Standardized Patients: An Ability-Based Outcomes Assessment for the Evaluation of Clinical Skills in Traditional and Nontraditional

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to describe the development of our Pharmaceutical Care Encounters Program (PCEP); and second, to present student performance data measured using the PCEP and the related reliability and validity data. This PCEP utilizes standardized patients as an evaluation method to assess clinical skills associated with an adult medicine experiential clerkship. The PCEP requires students to demonstrate the ability to perform clinically-based practice competencies. Therefore, this evaluation utilizing standardized patients epitomizes an ability-based outcomes measurement. The data generated can serve as a continuous quality control measure between clerkships, ensuring each site teaches necessary skills for the performance of pharmaceutical care. Further, this method can be used to evaluate students’ problem-solving. For schools with a nontraditional track, the PCEP can document parity between the educational pathways. Standardized patient use may prove to be the most comprehensive means of evaluating clinical skills in pharmaceutical education.