The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor

Case study

KS is a pharmacist in charge of running an internal medicine rota-

tion for pharmacy residents. She has been running the rotation for a

number of years and has received mixed reviews. Although some of her

trainees love the experience and rave about the independence it offers,

others complain about a lack of structure and being unfamiliar with the

preceptor’s expectations. Another year of rotations is about to begin,

and KS is dreading the orientation session needed to get the next group

of residents up to speed. She feels she regularly forgets some aspects of

the orientation process and wishes it could be smoother this year.

▲ ▲ ▲

Chapter 3

Writing Your Syllabus or Learning

Experience Description

Mate M. Soric

30 The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor

INTRODUCTION

Although it may not be a glamorous endeavor to put a syllabus together for a rotation,

this document plays an incredibly important role in setting the stage for the learning

experience, informing trainees of your expectations, and simplifying the orientation

process. In addition to the obvious beneﬁts to the learner, having a thorough syllabus

offers signiﬁcant beneﬁts to the preceptor, as well. It can be used as a centralized location

for commonly used instructions, limits repetitive explanations of assignments to learn-

ers, keeps orientation consistent, and serves as a repository for the rules and regulations

that govern the entire experience.

THE PURPOSE OF A GOOD SYLLABUS OR LEARNING

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION

Even though it may not always be readily apparent, learners truly appreciate a complete

and organized syllabus.

1, 2

Arriving on day one with clear expectations of the daily activi-

ties, the assessment plan, and what it takes to achieve a passing grade can go a long

way to ease nerves. It is also a document that will serve as a reference throughout the

experience, allowing learners to ﬁnd answers when they encounter difﬁcult situations or

unclear expectations.

For the preceptor, a well-written syllabus can make your life a great deal easier.

Referring your learners to the document can save you the time it would take to explain

these activities time and time again. The syllabus also simpliﬁes the orientation process

by serving as a repository for the main points that should be reviewed with the trainees

at the start of each rotation. By using the document as a guide, it means fewer facts

and discussions will need to be memorized and recalled so you can focus your efforts

elsewhere. Finally, by creating a one-stop shop for all of the rotation’s rules and regula-

tions, you limit the chance that an underperforming learner will plead ignorance when

their grades are not as high as they would have liked.

Case Question

KS has identiﬁed an issue with residents consistently grasping her rota-

tion’s expectations. How could a written syllabus help standardize her

rotation and orientation?

The terms syllabus and learning experience description throughout this chapter refer

to a very similar document. A syllabus more often accompanies a student rotation and

a learning experience description is the document that describes a resident’s rotation.

Because these documents often have signiﬁcant overlap, we will use the term syllabus

throughout the majority of the chapter. When describing sections that are speciﬁc to a

residency learning experience description, that term will be used instead.

Chapter 3—Writing Your Syllabus or Learning Experience Description 31

Quick Tip

Your syllabus is a dynamic document. After it is created, there is no reason

that it cannot be changed or amended. As you encounter challenges, identify

new learning opportunities, or see behaviors you would want to discourage,

the syllabus should be updated, reworked, and amended to reﬂect the chang-

ing rotation it describes. Keeping the date of the last update in the footer of

the document will help keep you up-to-date.

COMPONENTS OF THE SYLLABUS OR LEARNING EXPERIENCE

DESCRIPTION

There are numerous organizational styles available for a rotation syllabus or a learning

experience description. The precise format of your syllabus should be tailored to your

rotation and precepting style. However, a sample syllabus is included in this text as a

reference (see Appendix 3A).

Preceptor Contact

Taking a fairly prominent spot near the top of your syllabus, you should make it easy

for your trainees to identify how to best contact you. The information you provide

should identify the preferred method for communication in addition to some backup

options. Typically, this includes email addresses, ofﬁce phone, cellular phone, pager, and,

sometimes, home phone numbers. If you are providing your personal contact informa-

tion and you would like your residents and students to use them, make that clear in the

document, as well. Most learners will hesitate to contact you on your home or personal

cellular phone unless you have made it clear that you prefer that method. You may

also consider including secondary preceptors or administrators that can be contacted

in the event that you are unavailable. If you practice in an area susceptible to inclem-

ent weather, you may also want to establish a clear set of procedures for the trainee to

communicate late arrivals or emergencies.

This section of the syllabus can also be used to describe the frequency, type, and

extent of preceptor-learner interaction over the course of the rotation. This is a require-

ment for learning experience descriptions in residency programs and is greatly appreci-

ated for student rotations, as well. Include the usual dates and times for scheduled rota-

tion interactions, such as rounds, topic discussions or committee meetings, along with

evaluations, presentations, and ofﬁce hours.

General Description and Logistics

Although other sections included in this document will go into the rotation’s details

in greater degree, a brief introduction to the ins and outs of the experience should be

placed near the top of the syllabus. It often opens with an overview of the kinds of expe-

riences to which the learners will be exposed and highlights the general aspects of phar-

macy practice that will be explored on the rotation. This section is also used to describe

logistical concerns, such as parking, meeting location on the ﬁrst day of the rotation,

start and end times, lunch breaks, and navigation of the practice site. Many preceptors

32 The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor

choose to include a map of the facility to help new learners get familiar with the lay of

the land with clearly marked acceptable parking locations, meeting places, locations of

restrooms, and food-friendly refrigerators and cafeterias.

You may also choose to include some tips to help incoming trainees prepare for the

rotation so that they can hit the ground running and avoid remediation of important

topics. For clinical rotations, you may consider including a list of disease states that the

learners will routinely encounter. For other types of rotations, the list can include skills

that the learner should review, such as spreadsheet software, pharmacy calculations, or

a review of pharmacy laws that are pertinent to the practice site. If you have identiﬁed

required readings that should be completed before the rotation begins, these should also

be described here.

Quick Tip

If your rotation contains activities that occur during off-hours, make this

expectation clear in the syllabus so that trainees are not caught off guard by

these types of activities.

Attendance Policy

The syllabus is the ideal warehouse for the policies on learner attendance. If an emer-

gency strikes, the trainees will already have access to this document and can refer to

it to learn how to handle the situation appropriately. Ensure your attendance section

discusses the difference between an excused and an unexcused absence. This will help

limit inappropriate use of time off. A passage should also describe the procedures for

notifying the preceptor or other stakeholders (such as the residency program director or

the director of experiential education). To address instances where a learner will miss a

signiﬁcant amount of time, policies on family, sick, or professional leave should also be

addressed, in addition to how supplemental assignments may be used to make up for

lost time.

Quick Tip

You do not need to reinvent the wheel for each section of your syllabus.

Chances are your residency program or the college or school of pharmacy

sending you students has already created extensive policies and procedures

on topics such as attendance and expectations. Feel free to use some of these

existing statements as boilerplate language.

Goals, Objectives, and Activities

The goals, objectives, and activities that are expected to be evaluated during your rota-

tion will most likely be handed down from the college or school of pharmacy sending

you their students. For postgraduates, your residency program director will likely work

Chapter 3—Writing Your Syllabus or Learning Experience Description 33

with you to identify goals and objectives that should be assessed during your rotation.

These learning objectives should also be clearly conveyed to the learners before they

begin. As described in Chapter 1, a mapping activity should be completed to link the

learning objectives to individual activities that the trainee will complete during the

experience. A table such as the one provided in Chapter 1 (Table 1-2) is helpful to both

the preceptor and the trainee. For the preceptor, completing the table will help identify

the speciﬁc activities you will observe in order to assess each objective. For the learners,

clear expectations of their day-to-day activities and how they relate to the ﬁnal grade

will help them prioritize their responsibilities and identify strengths and weaknesses

effectively. Recall that it is particularly important to avoid using broad, general activi-

ties. Break up complex, multifaceted activities into smaller, bite-sized parts so that each

component may be assessed. Instead of stating the learner will engage in “patient care,”

list activities such as collecting relevant patient data, identifying drug-related problems,

creating a complete drug therapy plan, and implementing a monitoring plan.

Calendar

The portion of your syllabus that will be used most often will likely be the calendar.

A detailed calendar that includes important deadlines, regularly scheduled activities,

assessments, and preceptor availability is a great resource for your trainees and will be

referenced throughout the experience. Although it may take a little extra work on your

part as the preceptor, this document should be updated before each new rotation begins

to allow for up-to-date information transmission to learners. For this reason, many

preceptors are moving the calendar from paper to electronic formats. A single, uniﬁed

online calendar allows all parties to edit and update the contents of the document so

that everyone is seeing consistent information.

The Assessment Plan and Assignments

Your syllabus should contain a section that clearly describes to the learners how they

will be evaluated and what acceptable performance looks like. It may be best to include

a selection of common evaluation techniques that are used over the course of the rota-

tion. If there are particular skills your rotation is best-suited to assess and improve,

identify evaluations in these areas and when they are likely to be performed. Including

actual copies of the rubrics used for these evaluations (such as presentation, journal

club, or communication rubrics) will make expectations clear to the learners before they

begin putting these projects together. You should also describe if and when a midpoint

evaluation will be completed. If you use speciﬁc criteria to trigger a midpoint evaluation,

those may also be described here.

When describing the ﬁnal evaluation, a brief description of what it takes to earn

each rating establishes expectations and minimizes confusion about grades. In particu-

lar, criteria should be laid out for what it takes to earn “honors,” “A,” or “achieved”

marks. If there are certain behaviors or actions that would lead to an automatic failure

of a rotation, the Assessment Plan section is the perfect place to communicate these

consequences.

Even though you have described rotation activities earlier in the syllabus, you may

also choose to include more detailed descriptions of projects and presentations in this

section of the syllabus. For example, if you prefer that case presentations follow a

certain format, including detailed instructions for that assignment in the syllabus is a

34 The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor

signiﬁcant beneﬁt to your learners and to you. You can simply refer your students and

residents to the syllabus for more detail and save yourself the time it takes to explain

the assignment each month.

Expectations of Learner Progression

For resident learning experience descriptions, a section describing the expected progres-

sion over the course of the rotation is a requirement of the accreditation standard.

A similar section could be useful for your students, although it is not a requirement

for student rotations. It helps establish milestones for the trainees so that their self-

evaluations can be based on your expectations and not on their own assumptions.

Knowing your expectations will help struggling learners to seek out assistance before it

is too late to correct the underlying issue. This section can be broken down into days or

weeks and should speciﬁcally describe the types of activities and level of independence

the learners should be achieving at various points in the experience. Ensure that the

milestones are based on SMART (speciﬁc, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely)

goals. If vague goals are used, the resident or student will not beneﬁt from reading this

section of your syllabus. For example, a clear expectation of learner progression could

be written as “By the end of the ﬁrst week of the rotation, students should be able to

independently complete prescription transfers from outside pharmacies without direct

preceptor involvement.”

Case Question

KS’s internal medicine rotation requires residents be independent in their

patient work-up process by the end of the third week of the rotation. Write

a SMART goal for inclusion in her learning experience description for this

milestone.

DELIVERY OF THE SYLLABUS TO YOUR LEARNERS

It is best to plan to deliver your syllabus in advance of your learners’ ﬁrst day on your

rotation. This advanced notice provides a chance for the learners to learn about the

upcoming experience and begin working on any preparatory material before they arrive.

Although it is in the learners’ best interest to review the document before they arrive,

this does not always occur. To increase the odds of getting your residents and students

to read this important document, you can include your prerotation instructions in the

syllabus and simply refer your incoming trainees to ﬁnd their instructions within the

syllabus rather than supplying them in the rotation’s introductory email. This approach

will decrease the time you spend providing instructions to incoming residents and

students while having the added beneﬁt of increasing the likelihood that the important

details contained in the document reach their intended audience.

Chapter 3—Writing Your Syllabus or Learning Experience Description 35

Case Question

KS has noticed that many of her residents are not actually reading the

learning experience description she has prepared for them before they

arrive for her rotation. Describe one strategy to increase the likelihood

that they will do so.

The GisT

1. A syllabus is an important document for both learner and preceptor.

a. It helps the learner be aware of the expectations of the experience.

b. It helps minimize confusion and questions while promoting consis-

tency.

2. A complete syllabus should contain contact information, the assessment

plan, logistics, goals/objectives, a calendar, and the learners’ expected

progression.

3. To help ensure your learners read this important document, include all

introductory information for your rotation in the syllabus and refer

incoming learners to the document for instructions for day one.

SUGGESTED READINGS

Garavalia L, Hummel J, Wiley L, Huitt W. Constructing the course syllabus: faculty

and student perceptions of important syllabus components. http://humphreys.

edu/faculty/jdecosta/Jim/ED303/facultystudentperceptionssyllabus.pdf. Accessed 13

September 2016.

Gronlund NE. How to Write and Use Instructional Objectives. 7th ed. Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Prentice Hall; 2004:3–29.

REFERENCES

1. O’Sullivan TA, Lau C, Patel M, Mac C et al. Student-valued measurable teach-

ing behaviors of award-winning pharmacy preceptors. Am J Pharm Educ. 2015;

79:151.

2. Young S, Vos SS, Cantrell M, Shaw R. Factors associated with students’ percep-

tion of preceptor excellence. Am J Pharm Educ. 2014; 78:53.

36 The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor

 APPENDIX 3A 

Sample Learning Experience Description

Advanced Internal Medicine I Rotation

Learning Experience Description

Preceptor Contact

Preceptor: John Smith, PharmD, BCPS

Ofﬁce phone: 555-555-3037

Cell phone: 555-555-0398

Pager: 555-555-0900

Home phone: 555-555-8934

Email: [email protected]

Preceptor Interaction

Daily: 8:00–8:30 Pre-rounds, Department of Pharmacy

8:30–11:30 Hospitalist team rounds (meet in ICU)

2:45–3:45 Topic discussions

Tues: 1:30–2:30 Ofﬁce hours

Thurs: 9:45–11:45 Clinic

Preferred Communication

1. Daily scheduled meeting times

2. Email: Residents should check their email regularly (at least twice daily) as impor-

tant communications may be sent via this route

3. Cell phone: Text message acceptable for non–patient care issues

4. Pager

5. Home phone: For emergencies only

General Description

Residents will round with the Hospitalist service, seeing approximately 15–30 patients

per day, gaining skills in collecting and analyzing patient information, designing

evidence-based drug regimens and monitoring plans, evaluating patient outcomes,

and adjusting drug therapy in response to emerging data. In addition to the pharmacy

resident, the Hospitalist team generally consists of an attending physician, a nurse prac-

titioner, a clinical pharmacist, and pharmacy students on advanced pharmacy practice

experience (APPE) rotations. Residents will also have the opportunity to provide educa-

tion to patients, pharmacy students, nurses, and physicians. Emphasis will be placed

Source: Adapted from ASHP’s Residency Program Design and Conduct (RPDC) Workshops.

Used with permission ©ASHP, Bethesda, MD. http://www.ashp.org/DocLibrary/Accreditation/

Learning-Experience-Description-Example-New-2014-PGY1-Standard.pdf

Chapter 3—Writing Your Syllabus or Learning Experience Description 37

on evaluation of medical literature, communication skills, and the development of a

commitment to lifelong learning. In addition to the requirements outlined above, the

Advanced Internal Medicine I rotation will allow the resident to serve as a preceptor for

an APPE pharmacy student. Additional responsibilities may include syllabus creation,

formative evaluations, summative evaluation, and project assignment/assessment of an

APPE student.

Location, Lunch, and Parking

General Hospital is located at 1234 Main Street, Cleveland, OH 44102. With 430 beds,

it is the largest community hospital in the health system. A cafeteria is available onsite;

however, a refrigerator is available if a student prefers to pack a lunch. Parking is free

for residents in Lot B.

Disease States

It may be worthwhile to review some of the common disease states seen on the Internal

Medicine rotation before your rotation begins, such as:

Cardiology



Acute coronary syndromes



Congestive heart failure



Hypertension



Hyperlipidemia



Atrial ﬁbrillation



Stroke

Endocrine



Diabetes mellitus



Hyper/hypothyroidism

Gastroenterology



Gastroesophageal reﬂux disease



Peptic ulcer disease



Pancreatitis



Hepatitis

Infectious Disease



Pneumonia



Urinary tract infections



Skin and soft tissue infections



Infective endocarditis



Sepsis

Nephrology



Acute and chronic renal failure



Drug-induced renal failure

Neurology/Psychiatry



Pain management



Depression

38 The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor



Dementia



Drug and alcohol withdrawal

Pulmonology



Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease



Asthma

Throughout the course of the rotation, the resident will be expected to gain proﬁciency

for common disease states through direct patient care and educational offerings for

students and other healthcare professionals.

Topic Discussions

Topic discussions are designed to:



provide a review of selected disease states or conditions.



practice small-group presentation skills.

Topic discussions are assigned weekly (one per learner) and typically delivered at the

end of the day.

Assignment

1. Choose a topic that ﬁts with the week’s theme and submit it to Dr. Smith for

approval.

2. Review your class notes, guidelines, and pertinent primary literature to design a

30–45 min presentation on the assigned topic.

a. Focus on the areas of pathophysiology, clinical presentation, treatment, and

monitoring.

b. Other components may be included as you see ﬁt.

c. Do not overlook recent developments (i.e., what has changed since you had

your lecture in pharmacy school).

3. Create a complete, yet succinct, handout for your audience.

4. Deliver your presentation using your best presentation skills.

a. Please do not read your handout to the audience! Deliver your presentation in

the style that you would like to see a presentation given.

b. Stick to the time limits.

c. Practice ahead of time, if necessary.

Journal Club

Journal club assignments are designed to:



evaluate the learner’s evidence-based medicine skills.



identify emerging evidence that might be of use to practicing pharmacists.



examine studies closely for strengths and weakness to determine the clinical appli-

cability of the data published.

Assignment

1. Choose a recent journal article of interest to you.

a. It may be from any area of interest.

b. It should be recent (from the last 2 yr or so).

c. Most likely it will be a randomized control trial, although others may be

accepted after review.

Chapter 3—Writing Your Syllabus or Learning Experience Description 39

2. Email the article to Dr. Smith for approval.

3. Once approved, you may begin the preparation of a journal club handout.

a. Typically, a Power Point presentation is not necessary, although it may be

done if you prefer this delivery method.

b. If needed, Dr. Smith has a number of sample handouts for you to review.

4. Email an electronic copy of the journal article to all likely attendees of the journal

club.

a. This includes pharmacists, residents, and other students.

b. All attendees are expected to come prepared to participate in the journal club.

5. On the day of the presentation, arrive prepared with handouts for all likely

attendees.

General Handout Structure

Background: Current gold standard of practice for the disease state, condition, or medi-

cation described in the article. Brief description of any other relevant trials

Methods: The plan for the design and conduction of the study. Includes study design,

inclusion/exclusion criteria, primary and secondary endpoints, study protocol, statistical

analysis, and funding (including the role of the sponsor).

Results: Baseline population characteristics, primary endpoints and those secondary

endpoints that raise important clinical questions that should be answered by a study of

their own. Should include both measures of statistical signiﬁcance and, when possible,

clinical signiﬁcance.

Author’s conclusion: Paraphrased from the article.

Critique: Strengths and weaknesses of the trial.

Your Conclusions: Rewritten conclusion statement that accurately reﬂects what a prac-

ticing pharmacist can take from the trial.

Unanswered Questions: What questions were left unanswered by the trial (or were

raised by) the trial.

References: Written in proper format.

40 The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor

Goals and Objectives to Be Taught and Formally Evaluated

During the learning experience the resident will focus on the goals and objectives

outlined below by performing the activities that are associated with each objective. The

resident will gradually assume responsibility for all of the patients within the assigned

unit. The postgraduate year 1 resident must devise efﬁcient strategies for accomplishing

the required activities in a limited time frame. Achievement of the goals of the residency

is determined through assessment of ability to perform the associated objectives. The

table below demonstrates the relationship between the activities and the goals/objectives

assigned to the learning experience.

Competency Area R1: Patient Care

Goal R1.1: In collaboration with the healthcare team, provide safe and effective patient care to

a diverse range of patients, including those with multiple comorbidities, high-risk medication

regimens, and multiple medications following a consistent patient care process.

R1.1.1 (Applying) Interact effectively with

healthcare teams to manage patients’

medication therapy.

Actively participate in daily hospitalist

team rounds.



Establish a strong rapport with the

other members of the hospitalist team



Communicate recommendations

effectively to the team

Provide drug information for patients,

caregivers, and/or healthcare providers

R1.1.2 (Analyzing) Collect information on which

to base safe and effective medication

therapy.

Accurately and efﬁciently gather patient

information from the electronic

medical record and analyze it to:



Prioritize the patient’s medical

problems



Identify all drug-related problems

R1.1.3 (Creating) Design or redesign safe and

effective patient-centered therapeutic

regimens and monitoring plans (care

plans).

Design a complete patient care plan that

is customized to each patient’s unique

situation, including:



Therapeutic goals



Complete therapeutic

recommendations that include drug,

dose, route, frequency and duration



Monitoring parameters for both

efﬁcacy and safety



Important patient education topics

Complete formal consults for the

pharmacy consult service, including

pain management, polypharmacy,

discharge education, anticoagulation

and renal dosing.

(continued)

Chapter 3—Writing Your Syllabus or Learning Experience Description 41

R1.1.4 (Applying) Ensure implementation of

therapeutic regimens and monitoring

plans (care plans) by taking

appropriate follow-up actions.

Complete formal consults for the

pharmacy consult service, including

pain management, polypharmacy,

discharge education, anticoagulation

and renal dosing.

Follow up on previous recommendations

to ensure continued appropriateness

R1.1.5 (Applying) Document direct patient care

activities appropriately in the medical

record or where appropriate.

Document all patient care and

medication education-related activities

in subjective, objective, assessment,

and plan (SOAP) note format in the

patient’s medical record.

R1.1.6 (Applying) Demonstrate responsibility to

patients.

Prioritize responsibilities to allow for

completion of patient care activities.

Competency Area R2: Teaching, Education, and Dissemination of Knowledge

Goal R2.1: Provide effective medication and practice-related education to patients, caregivers,

healthcare professionals, students, and the public (individuals and groups).

R2.1.1 (Applying) Design effective educational

activities.

Participate in (and often lead) daily

topic discussions with APPE students,

including the preparation and

evaluation of handouts, journal clubs,

and continuing pharmacy education

presentations.

Use case-based teaching to convey

important therapeutics topics to

pharmacy students.

R2.1.2 (Applying) Use effective presentation and

teaching skills to deliver education.

Serve as the primary preceptor for at

least one pharmacy student, creating

a syllabus, organizing learning

experiences and evaluating the

student appropriately.

R2.1.3 (Applying) Appropriately assess

effectiveness of education.

Serve as the primary preceptor for at

least one pharmacy student, creating

a syllabus, organizing learning

experiences, and evaluating the

student appropriately.

(continued)

42 The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor

Goal R2.2: Effectively employ appropriate preceptors’ roles when engaged in teaching (e.g.,

students, pharmacy technicians, or other healthcare professionals).

R2.2.1 (Analyzing) When engaged in teaching,

select a preceptors’ role that meets

learners’ educational needs.

Serve as the primary preceptor for at

least one pharmacy student, creating

a syllabus, organizing learning

experiences and evaluating the

student appropriately.

Choose the appropriate preceptor role

based on student experience, comfort,

knowledge base and other factors.

R2.2.2 (Applying) Effectively employ preceptor

roles, as appropriate.

Serve as the primary preceptor for at

least one pharmacy student, creating

a syllabus, organizing learning

experiences and evaluating the

student appropriately.

Depending on the situation, employ the

four preceptor roles to effectively

provide experiential education to

pharmacy students.

Expected Progression of Resident Responsibilities

The length of time speciﬁed below represents a general estimation and will be custom-

ized based on the resident’s abilities and timing of the learning experience during the

year.

Day 1: Orientation to the learning experience, expectation discussions and goal-

setting.

Week 1: The resident will continue to improve their patient evaluation and prob-

lem identiﬁcation skills along with the added responsibility of precepting

an APPE student. An initial rapport will be established with the pharmacy

student during the ﬁrst week.

Weeks 2–3: Additional focus will be placed on the design and communication of the

therapeutic regimen. The preceptor will begin to shift toward a facilitator’s

role as the resident demonstrates an ability to make sound recommenda-

tions with all relevant evidence to increase the likelihood of acceptance

by the team. He will attend rounds on an occasional basis. The resident’s

interaction with the students will be assessed, including any formative

evaluations, topic discussion sessions, and other assigned student work.

Week 4: A summative evaluation will take place that encompasses the clinical

aspects of the rotation (focusing on problem identiﬁcation, plan design,

and plan communication) along with the resident’s ability to incorporate

a student pharmacist into his or her practice.

Chapter 3—Writing Your Syllabus or Learning Experience Description 43

Evaluation Strategy

Throughout the rotation, the preceptor will provide an opportunity for the resident to

practice and document formative self-assessment in addition to the preceptor’s ongo-

ing formative assessments. At the end of the rotation, the preceptor will complete a

summative assessment of the pharmacy resident. The pharmacy resident, preceptor,

and residency program director will review and make comment on this evaluation. The

pharmacy resident will complete a self-evaluation and an evaluation of each learning

experience and each rotation preceptor. Resident evaluation meetings may be scheduled

more frequently if the resident or faculty identiﬁes areas of concern. Academic or profes-

sional performance requiring corrective action will be handled using the policies and

procedures set forth in General Hospitals’ Policies and Procedures and the Residency

Handbook.

What Snapshot Who When

Formative Developing a

therapeutic plan

Preceptor End of Week 2

Formative self-evaluation Developing a

therapeutic plan

Resident End of Week 2

Formative Grading a Student Preceptor End of Week 4

Formative self-evaluation Grading a Student Resident End of Week 4

Summative (optional) Preceptor Midpoint

Summative self-evaluation

(optional)

Resident Midpoint

Summative Preceptor End of each

learning

experience

Summative self-evaluation Resident End of each

learning

experience

Preceptor evaluation Resident End of each

learning

experience

Learning experience evaluation Resident End of each

learning

experience

44 The Effective Pharmacy Preceptor

Calendar of Events

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Rotaon Begins

8:00 - Orientaon

8:00 - Rounds

9:00 - Rounds

10:00 - Clinic

10:00 - Warfarin

Educaon

2:45 - Topic

Discussion

2:45 - Topic

Discussion

2:45 - Topic

Discussion

2:45 - Topic

Discussion

2:45 - Topic

Discussion

8:00 - Rounds

10:00 - Warfarin

Educaon

10:00 - Feedback

Session

10:00 - Clinic

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

Dr. S. Oﬀsite

MLK Day

8:00 - Rounds

1:00 - Journal Club

10:00 - Clinic

10:00 - Feedback

Session

10:00 - Warfarin

Educaon

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

8:00 - Rounds

10:00 - Warfarin

Educaon

10:00 - Clinic

1:00 - Feedback

Session

2:00 - Final

Evaluaon

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion

3:00 - Topic

Discussion