Clinical Track Program Expansion Increases Rotation Capacity for Experiential Program

Advancing Our Pharmacy Reformation - Accelerating Education and Practice Transformation: Report of the 2019-2020 Argus Commission

The Argus Commission examined changes that should be considered by colleges and schools of pharmacy to meet the bold aim of better integrating pharmacists' and physicians' practices articulated by President Sorensen. The Commission assessed the readiness of pharmacy educators to contribute to the acceleration of practice transformation. The primary focus of the report is on how the doctor of pharmacy curriculum and post-graduate training might be modified and better aligned to ensure that graduates complete their education ready to engage in roles partnered with primary care clinicians. The aim is to achieve comprehensive medication management and other pharmacist patient care services as standards of care. The Argus Commission provides preliminary recommendations for new or more intensified priorities by the 2020-21 AACP Strategic Planning Committee as they update the AACP plan. This includes the recommendation that AACP should create the Center for Academic Innovation and Practice Transformation, a hub to coordinate many current and emerging activities relevant to accelerating change in pharmacy education and practice.

Addressing preceptor shortages with a novel structure of blended ambulatory care rotations

INTRODUCTION

Schools of pharmacy are challenged to ensure sufficient full-time ambulatory care advance pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). University of Maryland designed an innovative solution to create additional rotations utilizing faculty with part-time ambulatory care practices, by combining two rotation blocks into a 10-week "blended" ambulatory care/community pharmacy experience. The objective of this study is to characterize perceptions and impact of this format on student and preceptor skills, performance, and overall satisfaction, compared with the traditional five-week ambulatory care rotation.

METHODS

Ambulatory care preceptors were surveyed regarding student skills in interviewing, documentation, patient assessment, building pharmacist-patient relationships, and mentorship opportunities. Students were surveyed regarding the number of preceptors and patient interactions/week, rotation hours, clinical abilities developed, patient relationships, patient population diversity, preceptor mentorship, clinical track participation, rotation expectations, professional benefit, career development, overall satisfaction, and likelihood to recommend the rotation. Chi-square test was used to evaluate statistically significant differences in cohort responses.

RESULTS

Survey responses from 74 students (49%) and 21 preceptors (46%) were included. Student perceptions were generally positive and comparable between groups. Statistically significant differences were observed between groups in students' perception of "patient diversity" and preceptors' perception of "patient-pharmacist relationship".

CONCLUSION

The 10-week blended format provides a unique and viable option that offers a solution to shortages of preceptor availability for ambulatory care APPEs by providing a rotation format that is more conducive to clinical practice faculty part-time ambulatory clinic schedules.