10 With only 12 research articles meeting the inclusion criteria (eg, quantitative and/or qualitative data were collected and analyzed focused exclusively within the field of pharmacy published between 19), the study provided great insight into why manuscripts examining diversity in pharmacy education often rely on other fields such as medicine and nursing for perspectives, thereby amplifying the apparent need to increase research concerning the experiences of diverse individuals within pharmacy. A 2017 study reviewing contemporary diversity-related literature in pharmacy revealed the scarcity of educational research in this area. 9 Hayes’s piece concludes with a call to action: “The pharmacy academy must take ownership of the issue and lead the transformation of the pharmacy workforce.” 9Ī limitation to progress in diversifying pharmacy is that existing pharmacy literature on diversity consists primarily of reports and editorials. 1,9 For example, an editorial written by Hayes provides compelling data reporting the rapid racial and ethnic diversification of the United States, accentuates the lack of minorities in healthcare, and suggests that though progress has been made, there remain opportunities to increase the recruitment and graduation rates for underrepresented minorities in pharmacy. There have been several aligning calls to action in addition to the 2013-2014 Argus Commission Report. 6 The special report concluded that more work must be done to demonstrate the profession’s commitment to diversity. 3-9 Most notably, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s (AACP) Argus Commission explored the following question: How can we more effectively address and serve the diversity in our membership at both the institutional and individual level and prepare our learners to serve an increasingly diverse population of consumers? 6 Their special report, Diversity and Inclusion in Pharmacy Education, explored diversity and inclusion from five key perspectives: diversity in the society, application pipeline, current students, pharmacy faculty, and the AACP and the organization’s member institutions. This has led to calls from various healthcare professions, including pharmacy, to examine the diversity of the workforce and educational preparation of future practitioners. Findings could be used by pharmacy schools to create a more inclusive environment for URM students and provide future directions for scholars pursing diversity-related research agendas in health professions education.Ĭompounding this concern is that the United States is projected to become increasingly diverse in the coming decades. This exploratory study provides a roadmap to better understand URM students’ journey to pharmacy school and experiences therein. Students took several actions to navigate the school including “code-switching,” finding solace and support with other URMs, seeking cultural competence-related experiences to complement the curriculum, and strategically remaining silent or speaking up during group work conflicts.Ĭonclusion. Students were inhibited by the mental impact of sociopolitical events, the pressures of representing their race/ethnicity, and feeling inferior. Students were motivated by URM faculty members, self-efficacy, and a sense of purpose. Students reported experiences including a lack of diversity, feeling unwelcomed, and concerns about cultural competency and group work challenges.

Pre-pharmacy school factors such as pipeline programs, work experiences, family, and URM health professionals impacted students’ interest in and encouragement to attend pharmacy school. Trustworthiness procedures included the use of multiple coders, a dependability audit, and analytic memos to promote reflexivity. Data were analyzed through several rounds of coding. Twenty students from a school of pharmacy within a research-intensive institution participated in semi-structured interviews. To explore the social and academic experiences of students identifying as underrepresented racial minorities (URMs) in a pharmacy school, how they made meaning of their experiences, and the strategic actions they took to navigate towards degree completion.

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