De-Conflating Religiosity/Spirituality

Document Type

Editorial

Publication Date

7-24-2023

Abstract

"To the Editor: Recently, the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education published a research brief entitled, 'Spirituality and Religiosity of Pharmacy Students' by Purnell and colleagues.1 The authors describe their recent survey assessing the presence and impact of religiosity/spirituality on various facets of student life and students’ opinions. In three separate instances, the authors advocate for greater support to be provided by pharmacy schools for student religiosity/spirituality. The abstract states 'pharmacy schools should find ways to acknowledge and support religiosity/spirituality for pharmacy students…' In the introduction, the authors note that 'pharmacy schools may need to provide courses, such as spirituality in health…' and in the discussion section, the authors state that '…pharmacy schools should find ways to support students’ religious and spiritual needs in the community and on campus, through student organizations, in recognizing religious observances, and in resources.' We view these admonitions as a mixture of both welcome and unwelcome recommendations. That pharmacy schools should provide additional support for spirituality as a part of student wellness, and for training in spirituality assessment for patients is a sound, progressive step forward. Support for religiosity is not."

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This article was originally published in American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, volume 83, in 2019. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7646

Copyright

Elsevier

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