Using performance and leadership mentors to support students during a simulated pharmacy business module

Objective: To design and deliver a synoptic experiential learning experience drawing on leadership and management skills coupled with clinical problem solving in a high fidelity simulation. To provide undergraduates with a mentor employed to support and coach groups and individuals to learn, practise and develop their leadership and team working skills. Design: Pharmacy Leadership and Management (PLM) is a module which provides an experiential learning simulation drawing on leadership and management skills coupled with clinical problem solving. Teams of six students run their own primary care based pharmacy business competing against each other, based on a successful model currently run by the GIMMICS consortia of universities across Europe. Working with the university graduate school, a job description and person specification was developed. Mentors were appointed, using a robust application and interview process. A bespoke leadership and management training programme was co-developed between the Pharmacy and Graduate schools. The mentors supported student-led group sessions, coaching them to reflect on performance, develop solutions and change initiatives. The performance mentors were able to monitor the progress of their clients and stimulate interventions to improve their performance. Assessment: Students are required to reflect on their team working and its development during the simulation via their reflective portfolios. Conclusion: In this paper, we will present the development of the mentors and the impact they had on student learning. Qualitative interviews are currently being conducted to determine the impact of the mentor role on recent graduates and their development as future leaders.