Establishing an advanced diabetes rotation for ambulatory care pharmacy residents

As the landscape of diabetes management continues to transform with the emergence of novel therapies and technological advances, pharmacy training programs must evolve accordingly. At the University of North Carolina (UNC), an advanced diabetes rotation for pharmacy residents that builds upon fundamental clinical experiences in endocrinology and family medicine clinics has not been established.

The primary goal was to develop a replicable, advanced diabetes rotation for pharmacy residents to enhance their clinical knowledge, confidence, and skillset beyond standard diabetes management by clinical pharmacist practitioners at UNC.

A one-month curriculum was developed, involving hands-on device trainings, inpatient and outpatient diabetes management, topic discussions, formal presentations, and experience at a pediatric diabetes summer camp. Rotation coordinators recruited over 15 stakeholders for this experience. Rotation objectives and evaluations were aligned with residency accreditation standards. Proficiency in diabetes-related competencies were assessed through pre- and post- self-assessment surveys.

Two second-year ambulatory care pharmacy residents completed the inaugural rotation. The experience included six training sessions covering 15 diabetes devices, four unique clinical experiences, six expert-led presentations, five resident-led topic discussions, and seven days as a counselor at a pediatric diabetes summer camp. Self-assessment survey results demonstrated improved clinical knowledge, understanding, and comfort with diabetes-related competencies by the end of the rotation. The learning experience was perceived as valuable, successful, and replicable by participating residents, stakeholders, and coordinators.

Partaking in an advanced diabetes rotation increased knowledge, confidence, and skillset beyond core learning experiences for pharmacy residents preparing for clinical practice.