Wingate University is a private university with campuses in Wingate, Charlotte, and Hendersonville, North Carolina. It was founded in 1896.The university enrolls more than 3,600 students. It offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as eight master's and five doctoral degrees. Academic programs are housed in the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
During a time of unprecedented educator burnout and turnover, we examined outcomes following an intervention designed to help teachers reconnect with their moral purpose. More than 400 educators participated in the peer reflection program, with 147 completing baseline surveys. Quantitative analyses showed that Goal Orientation moderated the relationship between purposeful work and teacher self-efficacy: at Time 1, educators who reported higher goal-directed engagement toward long-term aims experienced a stronger positive link between purpose and self-efficacy. At Time 2, participants reported increases in purpose, belonging, and perceived support, with increases in purpose sustained three months later at Time 3. These results suggest that brief, peer-facilitated reflection can yield meaningful gains in purpose and belonging. Supporting teachers in reflecting together on what matters most, and in building conditions that help them live out those values, may strengthen educator well-being, values-consistent practice, and relational trust in the moral work of teaching.
BACKGROUND:Pharmacy education and workforce development are undergoing significant disruption. While national forecasts outline key directions, they lack granularity and stakeholder validation. This study aimed to develop a stakeholder-informed, data-driven forecast of pharmacy strategic priorities through 2035. Objectives were: (1) identify key themes shaping pharmacy's future, (2) align these themes with national priorities, and (3) forecast their trajectory and readiness to inform strategic planning. METHODS:A mixed-methods design integrated qualitative analysis of 27 stakeholder focus groups and eight interviews with trend modeling and policy triangulation. Participants (n = 148) represented students, faculty, preceptors, administrators, professional organizations, payors, interprofessional educators, and transformation leaders. Transcripts were coded using grounded theory and analyzed for themes. Identified themes were aligned with the 2024 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and 2024 American Society of Health-System Pharmacy Forecast reports. Historical emphasis scores (2015-2024) were modeled using linear regression to project thematic growth through 2035. Each theme was rated for system readiness based on stakeholder insight and national preparedness indicators. RESULTS:Ten core themes emerged: Workforce Shortages/Accessibility, Digital Health/Technology, Competency-Based Education (CBE), Public Health/Prevention, Medication Safety/Optimization, Interprofessional Collaboration, Patient-Centered Care, Leadership/Advocacy, Professional Identity/Perception, and Business/Financial Acumen. Convergent themes like Workforce Shortages, Public Health, and Medication Safety were validated by national forecasts and reflected high stakeholder urgency. Digital Health and CBE showed the steepest forecasted growth slopes but were marked by low readiness. A strategic prioritization matrix was developed to guide policy and curricular responses based on urgency, growth, and readiness. CONCLUSIONS:This study offers a novel, future-facing framework to guide the transformation of pharmacy education and workforce strategy. High-priority, low-readiness themes require urgent investment. Strategic scaffolds such as leadership, identity, and business acumen, though underemphasized, are critical to sustaining innovation. Pharmacy must reimagine itself as a lifelong, adaptable profession, equipped not only to respond to change but to lead it.
Background Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic gram-positive rod that colonizes the gastrointestinal and female genital tracts. It is an uncommon cause of bacteremia but is associated with high mortality when present. The most commonly reported sources include intraabdominal infections, soft tissue necrosis, and malignancy-related processes. Most affected patients are elderly or immunocompromised. Case presentation We present a case of C. perfringens bacteremia in a 52-year-old postmenopausal female with no history of malignancy, recent surgery, or immunosuppression. The patient presented to the emergency department with generalized abdominal pain, hypotension, and leukocytosis. Imaging showed pneumoperitoneum, which was suggestive of a perforated viscus. She underwent emergency laparoscopy, which revealed a ruptured right-sided tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA) involving the cornua of the uterus. Gynecology was consulted, and the ruptured TOA and fallopian tube were removed. Blood and intraoperative pelvic fluid cultures both grew C. perfringens. The patient completed a 10-day course of antibiotics and was discharged in stable condition. Conclusions This case shows an unusual source of C. perfringens bacteremia in a patient without the typical risk factors. It also highlights the need to keep TOA on the differential diagnosis in postmenopausal women presenting with abdominal pain and sepsis, even in the absence of prior gynecologic disease. Early source control and appropriate antimicrobial coverage were critical in this patient's recovery.
Generative artificial intelligence gives college students new ways to support their learning, while also raising questions about what they still want to learn and do for themselves. This qualitative study draws on semi-structured interviews with 14 undergraduates at a Northeastern liberal arts college to examine how students distinguish between AI use that supports their own thinking and AI use that substitutes for it, what they believe is worth doing on their own, and whether and how purpose enters their reasoning about learning and AI use. Using the Framework Method with a cross-case matrix to compare patterns across participants and topics, we found that students repeatedly drew a line between using AI as a supportive tool and letting it take the place of their own thinking or authorship. Students most often talked about wanting to keep developing their own skills, thinking independently, and knowing what they could actually do without AI. They also wanted the work to still feel “like theirs,” citing ownership, pride, authenticity, and ethical concerns. Students also described pressures that made AI appealing, including heavy workloads, deadlines, grades, convenience, and concerns about falling behind their peers. Although few participants explicitly connected their AI choices to a stated purpose, many described concerns that may be relevant to purpose development, including developing valued skills and strengths, acting on personal values, and becoming the kind of person they hoped to be. We consider these concerns through a purpose-mindset framework while distinguishing our interpretation from participants’ own explanations of their AI choices. The findings suggest that understanding students’ AI use requires attention to what they believe they need to learn and do for themselves.
OBJECTIVE:This narrative review aimed to discuss the utility of the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) as a licensure requirement and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of its elimination and to analyze the impact of alternative solutions to MPJE already implemented in different states. FINDINGS:The current utility of MPJE has been questioned by various stakeholders. Currently, several states have either removed the law exam or adopted an alternative assessment to evaluate pharmacy law and regulation competencies. Proponents of removing the MPJE highlight the need to reduce barriers to licensure, challenge the utility of a single exam as a measurement of lifelong competency, and highlight the lack of evidence demonstrating that a single exam preserves patient safety. Advocates for keeping the MPJE exam propose modifying the current exam format and express their concern about eroding public trust with the removal of the exam. SUMMARY:This paper provides a comprehensive, multifaceted analysis of the ongoing national debate surrounding the MPJE as a pharmacist licensure requirement, synthesizing perspectives from major stakeholder organizations and state-level policy changes. It advances the literature by proposing 4 concrete, evidence-based recommendations (reforming the MPJE, exploring alternative ongoing competency models, examining outcomes in states with different assessment methods, and reducing licensure barriers) that offer suggestions for guiding future policy decisions.
