Changing the culture: An institution-wide approach to instilling professional values

Professional socialization is a process that must engage the entire organization for it to be optimally effective.(1) While the curriculum focuses on technical competence and could cover subject matter such as ethics and professionalism in a formal, didactic manner, a 360-degree approach would consider all of the ways that we affect the professional development of our students, from admission through graduation and beyond. Thus, professionalism is both a curricular and an extracurricular concern. The purpose of this paper is to describe how one organization is changing its culture by examining ways to influence professional socialization throughout a student's and faculty member's entire academic experience in a school of pharmacy. While the focus is on students, transformation of faculty members is also essential. Students will flounder without appropriate role models. Therefore, some examples also address the professional socialization of the faculty. Specific programs and changes that have been implemented are described. In addition, efforts to assess the impact of the changes are reported.