Impact of Curricular Content Reduction on Student-Reported Mental and Physical Health

IF 3.8 4区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education Pub Date : 2025-02-07 DOI:10.1016/j.ajpe.2025.101367

Taylor D. Steuber , Daniel J. Trujillo , Erika L. Kleppinger , Miranda R. Andrus , Nathan A. Pinner , Lori B. Hornsby , Emily K. McCoy , Lea S. Eiland

{"title":"Impact of Curricular Content Reduction on Student-Reported Mental and Physical Health","authors":"Taylor D. Steuber , Daniel J. Trujillo , Erika L. Kleppinger , Miranda R. Andrus , Nathan A. Pinner , Lori B. Hornsby , Emily K. McCoy , Lea S. Eiland","doi":"10.1016/j.ajpe.2025.101367","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to assess the impact of curricular content reduction in a 3-year integrated course sequence in a Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum on student-reported mental and physical health.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A 3-hour, 5-days-a-week integrated course sequence spanning 3 years of a curriculum was transitioned to a 3-hour, 4-days-a-week course, representing 207 h of reduced in-class time. After implementation, first- through third-year student pharmacists were asked to complete a 23-item voluntary survey regarding the impact of the curricular change on their mental and physical health, how they spent time on the non–Integrated Learning Experience course day, and additional demographic and social characteristics. Respondents were asked to participate in follow-up focus group sessions to elucidate the findings of the survey.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 197 students (50.3% response rate) representing the classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026 responded to the survey, and 15 students participated in 1 of 4 focus group sessions. Most students indicated a preference for the 4-days-a-week over the 5-days-a-week course and reported improvement in mental and physical health during the 4-days-a-week course. Most students used the additional time to study or complete assignments, while many third-year students used it to work, but many also used it to complete personal errands and activities, which led to a positive impact on their well-being.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Student self-reported mental and physical health improved with a reduction in curricular content by 1 course session (3 h) per week.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55530,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education","volume":"89 3","pages":"Article 101367"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002945925000129","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to assess the impact of curricular content reduction in a 3-year integrated course sequence in a Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum on student-reported mental and physical health.

Methods

A 3-hour, 5-days-a-week integrated course sequence spanning 3 years of a curriculum was transitioned to a 3-hour, 4-days-a-week course, representing 207 h of reduced in-class time. After implementation, first- through third-year student pharmacists were asked to complete a 23-item voluntary survey regarding the impact of the curricular change on their mental and physical health, how they spent time on the non–Integrated Learning Experience course day, and additional demographic and social characteristics. Respondents were asked to participate in follow-up focus group sessions to elucidate the findings of the survey.

Results

A total of 197 students (50.3% response rate) representing the classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026 responded to the survey, and 15 students participated in 1 of 4 focus group sessions. Most students indicated a preference for the 4-days-a-week over the 5-days-a-week course and reported improvement in mental and physical health during the 4-days-a-week course. Most students used the additional time to study or complete assignments, while many third-year students used it to work, but many also used it to complete personal errands and activities, which led to a positive impact on their well-being.

Conclusion

Student self-reported mental and physical health improved with a reduction in curricular content by 1 course session (3 h) per week.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 医学-学科教育

CiteScore

4.30

自引率

15.20%

发文量

114

期刊介绍： The Journal accepts unsolicited manuscripts that have not been published and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The Journal only considers material related to pharmaceutical education for publication. Authors must prepare manuscripts to conform to the Journal style (Author Instructions). All manuscripts are subject to peer review and approval by the editor prior to acceptance for publication. Reviewers are assigned by the editor with the advice of the editorial board as needed. Manuscripts are submitted and processed online (Submit a Manuscript) using Editorial Manager, an online manuscript tracking system that facilitates communication between the editorial office, editor, associate editors, reviewers, and authors. After a manuscript is accepted, it is scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of the Journal. All manuscripts are formatted and copyedited, and returned to the author for review and approval of the changes. Approximately 2 weeks prior to publication, the author receives an electronic proof of the article for final review and approval. Authors are not assessed page charges for publication.