The capacity ratio as a measure of solvency in experiential education.

OBJECTIVE To determine the utility of the capacity ratio to measure and compare solvency in experiential education in 6 colleges and schools of pharmacy in the Northwestern United States. METHODS The 6 colleges and schools of pharmacy combined data on student placements needed, site availability, and changes made to placements during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years and calculated capacity ratios for the advanced and introductory experience programs in the region. Comparisons also were made to previously published capacity results to determine whether the capacity ratio was useful in identifying trends and guiding preceptor and site development. RESULTS Capacity ratio calculations were successful in facilitating comparison of capacity within and across regions. Experiential education is solvent in the Northwest overall, but specific parts of experiential programs were found to have more capacity than others. Trends in the Northwest were consistent with capacity in other regions. CONCLUSIONS The capacity ratio can determine and facilitate comparison of solvency within and across colleges and schools of pharmacy and thereby inform decisions about resource management in experiential education.