A 'mini-residency' in drug information for the practicing pharmacist

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Drug Information Science

Background:

• Continuing education programs are crucial for practicing pharmacists.
• Drug information services (DIS) require specialized skills in retrieval, analysis, and dissemination.
• The University of Washington developed a novel training format to address these needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a continuing education "mini-residency" program in drug information services.
• To provide a model for other institutions offering similar training.
• To assess the effectiveness of the residency format in enhancing pharmacists' skills.

Main Methods:

• A two-week (80-hour) mini-residency program was conducted.
• The curriculum included didactic and experiential sessions utilizing the university's DIS.
• Program assessment involved pre- and post-testing and midcourse evaluations.

Main Results:

• The program successfully provided education and practical experience in drug information.
• Practicing pharmacists improved their skills in drug information retrieval, analysis, and dissemination.
• The residency format was effective in skill development for returning pharmacists.

Conclusions:

• The mini-residency model offers a viable approach for drug information training.
• This program facilitated skill enhancement for practicing pharmacists.
• The described model can be adapted by other drug information centers for educational purposes.