Student and Graduate Perceptions of Their Development of the Core Attitudes From the British Pharmacological Society's Undergraduate Pharmacology Curriculum

ABSTRACT

The British Pharmacological Society's undergraduate core curriculum defines 18 core attitudes that pharmacology students should have after the completion of their degree. While the attainment of pharmacological knowledge and application of skills have previously been evaluated, assessment of core attitudes has not previously been reported. This study investigated student and graduate perceptions of their development of the core attitudes following the introduction of the core curriculum. An anonymous online survey was distributed via members of the British Pharmacological Society's Educator Network to current undergraduate pharmacology students and graduates, who were asked to rate their agreement, using a five‐point Likert scale, with statements indicating whether their degree contributed to the development of each of the 18 core attitudes. A total of 118 students and 70 graduates participated. Both groups reported predominantly positive perceptions across all attitudes, ranging from 54.2%–93.2% (64/118–110/118) in students and 57.1%–91.4% (40/70–64/70) in graduates, with the strongest agreement observed for appreciation of the societal relevance of pharmacology. Although overall response distributions differed significantly between students and graduates, differences were limited to a small number of statements, with graduates showing greater variability and more polarized responses. The highest proportion of negative responses in both groups related to identifying employment opportunities and pursuing career goals. Collectively, these findings indicate that pharmacology programmes are largely effective in fostering core attitudes, while highlighting opportunities for educators to reflect on and further strengthen career development and professional preparation within undergraduate curricula.