Assessment of anticoagulation management in a simulated ambulatory care clinic

To assess the effectiveness of adding a simulated anticoagulation clinic practical examination for formal assessment of PharmD students' skills.

A practical examination requiring students to review a mock medical record and role-play a follow-up anticoagulation clinic visit with a standardized patient was designed. Students assessed the patient's vital signs, laboratory values, and subjective complaints during an in-depth interview and documented clinical recommendations in a progress note.

Student feedback indicated that the simulated clinic was pertinent to preparation for experiential rotations. Ninety-five percent of the students recommended that it be continued as a required component of the course.

The simulated ambulatory care clinic exercise reinforces principles of anticoagulation management as well as the assessment of clinical data, performance of a patient interview, and written documentation of recommendations.