The status of chemistry content in the professional pharmacy curriculum: Results of a national survey

A national survey which evaluated the current and anticipated future emphas is of chemistry-related content, the credentials of the faculty teaching th e content and pedagogical methods used in the delivery of the content was c onducted in 1997-1998. Thirty-three schools or colleges of pharmacy partici pated. Twenty-one content areas related to General Principles, Medicinal Ch emistry, Clinical/Biological Chemistry and Computational/Analytical Chemist ry were addressed in the survey instrument. The first section of the survey asked about past, current and anticipated future emphasis on each topic, a s well as the discipline(s) of the individuals responsible for delivery. Th e second section asked about the format of the course(s) that offered the c ontent, pedagogical methods employed in those courses, and perceived adequa cy of coverage. The majority of the respondents reported a steady emphasis on the content areas over the past five years with little change anticipate d in the foreseeable future. In general, coverage of the General Principles and Medicinal Chemistry content areas was perceived as adequate. Coverage was most commonly deemed inadequate in the Computational/Analytical area, a lthough the Clinical/Biological topics of biotechnology and herbals and nat ural products were also viewed as in need of augmentation. Faculty educated in the chemical sciences were heavily engaged in the instruction of all to pics, and were joined appropriately by pharmacology and pharmaceutics facul ty in selected topic areas. Courses in the Computational/Analytical area ar e most likely to be taught by a single instructor, or by a team of faculty within a single discipline. Multi-disciplinary coverage (either within a si ngle course or in multiple courses) was common in all of the other content areas. Case studies and computerized learning aids were commonly utilized i n the delivery of chemistry-related content, with recitations, laboratories and demonstrations used less frequently to augment lecture. Schools and co lleges of pharmacy are offering a wide variety of chemistry-related electiv e coursework to professional students. Respondents view the foundational na ture of chemistry, the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills the dis cipline instills, and the ease with which it can be integrated with other s cience and practice-based courses as the major strengths of this basic phar maceutical science.