Impact of co-curricular involvement on academic success of pharmacy students

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in co-curricular activities and academic performance of pharmacy students enrolled in a traditional PharmD program.

Methods: Pharmacy students self-reported their activities in an online portfolio, allowing calculation of equivalent hours spent in co-curricular pursuits in a given academic year for each student during the six year period. Inferential statistics were used to elucidate the differences in co-curricular engagement by student rank, progression status, and leadership experience as well as differences in grade point average (GPA) by level of co-curricular participation and leadership experience.

Results: Participation in co-curricular activities was less for students earning a deficiency than students with satisfactory academic performance. Students who were very engaged in co-curricular activities earned higher GPAs on average and were more likely to hold a leadership position. Leaders earned higher GPAs, were less likely to incur academic deficiencies, and were more involved in all types of co-curricular activities than students who did not hold a leadership position.

Conclusions: The results of this study offer evidence in support of the importance of co-curricular involvement to the development of the whole pharmacy student, including academic success. The provision of co-curricular opportunities by pharmacy programs provides personal and professional development opportunities to students and supports deep learning associated with improved academic performance and overall success.

Keywords: Co-curriculum; Education; Engagement; Leadership; Performance; Pharmacy; Soft-skills.