Abstract
The authors assessed the perceived self-efficacy in professional skills and abilities of students enrolled in an elective professional development seminar series over time from four classes of doctor of pharmacy students using their responses to a retrospective 13-question self-efficacy questionnaire along with seven course outcomes questions administered in April 2005. The analysis of questionnaires using the Rasch rating scale model revealed that 44 out of 49 participating students (i.e., 90%) showed statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy after participating in the seminar series. The increase of students' self-efficacy was independent of the number of semesters they had been enrolled. This study also demonstrated a need to include more writing opportunities for the students in future offerings to help improve their writing skills and to provide opportunities to discuss ethical issues related to the practice of pharmacy.