Objective. To develop and implement a capstone course that would allow students to reflect on their development as a professional, assess and share their achievement of the college's outcomes, complete a professional portfolio, establish a continuing professional development plan, and prepare to enter the pharmacy profession. Design. Students were required to complete a hybrid course built around 4 online and inclass projects during the final semester of the curriculum. Assessment. Faculty used direct measures of learning, such as reading student portfolios and program outcome reflections, evaluating professional development plans, and directly observing each student in a video presentation. All projects were evaluated using standardized rubrics. Since 2012, all graduating students met the course's minimum performance requirements. Conclusion. The course provided an opportunity for student-based summative evaluation, direct observation of student skills, and documentation of outcome completion as a means of evaluating readiness to enter the profession.

Summary Aims The 2012 American College of Chest Physician Evidence‐Based Management of Anticoagulant Therapy guidelines suggest an international normalized ratio (INR) testing interval of up to 12 weeks, rather than every 4 weeks, for patients with consistently stable INRs while taking vitamin K antagonists. We aimed to examine the feasibility of extended‐interval follow‐up in a real‐world setting. Methods Patients receiving stable warfarin therapy for ≥12 weeks at baseline began extended‐interval follow‐up with visits occurring at 6 weeks, 14 weeks, and every 12 weeks thereafter to a maximum of 68 weeks or until they were no longer suitable for extended‐interval follow‐up. A single INR excursion >0.3 from goal was permitted if a reversible precipitating factor was identified and the INR was expected to return to goal without dose adjustment. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients completing all study follow‐up visits. Results Of 48 patients enrolled, 47 had evaluable data. The most common indication for anticoagulation was atrial fibrillation/flutter (53.2%). At baseline, mean prior warfarin treatment duration was 6.7 ± 6 years and median number of weeks on a stable regimen was 24 weeks (IQR, 19–37.5). Eleven patients (23%) completed all study follow‐up visits, whereas 17 (36%) did not maintain a stable INR past the 14‐week follow‐up. Conclusion A large proportion of patients with previously stable (≥3 months) INRs were not able to maintain stable INRs during extended‐interval follow‐up. More research is needed to identify patient characteristics predictive of success with extended‐interval follow‐up prior to broad implementation.

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