Self-Directed Professional Development: The Pursuit of Affective Learning

The inconsistent professional socialization of students is a growing concern among pharmacy educators. Numerous commission reports highlight the need for curricular reform designed to inculcate strong professional values. Student-centered learning methods aimed at developing affective skills need to be integrated into the predominantly cognitive teaching practices that currently exist. A “self-directed professional development” (SPD) program was established that included three elements: (i) patient medication advocacy that promotes a service-oriented covenant between students and patients; (ii) self-directed learning that prompts students to take responsibility for their own professional growth and develop lifelong learning habits; and (iii) effective time management that provides students with the tools and motivation to manage multiple tasks. SPD was implemented in a six-week internal medicine rotation. Results after eight rotations demonstrated the benefit of values-based, affective teaching methods. This program focused exclusively on an experiential training environment, but every component of a pharmacy curriculum should emphasize the development of sound professional values.