Design and implementation of a novel ward-based pharmacy clinical educator programme at a multisite tertiary teaching hospital.

Abstract

Background: Training programmes are well established for pharmacy interns and early to mid-career pharmacists through foundation and advanced residency frameworks within Australian hospitals. Structured training programmes for new-to-hospital pharmacists to provide clinical services have not been developed. The authors designed and implemented a novel educator programme to support these pharmacists. Method(s): Sixteen experienced hospital pharmacists were credentialed as pharmacy clinical educators (PCEs) through three 2-day workshops and assessments on education principles, Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) and effective feedback. A PCE-led training programme was implemented across a 6-site, 2000-bed hospital, consisting of a 2-day workshop and pairing new-to-hospital pharmacists with PCEs on a ward. At the elbow training and assessment using EPAs were provided through standard or modified training programmes based on previous experience. Pharmacists needed to achieve level 3 in four EPAs to work with indirect supervision: Best possible medication history, admission medication reconciliation, discharge medication reconciliation and counselling. Result(s): Nine months post implementation of the programme, 131 pharmacists have completed or commenced training with a PCE, and 776 EPA assessments have been completed. Overall, 65% (85/131) of pharmacists required the standard training programme with EPAs, and 35% (46/131) required modified training programmes due to past hospital experience. Of the 85 pharmacists who received standard training, 69% (n=59) achieved a level 3 in all 4 EPAs and can now work with indirect supervision. 28 of the 131 pharmacists are still in training. Participant feedback included that the training was supportive of the development of clinical skills and confidence-building. Discussion(s): The novel PCE-led training programme bridges practice gaps for new-to-hospital pharmacists through delivering a structured training programme, with a key strength being the one-on-one tailored training. This program has expedited the upskilling of pharmacists to undertake core EPAs, enhancing patient care, and may serve as a model for other settings.