David A. Latif

We describe the uniqueness of the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) degree and the factors that contribute to this uniqueness. A total of 18 colleges and schools that offer a BSPS were identified in the literature and compared. A review of the current literature and university websites was conducted in order to compare and contrast the different BSPS programs. BSPS program directors’ perceptions were evaluated through a 14-item online survey instrument. Of the 16 programs surveyed, seven (43.8%) responded to the survey. The respondents agreed that most of the BSPS graduates are placed (from the highest to the lowest) at pharmacy school, postgraduate education and in the pharmaceutical industry. This is a timely review of coursework, program lengths and job opportunities for graduates of the BSPS. Currently, the BSPS programs have yet to receive a large amount of attention, but the importance in pharmaceutical education cannot be denied.

It is unclear why parents would decline the second dose of an influenza vaccine for their children during a declared global pandemic. Therefore our objective was to examine parental attitudes behind parents foregoing the second dose of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine for their children in Kanawha County, WV. A survey tool addressing barriers to receiving second dose was developed and validated with a randomly generated parent focus group. The West Virginia's Statewide Immunization Information System (WVSIIS) database listed 1,925 parents who have one child or more who received the first but not the second dose of vaccine within the recommended time period. The surveys and letters were sent to all the 1,925 parents. Participants were offered the choice of completing a paper version of the survey sent through the mail or an online version at a password-protected website. A total of 381 surveys were received (345 hardcopy surveys and 36 online surveys) and were included in the analyses (response rate 22.0%). Of these 381 respondents 249 did not meet the inclusion criteria. Thus our effective response rate was 132/1525, or 8.66%. The major reasons for respondents being unable to have their child(ren) receive the second dose were related to access limitations. A perception of low urgency and safety of vaccine were other concerns. However, the majority of respondents (80%) did not cite safety concern as a reason for not accepting the second dose. Our findings suggest that rather than safety concerns, parents often faced access challenges in having their children fully vaccinated which were perhaps not widely recognized.

Objectives. To examine the work-related activities of full-time faculty members 55 years of age and older; to describe the retirement plans and perceptions of these faculty members; and to examine the factors, perceptions, or conditions that might influence the retirement decision.Methods. Pharmacy faculty members aged 55 years and older in the United States and Canada were invited to participate in an online survey regarding their perceptions on issues related to their retirement planning behavior.Results. Four hundred eighty-eight faculty members completed the survey instrument. The typical respondent worked 50 hours per week on work-related activities, was active in teaching and service, and had published an average of 5 refereed papers during the previous 36 months. The number of articles published was positively related to the respondent's target retirement age. The average anticipated retirement age was 66.6 years, and most respondents participated in a defined benefit plan. The majority would revis...

Objective The implementation of Medicare Part D in 2006 has the potential to advance the profession of pharmacy through the provision and remuneration of pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM) services. Limited research has evaluated physician attitudes toward pharmacist-provided MTM services, and little is known about factors that may affect these attitudes. The aim of this study was to test a model of physicians’ attitudes toward pharmacist-provided MTM services as a part of Medicare Part D. Setting and Method A mail survey was sent to a random sample of 500 physicians practicing in West Virginia. Multiple linear regression was used to test the model. Main outcome measure The independent variables included prescription volume, specialty type, years of practice, gender, academic affiliation, practice size, physicians’ attitudes toward collaborative agreement, and physician–pharmacist communication frequency. Additionally, physician age was included as a control variable. Results A total of 102 responses were received yielding a response rate of 22.1%. The mean for physicians’ attitude to support provision of MTM by pharmacists was 2.84 out of 5. The overall physicians’ attitudes model for provision of MTM by pharmacists was found to be significant. Physicians’ attitudes toward collaborative agreement, specialty, years of practice, physician–pharmacist communication frequency regarding patients communication, and gender had significant influences on physician attitudes toward provision of MTM by pharmacists. Conclusion The proposed model can provide insight into physicians’ attitudes toward provision of MTM by pharmacists and may be helpful in developing future approaches and policies to further improve this collaborative relationship.