Recent University of Arizona College of Pharmacy research suggests that Objective Structured Clinical Examinations may be an effective way to assess clinical skills and provide learning opportunities for pharmacy students in community pharmacies. Although the OSCEs are intended to evaluate health care professionals in a clinical setting and provide information about how they can be used in community pharmacies, data has not been available.Retail pharmacists are often responsible for educating patients about OTC drugs. A recent survey by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) found that pharmacists recommend an average of 29 OTC products each week to their patients. 81% of those consumers also purchase OTC products from pharmacists. Pharmacy education is essential to keep up with the changing needs of patients.The UArizona Doctor of Pharmacy requires that students take Self-Care Pharmacotherapeutics. This course teaches students how to use medications in self-care. It includes proper dosing and selection of medications. There was little information about how to best assess the skills learned during this training. A College of Pharmacy Assistant study, conducted by Bernadette Cornelison (PharmD), MS, BCPS and Beth Zerr (PharmD), BCACP, examined the effectiveness of a community-based OSCE to assess pharmacy students in their first year. According to the analysis, both students and facilitators felt that the OSCE was a test of the skills required to provide care in a local setting.Dr. Cornelison explained that the self-care therapy course is taught in the first semester in pharmacy school. "We felt it important to evaluate and innovate new teaching methods that would educate students and help them retain the information.The Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy published the study. It also showed that the simulation accurately represented the time it would take for a student intern to complete the Pharmacist's Patient Care Process (PPCP). This further shows that even though time is often a constraint, the PPCP can still be applied to patients. Standardization of the process is an important step towards advancing pharmacists' recognition as patient care providers in all parts of the country.Drs. Drs.###
