California Pharmacist Spring 2025 - Flipbook - Page 28
peer-to-peer
Impact of 3- Versus 4-Year Doctor of Pharmacy
Degree Programs on Students and Faculty
Tigran Khachatryan, Adrian Gonzalez Quesada, Ani Avoundjian, Nadia Khartabil, and Tina Menedjian
Abstract
Background
With the shift toward an increased number of accelerated
doctoral curricula in pharmacy, the impact of these
programs compared with traditional-length programs has
not been extensively studied. This study was designed
to evaluate the impact of a 3- versus 4-year pharmacy
programs (3YP versus 4YP) on school- and work-life/
workload balance and delineate the advantages and
disadvantages of a 3YP versus 4YP from student and
faculty perspectives.
Methods
This cross-sectional observational study used a Survey
Monkey questionnaire to collect quantitative and
qualitative data from students and faculty of 3YP and 4YP
in California. Descriptive data analysis was employed, and
a Fisher exact test was conducted to analyze the data. The
signi昀椀cance level was set at P < 0.05.
Results
Students and faculty in 4YP reported a higher average
quality of life (QOL) than those in 3YP (P < 0.05 for students
and faculty). Other statistically signi昀椀cant outcomes
for 4YP versus 3YP included more student volunteer
opportunities in 1 academic year and faculty's increased
ability for student development (P < 0.05 for both).
Introduction
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vol. 72, no. 1 | California Pharmacist
Conclusion
Students and faculty in 4YPs reported higher QOL;
however, the response rate of the 3YPs was comparatively
lower than that of the 4YPs, potentially introducing bias into
the 昀椀ndings.
Calif Pharm. 2025(spring);72(1):26-30
Tigran Khachatryan is a 2025 PharmD candidate,
School of Pharmacy, West Coast University, and former
CPhA Board of Directors student representative. Adrian
Quesada Gonzalez, PharmD, MBA, is a graduate of the
West Coast University School of Pharmacy and current
pharmacy resident at Community Medical Centers,
Community Regional Center, Clovis, CA. Ani Avoundjian,
PharmD, BCPS, APh, Nadia Khartabil, PharmD, BCGP,
APh, MAS, and Tina Menedjian, PharmD, are Assistant
Professors, School of Pharmacy, West Coast University,
Los Angeles, CA.
Correspondence: Ani Avoundjian,
aavoundjian@westcoastuniversity.edu
Con昀氀icts of Interest: The authors report no con昀氀icts of
interest relevant to the content of this article.
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