Student pharmacist perceptions of learning after strengths-based leadership skills lab and escape room in pharmacy practice skills laboratory

Abstract

Background and purpose: Leadership is a required component of doctor of pharmacy programs. There is opportunity for students to receive instructional education on leadership concepts through serious games.

Educational activity and setting: First-year pharmacy students (n = 146) participated in a required skills-based leadership lab including a team-based escape room activity.

Findings: Students reported a statistically significant increase in understanding of leadership concepts and application at the end of the global lab activities (p < 0.01) and a majority of the students found the escape room activity "very useful" (56%).

Summary: Escape rooms present a unique opportunity to engage students in active learning and problem solving. A majority of the students found the escape room activity useful and enjoyed the interactive application of leadership concepts. Potential challenges to implementing escape rooms such as time to develop, physical space requirements, supplies, and volunteers to facilitate the experience should be considered prior to implementation. Serious gaming is an emerging pedagogy, and this data supplements existing literature to support use in pharmacy education.

Keywords: Active learning; Escape room; Leadership; Serious games; Skills laboratory.