Pharmacy Preceptors’ Views on the Value and Optimal Frequency of Quality Assurance Visits to Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Sites

Abstract

Objective. To determine volunteer preceptors' perceived value and desired frequency of quality assurance visits by experiential education faculty members.Methods. An electronic survey instrument was sent to 235 volunteer preceptors. Results. A 71.5% response rate was achieved. Nearly 90% of respondents indicated that onsite visits met their needs. Approximately 50% of respondents preferred monthly onsite visits, 17% preferred every other month, and 32% preferred once per year. Conclusions. A quality assurance program for preceptors and experiential sites that includes onsite visits from experiential education faculty members meets multiple needs of the college and the preceptors. More research is needed to determine the impact of this method of quality assurance on experiential education.

Pharmacy Student and Preceptor Impressions of Faculty Liaison Visits to Experiential Training Sites

“…Bergett and colleagues underscored the need to recruit and retain quality advanced pharmacy practice experience sites and preceptors, with onsite faculty visits serving as an ongoing quality assurance measure. 9 In their study, experiential education faculty members made monthly site visits to review student rotation structure and processes and provide guidance to preceptors volunteering in its program. Separate discussions with students and preceptors, and joint meetings when appropriate, were described.…”

National Trends in IPPE Programs at US Schools of Pharmacy from 2008-2013

“…The authors also reviewed ACPE Guidelines Version 2.0, research articles, and discussion papers published by experiential program administrators in the past 5 years, stakeholder policy statements, such as the 2010 ACPE Policy Statement on Simulations for IPPEs, list-serv questions of the AACP Pediatric Pharmacy Special Interest Group, AACP annual meeting roundtable topics and presentations, and the 2013 Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) Outcomes. 2,[4][5][6][7][8][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The new survey questions were reviewed and pilot-tested by three experiential program directors and a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) candidate prior to dissemination. The Institutional Review Board at Butler University approved the method and the web-based survey.…”

A Qualitative Approach to Improving Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences in an ACPE International Certified Program

“…24 Approximately 89% of respondents believed that these visits improved communication between the preceptor and the college, and 76.2% of the preceptors believed that the visits should D r a f t continue. In addition to being an asset to their own personal practice and skills, 79.5% believed that the visits are valuable to the students' development.…”