Individual

Date: 10/2/2020

Setting: Bryant Family Pharmacy

Length: 1 Hour

Learner: A patient with an insulin regiment difficulty

Preparation Time: 2 hours

Comfort Level: I was very comfortable with this teaching experience due to my earlier work with diabetes education. I was able to use the knowledge gained from an ambulatory care rotation to successfully interact with the patient.

Teaching/Assessment Materials Used: I used a curriculum that emphasized the importance of knowing one’s numbers and eating healthy.

Methods for Assessing Learner’s Understanding: The patient received hands on training for the new insulin pen. We then discussed blood sugar goals and A1C numbers. The patient had improved but was incorrect on what the goal should be. We discussed ways to continue to decrease blood sugar levels. The patient shared that there was consistent difficulty with an insulin vial. We were able to get the patient started on an insulin pen to help with this issue.

Teaching Goals Addressed:

Goal 1: Deliver concise, organized, and effective presentations to facilitate learning

I was able to deliver a concise presentation and evaluate patient learning. The patient feedback form was tailored to meet this goal by probing overall helpfulness, most helpful, and least helpful sections. I assessed patient knowledge using a before and after test. The test helped me gauge how well the patient was grasping the content. The questions in the assessment were crafted to emphasize the most important takeaways.

Goal 2: Tailor personalized instruction to encourage learning in individual and group settings

I incorporated the plate method into the teaching session to add an additional dimension to the learner experience. This allowed the patient to visualize what was being taught.

Brief Impression of Teaching Success: The patient appeared to grasp what was taught. During follow-up sessions, the patient had continued to use the insulin pen and monitor blood sugar much more closely. The patient understood the impact “Knowing the numbers” and “Eating healthy” could make on life. I believe this initial experience helped prepare me for future sessions with other patients. The patient informed me that the hands-on information regarding the glucometer was very helpful as was the in-depth discussion of the carbohydrates. Initially, the patient was uncomfortable with the level of math required. I tried to simplify the math for the patient or find electronic resources that would perform the math. I believe this activity could be improved upon by offering the course when a patient is to begin insulin. By offering the course at this point, the patient would be better able to administer their insulin and understand their diabetes numbers.

Date: February-March 2021

Setting: Bryant Family Pharmacy-COVID Vaccination Clinic

Length: 4 hours daily

Learners: Individual nursing students of varying experience levels

Preparation Time: 3 hours

Comfort Level: Initially, I was uncomfortable with this activity. However, my comfort level grew as I worked with a student every weekday. Much of the early concern stemmed from not being aware of the student’s experience level. I quickly learned how to determine the nursing student’s comfort level with the vaccine administration process. Eventually, I was able to anticipate student difficulties and was able to prepare them beforehand.

Teaching/Assessment Materials Used: Explanation sheet concerning the vaccines and the common questions asked

Methods for Assessing Learner’s Understanding: Demonstration

Teaching Goals Addressed:

Goal 1: Deliver concise, organized, and effective presentations to facilitate learning

I created a fill-in-the blank worksheet to cover important topics that the nursing students would need during the clinic. I answered any questions that were presented to me about the vaccine.

Goal 2: Tailor personalized instruction to encourage learning in individual and group settings

The handout used was a fill-in-the-blank worksheet to encourage retention. This was a method I had seen used in my teaching observation and found it effective enough to employ.

Goal 3: Provide valuable and timely feedback to learners

I would follow the nursing students through workflow multiple times to allow the student to become comfortable with injection technique, counseling points, and workflow of the clinic. I was able to provide immediate verbal feedback to these students. While there was no formal evaluation of on the value of the feedback, I did hear from the nursing students that, ““Your guidance and direction was so very enlightening and gave me more confidence in my task as well. Thank you again for allowing me to be part of the clinic.”

Brief Impression of Teaching Success: This teaching opportunity increased my comfort level as a preceptor. I was able to help the nursing students increase their confidence as a caregiver. I was concerned with assessing the technique of the nursing students. I spoke with my preceptor regarding the best way to offer feedback without appearing condescending or overbearing to a student. Positive comments and appreciative attitudes from the nursing students helped reaffirm the benefit of this opportunity. I believe this activity could be further improved by being more aware of incoming student’s knowledge and ability levels.

Date: April 2021

Setting: Bryant Family Pharmacy

Length: One-month long rotation

Learners: Individual P4 pharmacy student

Preparation Time: 1 hour for the COVID vaccination topic discussion

Comfort Level: Preceptorship was initially an uncomfortable experience. The two months spent as a co-preceptor in January and February allowed me to become more familiar with the requirements and expectations of preceptorship. When I began as primary preceptor, I was comfortable with the position but continued to improve at offering constructive criticism. I was comfortable with the topic discussion as I had been highly involved with the COVID-19 vaccination rollout at Bryant Family Pharmacy. I was not familiar with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and used my preparation time to become more familiar with this vaccine.

Teaching/Assessment Materials Used: I used a handout developed by the CDC to lead the topic discussion. I used the CORE ELMS system to offer formal written feedback to the student.

Methods for Assessing Learner’s Understanding: The student's skills and abilities in the pharmacy were assessed by observation in the pharmacy. The student's learning during the topic discussion was assessed by direct observation as they participated in the COVID vaccination clinic. Questions or issues were immediately addressed.

Teaching Goals Addressed:

Goal 3: Provide valuable and timely feedback to learners

I was able to provide timely feedback to the pharmacy student based upon his performance in the COVID-19 vaccination clinic. I was able to provide direct and immediate oral feedback whenever I heard an incorrect response to a question or saw incorrect practice. A common mistake that required correction involved the use of safety needles. It was necessary to instruct on the proper use of the needle in order to ensure the delivery of a full dose of vaccine. Another regular teaching opportunity addressed medication interactions, especially rheumatoid arthritis medications. I was able to direct those with questions to the American College of Rheumatology and aid them in finding the answer. I also provided formal feedback through the CORE ELMS evaluations. The student had few areas to improve upon. One such area was ensuring that he collected all needed information when speaking with a prescriber's office.

Brief Impression of Teaching Success: During my co-precepting months, most instruction time was spent answering questions regarding the vaccine. I altered my inaugural discussion with new students to answer the most common questions before they were asked. I highlighted specific areas that would be most beneficial for the student to know in contrast to the areas that were more of a reference. This seemed to aid in the facilitation of the truly important materials. The students appeared to grasp the material well and were able to perform better in clinic as a result of this discussion. I do believe there is more information than the students need to know included in the packet used, so there was room for improvement. I highlighted specific areas that would be most beneficial to cover and have the students know vs the areas that were more of a reference if ever needed. This seemed to aid in the facilitation of the truly important materials. The students seemed to grasp the material well and were able to perform better in clinic because of the topic discussion. This teaching activity can be improved by providing additional information in the student packet. My abilities as a preceptor could improve by suggesting additional areas for the student to continue to advance their skills as a student pharmacist. This will become easier in future months when the student is not quite as progressed in their education.