Co-curriculum: The mission to find purpose

By: Jenna Christine Brady, Pharmacy Student; Elizabeth Kate Hoskins, Pharmacy Student; Alexa Rae Czerw, Pharmacy Student; and Sarah Marie Anderson, Pharmacy Student

Introduction to Co-Curriculum

“I will accept the responsibility to improve my professional knowledge, expertise, and self-awareness,” is stated in the Oath of the Pharmacist that is taken upon entering school.¹ This is achieved in several ways, including co-curriculum activities. Co-curricular hour requirements are assigned in schools of pharmacy curricula, however, students often imagine how they can complete them in the quickest and easiest ways. Rather than realizing the benefits and lasting impact co-curricular activities are designed for, students often prioritize other tasks before completing the required hours.  The challenge is making co-curricular activities as significant as all other student obligations. 

According to the study by Gettig and Fjortoft, co-curricular efforts provide students with opportunities to complement didactic learning by enhancing skills, knowledge, and attitudes in pharmacy settings and professional growth areas.² Co-curricular and extra-curricular were differentiated by how the learning was enhanced in the classroom. Student pharmacy organizations at a College of Pharmacy were surveyed on the types of activities they hosted. These activities were categorized by purpose; most of the activities focused on community outreach (74%) and activities that promoted professionalism (86%).² 

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), states that co-curricular should touch on affective domains and complement didactic learning, mapping to the following domains:³

• Cultural Sensitivity
• Self-awareness
• Leadership
• Innovation/entrepreneurship
• Professionalism 

While the Gettig and Fjortoft study presented co-curricular professionalism activities,¹ What is holding students back from the education, hands-on, communication, and patient advocacy domains? 

Our Experiences

At High Point University Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy (FWSOP), co-curricular hours are categorized into nine domains, see Table 1. The purpose of these activities is to enhance student pharmacists’ skills in each domain to provide opportunities to become well-rounded pharmacists. 

Table 1: FWSOP Co-Curricular Examples

The activities are categorized into domains and then approved by the Co-curriculum Director. The shaded cells represent the included domains per activity.

Each activity can mean something unique to every student, making it a personal experience.  While some students may not understand the importance of these activities or may consider them busywork, many understand the greater impact. 

Medical Mission

Global experiences can be elective experiences like study abroad, co-curricular activities, or a curricular experience such as advanced pharmacy practice experiences. This past summer we signed up for a medical mission trip with our professor to Belize.  This was one of the most meaningful co-curricular activities as it gave us a chance to enhance our viewpoints, providing exposure to underserved care. Opportunities through co-curriculum highlighted health challenges present both in Belize and in the United States such as unsafe water and gastrointestinal ailments. It created reflective moments relating to disparities in access to care. This particular site highlighted health disparities, social determinants of health, and challenges with healthcare access in Belize. Our experience met the five ACPE domains and provided a reflective, transformative experience.³ Our motivations to become pharmacists were enhanced, and we found a passion for areas that we had yet to learn existed. At the heart of it, this is what co-curriculum is about.

While required, students and faculty should understand the purpose of co-curricular activities, providing preparation, reflection, and collaboration. The core principles for short-term medical missions focuses on the implementation, hosting organization, sustainability, in-country collaboration, and quality improvement.⁴ When selecting the partnering organization, we considered their 30+ years of experience and in-country collaboration that allowed us and our patients to have an optimal experience. The amount of effort and energy invested reflects the benefits in return and, ultimately, will make it a better experience for everyone involved. 

Advice to Students During Co-Curricular Activities

For each co-curricular activity, attitudes are important. Some key attitudes include:

• Enter with an open mind
• Be willing to grow and reflect
• Display eagerness to expand personal knowledge
• Consider your impact

Advice to Faculty Designing Co-Curricular Activities

After pharmacy school, these opportunities are often not as available due to time constraints. Faculty, we urge you to encourage your students to:

• Understand the purpose
• Prepare students for experiences while creating connections to future practice
• Provide opportunities for guided exploration and growth
• Reflect before, during, and after
• Consider working with the underserved after graduation
• Share your personal experiences

The Oath of a Pharmacist states, “I promise to devote myself to a lifetime of service to others through the profession of pharmacy”, which was exactly what our mission trip to Belize stood for.¹ All pharmacists have taken this Oath, and now must live up to these words. Co-curriculum activities are the start of training the new pharmacists to do just that. How will you pursue your mission to purpose?

 References:

1. American Pharmacists Association. Oath of pharmacist. Available at: https://www.pharmacist.com/About/Oath-of-a-Pharmacist#:~:text=%22I%20promise%20to%20devote%20myself,justice%20to%20advance%20health%20equity. Accessed October 24, 2023.
2. Gettig JP, Fjortoft N. Mapping pharmacy student learning during cocurricular activities to national standards and institutional outcomes. Am J Pharm Educ. 2020; 84(11):7825. doi: https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7825.
3. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Guidance for the accreditation standards and key elements for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree. 2015.
4. Lasker JN, Aldrink M, Balasubramaniam R, Caldron P, Compton B, Evert J, et al. Guidelines for responsible short-term global health activities: developing common principles. Global Health. 2018; 14(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186%2Fs12992-018-0330-4

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Author Bio(s): 

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Pulses is a scholarly blog supported by a team of pharmacy education scholars.