Descriptive Analysis of Textbook Acquisition by Second Year Pharmacy Students at the University of Arizona

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The use and utility of textbooks in health professional training programs is variable. Studies on these topics in medical schools have shown a wide variety of results with most showing surprisingly little textbook use and that students who purchased textbooks tend to have surprisingly low levels of use, with an increasing trend towards preferences for electronic resources. The purpose of the study was to evaluate pharmacy students’ use of course textbooks. METHODS: Second year students at the College of Pharmacy of the University of Arizona completed a survey that included what required or recommended books in the second year curriculum were purchased, how much of the text they actually read, as well as a 6 point response scale to rate each textbooks usefulness. RESULTS: Seventy-four students completed the survey near the end of the academic year. Only 30.45 percent of respondents purchased course textbooks. Purchased percentages for individual textbooks ranged from 62.3% to 0%. Student ratings for usefulness of each textbook ranged from 2.0 to 5.3 with the medicinal chemistry and drug information textbooks rated the lowest and electronic resources rated the highest. The vast majority of students who purchased the book used it them for less than one hour per week. CONCLUSIONS: Less than a third of students purchase required or recommended textbook. Time spent using the textbook was extremely low. Usefulness varied with the textbook and students expressed a strong preference for electronic resources