Enhancing the Emotional Intelligence of Student Leaders Within an Accelerated Pharmacy Program

Objective. To determine the perceptions of student pharmacists who participated in a leadership development program for student organization officers within an accelerated pharmacy program and report the change in their Emotional Intelligence Appraisal® (EIA) scores. Methods. Between 2015-2018, three different cohorts of students participated in a voluntary leadership development program, which spanned six academic quarters. The program included a variety of self-assessments and large group topic discussions, followed by quarterly individual written reflections with feedback from faculty mentors. These activities primarily addressed the topics of emotional intelligence, strengths-based leadership, and continuous leadership development. Participants’ EIA scores near the beginning and end of the program were compared. An anonymous online survey of participant perceptions was administered at the end of the program. Results. A total of 166 student pharmacists completed all program activities. Each cohort’s final mean overall, selfawareness, self-management, and social awareness EIA scores were higher than their corresponding mean initial scores. The overall response rate for the online survey was 61%. All respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that participating in the program enhanced their leadership skills. The majority of respondents additionally rated each of the program’s activities as being either very beneficial or beneficial. The emotional intelligence assessment and strengthsbased leadership assessment were most frequently cited as being very beneficial. Conclusion. The pilot implementation of this leadership development program appears to have been both impactful and well-received. This program structure may provide an effective method for increasing the emotional intelligence of student pharmacists, particularly within accelerated pharmacy programs.