An elective course on application of clinical pharmacy principles

Abstract

Objective. To design and implement an elective therapeutics course and to assess its impact on students' attainment of course outcomes and level of confidence in applying clinical pharmacy principles and pharmacotherapy knowledge. Design. A 3-credit hour elective for third-year pharmacy students was structured to include problem-based learning (PBL), journal club and case presentations, and drug information activities. Assessment. Student achievement of curricular outcomes was measured using performance on SOAP (subjective, objective, assessment, plan) notes, case and journal club presentations, drug information activities, and peer evaluations. Results from a pre- and post-course survey instrument demonstrated significant improvement in students' confidence in applying clinical pharmacy principles. Conclusion. Students completing the course demonstrated increased attainment of course outcomes and confidence in their abilities to evaluate a patient case and make pharmacotherapeutic recommendations.