Value of a clinical pharmacy on‐call program on postgraduate year one pharmacy residents

Abstract

IntroductionOn‐call programs are innovative learning opportunities within pharmacy residencies to assist residents in fostering critical thinking skills, communication skills, and clinical autonomy. The objective of this study is to determine the perceived educational and professional value of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) on‐call program on postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency alumni.MethodsA prospective, cross‐sectional survey was conducted from 1 March 2018 to 1 April 2018 among pharmacy residency alumni who participated in the UIC pharmacy residency on‐call program between 2000 and 2017. The primary outcome of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of the value of the on‐call program from pharmacy residents relating to pharmacotherapeutic areas strengthened and professional skill development. The secondary outcomes of this study were to evaluate how pharmacy residents perceived the on‐call program to affect their interprofessional outcomes and utilization in their current professional role. Quantitative results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsNinety‐five PGY1 pharmacy residency alumni responded to the electronic survey about the on‐call program; response rate of 58.6%. Overall, alumni reported a high satisfaction (93/94; 98.9%) and positive perception (93/94; 98.9%) of the on‐call program as a highly valuable component of the PGY1 residency program. PGY1 pharmacy residents reported participating in a variety of clinical practice activities across many specialties (infectious diseases, critical care, emergency medicine, and general medicine) while on call. Lastly, the on‐call program is a highly interprofessional experience allowing interactions with a variety of health care providers (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and advanced practice providers).DiscussionThe UIC on‐call program provided an overall positive experience for PGY1 pharmacy residents that felt that the experience exposed them to a variety of pharmacotherapeutic knowledge areas and strengthened their clinical skills. Furthermore, the UIC on‐call program is perceived to be a highly interprofessional experience.