The effect of cross year peer tutoring in pharmacy dispensing classes: The wolverhampton experience

Background: Peer tutoring has been used as an educational tool for sometime in undergraduate healthcare teaching. However, in pharmacy, this approach appears not to have been reported in the literature. Aims: To gauge student opinion on a cross year peer tutoring scheme that involved senior peers (final year students) facilitating academic staff in first year dispensing classes. Method: Ten fourth year students volunteered to facilitate first year dispensing classes. Fourth year students were briefed as to their role and each student was involved in a minimum of two dispensing classes. After the final dispensing class had taken place both first and fourth year student opinion was sought on their experiences via online questionnaires. Results: Both first and fourth year students were very positive about their experiences. First year students learnt from their peers and were able to relate to see how they might themselves develop. Fourth year students benefitted by being able to reinforce skills and knowledge and used the experience as a means of reflection, which helped them realise how they had developed and gave them more confidence in their ability. Both sets of students had empathy toward each other. This was most apparent with regard to first year students feeling more at ease asking questions of their peers rather than academic staff. Conclusion: The peer tutoring scheme used in dispensing classes was seen by both tutees and tutors as beneficial.