Foreign-born pharmacy students find challenges
Educator tries to ease their transition into school
As hospitals continue to report severe pharmacist shortages, the pharmacy field is wide open for many foreign-born students. But one educator finds that cultural factors can challenge them in school.
Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy in Fort Lauderdale, FL, has expanded its classes based on the recommendation of the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) in Chicago. Its traditional class now has about 160 students, up from 120.
Of the students in the first- and second-year classes now, about 55% were born outside the United States, in places such as Romania, Cuba, and Trinidad, says Carsten Evans, MS, PhD, assistant dean for professional affairs. "A great percentage had not learned English by the time they were 8 years old."
As a group, they sometimes take more time to learn certain courses, especially ones with a math base, such as statistics and pharmacokinetics, he says. He also has found that the majority of students taking remedial courses are foreign-born.
The struggles are not from a lack of hard work, Evans explains. Instead, they can result from entering a compressed, fast-paced program while trying to deal with differences in culture.
Communication is one challenge pharmacy schools face with this kind of diversity, says Jeffrey W. Wadelin, PhD, ACPE’s executive associate director. "Many of the schools have gone to using not only the TOEFL [Test of English as a Foreign Language] but the test of spoken English as an university entrance requirement." These tests attempt to assure at least a minimal level of competence in English as a second language.
Pre-empt the problems
When Evans greets pharmacy students in the first year, he attempts to ward off future problems. For example, he tries to help supporting family members understand the pressures the pharmacy students face, especially in the first year of the program. Many of these students have attended community colleges and have not experienced the pace of a compressed program.
The family members know that the students will attend classes from 8 a.m. until noon. They don’t realize that the students also will be studying much of the remainder of the day and on the weekends. At least three female students divorce every year because the spouse didn’t expect the time commitments, Evans says.
For this reason, Evans encourages students to bring their family members to school so they can see the pressure firsthand. "Let them sit in a class for just an hour. Take them to the library. I try to get them to involve the family."
He encourages students not to work, as well, at least during the first year. "It is essential that they don’t work. It is a rare exception that someone can work and go to a professional school."
First-year students do go on-site and spend a couple of hours with a preceptor who has been assigned to them. "It’s like working without the responsibilities," Evans says.
Some foreign-born students find the last year a challenge, too, Wadelin says. "Most of the last year in the program is spent in actual pharmacy practice experiences, applying the knowledge that students have gained over the first three years." If the practice model in the students’ home country is significantly different than that of the United States, the students may struggle with how the health care system works and how pharmacy fits in with medicine in this country. n
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