Preparing competent graduates for delivering pharmaceutical care: an experience from Northern Cyprus

BACKGROUND: This paper describes the implementation and evaluation of a clinical pharmacy practice (CPP) course in Northern Cyprus. The course covered a range of subjects, including internal medicine, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and drug information services. METHODS: An 8-week structured CPP course was designed for fifth-year students. Students’ competencies were assessed using an objective structural clinical examination (OSCE) before and after the intervention. The course addressed all CPP competence domains and learning outcomes, and it utilized a wide variety of learning activities. Student perceptions, experience and preceptor evaluations were assessed using surveys. RESULTS: Students reported that the learning objectives of the course were met. Substantial knowledge and skills in different areas of CPP were gained. A significant overall enhancement in the average grades on the OSCE was identified (23.09 ± 0.75 and 27.51 ± 0.71 out of 40). Students received the highest scores in drug information data retrieval and interpretation (4.4 ± 0.13), communication skills (4.2 ± 0.09) and public health promotion (3.92 ± 0.12). The lowest scores were recorded in clinical prescription management problems (2.5 ± 0.23) and pharmacotherapy application (2.54 ± 0.18). CONCLUSION: Students’ scores significantly improved from the baseline in the core competence domains. Most students found the structure, process and outcomes of the course to be beneficial and satisfactory.