In view of the long-term practical training that will be introduced in 2010,we established a program for group training in health care facilities to help instructors provide efficient training and reduce their workload.Students are trained in 4 groups in each department with the training for each one taking 13 days : A (prescriptions,etc),B (formulations,etc),C (DI,etc),and D (satellite pharmacy).On day six,students assess their level of achievement with respect to the core curriculum and those who have not achieved the required academic goals undergo intensive supplemental training.In addition to practical training sessions,the program includes lectures,small group-based discussion,PBL (problem-based learning) and portfolio programs,all designed to make learning even more effective.
To examine the effectiveness of the group training in hospitals,students assessed their performance levels on a five-grade scale.Students who underwent the previous type of training scored an average of 3.2±0.2 points while those underwent our training program in a health care facility scored 3.9±0.3 points (P<0.01).
Our group training program in hospitals has several benefits : it allows a large number of students to participate,reduces the workload of pharmacists in charge of teaching and assessing students and has a flexible design allowing it to accommodate a variety of unexpected situations (e.g.supplemental training or lessons in groups for students who have been absent for a long period).In conclusion,we consider that it will be effective in achieving the important goal of conducting quality long-term training in an efficient manner.
