Measuring preadvanced practice experience outcomes as part of a PharmD capstone experience

To describe a capstone experience to: 1) assess student preparedness for Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) and 2) provide program-level assessment data.

A capstone course was added immediately prior to APPEs. All capstone activities emphasized application and integration and were mapped to ACPE Appendix D, which details performance abilities expected of students prior to APPEs. Eleven learning activities comprising 20 assessments were created. Each assessment was pass/fail; students had to pass 15 of 20 assessments to pass the capstone course. Evaluation rubrics emphasized formative feedback for students.

The capstone experience was delivered 4 times over 4 consecutive years. One student did not pass; 55-68% of the students passed all activities. Program-level assessment data provided details on individual student preparedness prior to APPE, important information for accreditation, and basis for curriculum revisions.

A capstone experience can be a valuable addition to a PharmD curriculum. Capstone activities incorporating authentic assessments provide important program-level assessment data for colleges/schools of pharmacy.