. Alsharif, N.Z.; Roche, V.F.; Ogunbadeniyi, A.M.; Chapman, R.; and Bramble, J.D. “Evaluation of Performance and Learning Parity Between Campus-based and Web-based Medicinal Chemistry Courses. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 69(Spring 2005): Article 33: 230-39.

A James Bothmer, M.A.L.S. is Director, Health Sciences Library/Learning Resources Center, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178 (E-mail: jbothmer@creighton.edu ).

Jeanne Burke , M.L.S, M.E.D. is Education Coordinator, Health Sciences Library/Learning Resources Center, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68176 (E-mail: jburke@creighton.edu ).