[The role of pharmacy residents as preceptors on clinical training]

Long-term clinical training programs started as part of a 6-year pharmacy course in May 2010. In order to provide training approaches more appropriately and efficiently, it is necessary for teaching facilities to develop effective training systems and curriculums. In Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, a pharmacy residency system was instituted in 2009, and, based on this, a preceptorship program for clinical training was adopted. In this study, the influence of pharmacy residents as preceptors on clinical training was evaluated based on training reports submitted by 26 students, consisting of a total of 1238 pages; residents' comments were observed in 31.3% of them. Changes in students' awareness were also noted; in the course of training, they became more aware of the responsibility and role of pharmacists, and such awareness appeared to provide a basis for their future goals. Further, although most of the residents' comments were initially made for encouragement, concrete advice gradually increased with time. Residents' commitment to clinical training as preceptors may have facilitated students' understanding of the significance of training, while promoting their own development.