American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2010; 74 (4) Article 65.
VIEWPOINTS
A Hand and Glove Approach to Pharmacy Experiential Education
and Residency Training
David D. Allen, PhD,a and Kelly M. Smith, PharmDb
a
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Pharmacy
b
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy
Neither the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Edu- base, communication, and other skills required for suc-
cation (ACPE) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program cessful practice-based teaching. Further, with added re-
guidelines1 nor the American Society of Health-System quirements and needed emphasis on interprofessional
Pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines for residencies2 mandate education, we should seek to have greater overlap in ex-
that training of doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students and periential education in a tiered manner with our medicine
pharmacy residents coincide. As pharmacy moves toward colleagues, as well as other health care professionals,
expanded residency training at a minimum or considers allowing pharmacy to learn with and from them, and
mandated residency training for ‘‘direct patient care,’’3 enabling learning about one another, thus solidifying
the profession would be well-served to contemplate re- the importance of team-based approaches to care.
quirements that pharmacy students train with pharmacists Our reliance on a pharmacy practice model that has
at all levels of practice and experience. In particular, we evolved little over the past decades is a significant imped-
feel that postgraduate pharmacy residency training should iment to achieving this educational paradigm. If as a pro-
include direct involvement with PharmD students as well fession we are unable to achieve an approach to practice
as an exposure to teaching. At present, our medicine col- that more effectively integrates the role of residents and
leagues take a tiered approach to experiential education: students, these trainees will only be accessories to the
attending physicians, fellows/residents to medical students health care team. Rather, our goal should be that student
is medicine’s approach to clinical education, clerkships, and resident pharmacists are considered essential care-
and graduate medical education. The Liaison Committee givers, such that their absence from the health care team
on Medical Education (LCME) requirements suggest that is both noticeable and detrimental. We believe an equi-
medical students be exposed to learners of many types, and librium can be achieved such that there is not an over-
stress residency experiences in particular for their doctor reliance on students and trainees that hampers their ability
of medicine program training.4 Graduate medical educa- to learn, or potentially minimizes the quality of patient
tion requirements (from the Accreditation Council for