An elective course in women's health.

OBJECTIVE: To design, implement, and assess a women's health elective course for second- and third-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students.
DESIGN: A women's health course was developed, focusing on health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment throughout a woman's lifespan. Course format included didactic lectures, in-class activities, peer teaching, case studies, and reading assignments. ASSESSMENT: Student performance and learning were assessed based on class participation, (graded 3 times during the semester), activities and assignments, (graded weekly), and 2 formal written assessments. Student survey results indicated perceptions of women's health had changed in 3 ways: a realization that many diseases manifest differently in women than men, an increased awareness of numerous diseases not addressed in the required curriculum that affect women, and a greater appreciation of the physiological and pharmacokinetic differences that increase the potential for adverse drug reactions in women.
CONCLUSION: An elective course in women's health was well received by PharmD students. Excellent student performance in weekly active-learning activities and class participation, however, did not translate into excellent performance on subsequent formal assessments.