Influences of experiential year and web-based learning module on student pharmacists’ confidence and competence in pain management

ObjectivesCompare the confidence and competence in pain management skills between student pharmacists at the end of their didactic and experiential years. Examine the potential influence of general medicine faculty preceptors, and a web-based experiential learning module on students’ confidence and competence skills.MethodsTwo cohorts of students were surveyed at the end of the third (P3) and fourth (P4) professional years to assess their self-reported confidence and competence on four pain management skills. During the second year of the study, students were asked to complete a web-based learning module aimed at improving competency in pain management. Confidence and competence measures were compared for each cohort with a Fisher’s exact test.ResultsStudents were more confident than competent on all four pain management skills evaluated, and overall competence between both class years was suboptimal. Competence in pain management declined among P4 students who did not complete the learning module.ConclusionPharmacy students overestimate their pain management skills, particularly prior to their final experiential year. During the experiential year, pain management skills decline without an educational intervention, but having students complete learning modules can improve their competence.