Teaching Residents How to Teach: A Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Certificate Program (STLC) for Pharmacy Residents

A December 2002 survey of member institutions by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) found that 67 colleges had a total of 417 vacant teaching positions.1,2 The majority of these vacancies were for full-time positions (94.3%). Concurrently, nearly every US college of pharmacy is in some stage of expansion in response to the current shortage of practicing pharmacists. These expansions are leading greater numbers of institutions to seek new faculty members, some of which may be at the initial stages of their academic careers. In terms of pharmacy practice faculty members, larger numbers of pharmacy residents are finding themselves in junior-level faculty positions early in their careers. In 2002, acknowledging the need for colleges of pharmacy to play a more significant part in pharmacy residency training, an AACP task force was also convened to provide recommendations regarding the role of colleges and schools of pharmacy in residency training.3 Pharmacy Practice residencies are organized, directed postgraduate-training experiences in a defined area of pharmacy practice.4,5 Their intent is to provide the knowledge and experience that pharmacists require to practice in contemporary healthcare, while preparing the individual for future 3modes of practice. Successful graduates of advanced training programs, such as pharmacy residencies, should be prepared to enter one of many potential positions within the realm of pharmacy practice. These may include positions in specialized areas of practice, research and development, industry, or academia. In most facets of clinical pharmacy practice and certainly in academia, residency graduates will be expected to participate in some degree of classroom or experiential teaching. Teaching may occur on various levels including: medication counseling of patients and family members, presentation of formal and informal inservices to various healthcare professionals, new product detailing, preceptorship of students or residents, and/or presentation of formal academic lectures. The American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists (ASHP) has set educational accreditation standards for both preceptors and graduates of residency programs.5 Pharmacy practice residency standards include 3 broad educational goals pertaining specifically to education and teaching skills. Specific objectives include a focus on organizing content, addressing communication at a level appropriate for the audience, and utilizing visual aids effectively. ASHP goal S13, “deliver effective educaAmerican Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2005; 69 (2) Article 20.