Online doctor of pharmacy program for pharmacy practitioners: Development and evaluation of six pilot courses

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Fall 2000 by O'Neil, Christine K, Poirier, Theresa I

Utilizing the original credit structure approved in 1996, the initial six pilot courses in the program were developed by faculty assigned to the subject area in cooperation with the investigators. The courses were designed utilizing selected pharmacy practice competencies initially developed for the entry-level PharmD program at our school. These practice functions included: participate in the drug use process; monitor patients to maximize compliance; monitor patients with regard the therapeutic objectives; monitor patients to prevent adverse drug reactions and interactions; document the pharmaceutical care process; and participate in health promotion and wellness initiatives.

With the assistance of the investigators, faculty converted their existing course material so that could it could be delivered online. A template was designed so that course structure was consistent. Course content was delivered via Power-Point presentations and self-study outlines which were accessible online and available for download. Case discussions were conducted via synchronous chat with the group. Homework assignments were also posted online.

The initial courses included four Pharmacotherapy/Disease Management modules and two clinical skills courses. The disease states identified were those that have tremendous potential for noncompliance, therapeutic monitoring and pharmacists' involvement in primary care. Pharmacotherapy courses and associated topics included: (i) cardiovascular - hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cholesterol screening, smoking cessation; (ii) endocrinology - diabetes, osteoporosis, blood glucose monitoring; (iii) respiratory - asthma, COPD, respiratory infections, otitis media, peak flow monitoring; and (iv) GI/rheumatology - arthritis, peptic ulcer disease, GERD, helicobacter screening. Each one-credit module was completed over a five-week period.

The clinical skills courses were designed to expose the student to the basic process of drug therapy assessment. Clinical Skills II focused on such topics as creation of a working database, identification of drug-therapy problems, care planning and monitoring. Students were required to demonstrate proficiency in the drug assessment process through standardizes cases and actual patient from their own practice site. Clinical Skills III involved case studies in the interpretation of laboratory values. Students also completed self-study readings from the ASHP Clinical Skills Modules(14).

Participants completed an orientation session that provided them with program expectations and an introduction to FirstClass a course management software package.2 Additionally each participant was assigned a mentor from the program faculty. The role of the mentor was to serve as an advisor as well as a preceptor for any rotations completed at the participant's own practice site.

Instructional Strategies

A main focus of the project was to ensure program flexibility and allow participants to maintain fulltime employment. To this end, the didactic portion of program was conducted primanly online. While the initial six courses did not require the participant to come to campus, limited one-day workshops are required for other courses such as communication and physical assessment.