A Multipreceptor Approach to Ambulatory Care Topic Discussions

Abstract

Objective. To assess the impact of a multipreceptor approach to facilitating topic discussions on students' knowledge and confidence in clinical decision-making during an ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Design. Faculty members with relevant expertise and experience facilitated discussions with fourthyear doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students regarding 7 ambulatory care topics. A student self-assessment survey and knowledge-assessment instrument was administered before and after discussions. Assessment. Students' examination scores increased significantly from 59.1% 6 13.9% at baseline to 76.5% 6 12.6% at the end of the 5-week experience (p,0.001). The majority of participants were comfortable making therapeutic decisions regarding medication use as it related to all discussion topics except heart failure. Conclusions. Participation in topic discussions led by faculty members with expertise and experience for each ambulatory care topic was associated with a significant improvement in knowledgeassessment scores.

Pharmacy Student Learning During Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences in Relation to the CAPE 2013 Outcomes

“…Table 3 includes all articles that used assessment methods consistent with KH levels 2a (modification of attitudes/perceptions) or 2b (modification of knowledge/ skills). [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][27][28][29][30][31]57,58,63,72,73,75,[89][90][91][92][93][94][95] Survey assessment methods included pre/post-APPE applications and some examples of validated surveys for CAPE subdomain 3.5 (cultural sensitivity). Knowledge and skill assessments included methods such as multiple-choice or written examinations and preceptor-directed performance assessments of students.…”

An Analysis of Canadian Doctor of Pharmacy Student Experiences in Non-Traditional Student-Preceptor Models

“…5 For therapeutic discussions, a preceptor with expertise and experience in a specific field could lead that discussion, which has been shown by others to increase student knowledge, confidence, and clinical decision making. 35 We are the first to describe how pharmacy learners perceive this may impact their practice. Specifically, that this model helped to navigate the complexities of having multiple supervisors and improved the way they receive feedback.…”

Clinical subject exams during advanced pharmacy practice experiences

“…Two other potential arguments against CSEs are that they may appear to remove the preceptor's autonomy to evaluate their student's knowledge and that studying for the CSE may distract the student from APPE practice activities. McClendon and colleagues demonstrated that knowledge of CSE topics may provide an opportunity for increased interaction between preceptor and student through intentional topic discussions aimed at preparing for the CSE 27 . Additionally, two studies have demonstrated that structured reviews during a psychiatry rotation improved performance on the CSE for that subject 28,29 .…”

“…Studying for CSEs would likely require additional off‐site study time. To counteract this burden, preceptors could use CSE topics and learning outcomes as a guide for discussions, journal clubs, and assignments 27‐29 . Moreover, when implementing CSEs, it would be important to discuss how they will be included in the assessment model so that they are not punitive to students.…”