A comparison of pharmacy technician experience, degree and major as predictors of academic performance between two racial groups at a historically black university

ObjectiveTo compare the value of previous pharmacy technician experience, degree, and major as predictors of academic performance between African-American and non-African-American students at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy (UMES-SOP).MethodsStatistical analyses were conducted on the retrospective data of 201 students at UMES-SOP. The didactic assessment and experiential scores were used as measures of academic performance.ResultsSignificant positive correlations were observed between: (1) type of major and first year (P1) didactic performance for African-American students and (2) prior pharmacy technician experience and both P1 and second year (P2) didactic performance for non-African-American students. Further, the models for the combination of all independent variables on P1 didactic performance showed significance for African-American students.ConclusionThe combination of prior pharmacy experience, degree, and type of major was a significant predictor of P1 didactic performance in African-American pharmacy students.