Pharmacy Student Confidence and Practice Readiness After Diabetes Educational Module With CGM Use

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists support diabetes technology in practice, yet formal instruction on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curricula is limited. Hands-on learning may build confidence and practice readiness for CGM-enabled care. Objective: To assess the impact of a diabetes education module, paired with short-term personal CGM use on pharmacy students’ confidence, beliefs, and reflections related to diabetes care. Methods: Three cohorts of third-year pharmacy students completed pre- and post-surveys surrounding a 2-week diabetes education module delivered within a pharmacy skills laboratory. The intervention included didactic instruction and hands-on stations addressing core components of diabetes management including a personal CGM user wear experience. Quantitative analyses included t tests and analysis of variance. Student reflections were thematically analyzed. Results: Data from 148 student responses (84 pre-intervention; 64 post-intervention) were analyzed as independent samples. Belief scores demonstrated low reliability and remained stable over time (P > 0.05). In contrast, confidence scores showed high reliability and increased significantly following the intervention (mean 2.44 vs 4.50; P < 0.001), with a large effect size. Confidence differed by academic year, while belief scores did not. Qualitative analysis of 159 student responses identified themes of increased knowledge, awareness of glucose impacts, and readiness for pharmacy practice. Limitations include the single-institution setting, unpaired surveys, and reliance on self-reported, short-term outcomes. Conclusion: A diabetes education module incorporating short-term CGM use substantially improved student confidence and yielded practice-relevant insights, while beliefs remained stable. Structured hands-on CGM education may better prepare pharmacy graduates for technology-enabled diabetes care.