Inclusion of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation-Basic Life Support Training in the Pharmacy Curriculum
This study was performed to explore the appropriateness of inclusion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation-basic life support (CPR-BLS) in the pharmacy curriculum. Specifically, we designed our study to determine the number and types of professional pharmacy degree programs which require CPR-BLS and whether the skills taught by the CPR-BLS program are applicable to the practice of pharmacy. Data were collected via two surveys: (i) U.S. colleges of pharmacy, and (ii) graduates (1986-1990) of the University of Michigan (UM) College of Pharmacy. Responses were received from 62 of the 73 U.S. Colleges of Pharmacy (86 percent); 160 of the 197 (81 percent) surveys mailed to UM pharmacy graduates were returned. CPR-BLS certification was a requirement for graduation at 29 (46 percent) of the colleges and was more likely to be required for the PharmD as the first professional degree programs (17 of 31 programs; 55 percent). Despite the fact that basic life support skills are rarely utilized by pharmacists, most graduates (77 percent) felt that CPR-BLS certification should continue to be a requirement in the pharmacy curriculum. Pharmacy faculty will need to consider both the attitudes of graduates and the applicability of curricular content to practice to determine whether CPR-BLS should be a required component of the pharmacy curriculum.