Somewhere Between Generation X and Generation Y

As communication is important in our daily lives, it is especially important in pharmacy practice. The pharmacist not only needs to communicate effectively when speaking to patients and health professionals, but also needs to communicate effectively in writing. Documentation is becoming more and more important regardless of the clinical practice setting. The age of social networking and texting has wreaked havoc on the ability of the professional student to write a complete sentence. Many students are apprehensive about their writing skills and practice little in their daily activities. Networking and texting shortcuts do not strengthen and may even hinder writing skills. Routine written assignments are the key to online assessment at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). Our Post BS Doctorate of Pharmacy (PharmD) program relies on the assessment of critical thinking skills rather than the conventional multiple-choice test of facts. Communicating effectively in the core Pharmacotherapeutics courses is essential in each high stakes written assignment. Progressing to the high stakes assignments has been a challenge. Grading written assignments is time consuming and difficult especially when the student, a working professional, has been out of the academic setting for a long stretch of time. The written skills of the new online student tend to be what is seen in a text message or email in this 21st century error of technology. Many times grammar and punctuation are deficient. At MCPHS, we have found that introducing the concept of writing skills during our face-to-face orientation and offering short small stakes writing assignments in the first semester prepares the student for the more challenging core courses and routine writing tasks. Short writing tasks are less time consuming for the educator and establish an understanding of the expectations of effective communication as well as the understanding of content. Grammar and punctuation are criteria always present in the grading rubric of any assignment in the Post BS Doctorate of Pharmacy program. Written feedback is essential to build the student's confidence. Using shorter, small stakes assignments and online exercises is important in developing the professional writing skills needed for future routine assessments. The Post BS Pharmacy PharmD Program at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is an online program for working pharmacists that utilizes synchronous and asynchronous methods of learning, assessment and communication.