Developing consensus on the competency and assessment of pharmacist preceptors

Pharmacist preceptors facilitate the professional development of students and interns during preregistration training. Evaluating preceptor competency is essential for ensuring the quality and consistency of the training process. For effective evaluation to occur, consensus is needed to establish which preceptor competencies require assessment as well as the method of assessment and who should perform the assessment.

The Delphi method was used to develop a consensus among experts in pharmacy education, accreditation, and practice settings. The study involved three rounds of anonymous surveys in REDCap, focusing on the necessity, feasibility, and methods of assessing preceptor competencies. A previous literature review identified 16 evidence-based competencies that formed the basis of the survey. An agreement level of 70% was set as the threshold for consensus.

Among the 59 invited experts, 22 completed the first round, 13 completed the second round, and eight completed the last round. Consensus was achieved on 17 competencies, with 16 deemed feasible to assess. Eight were considered mandatory for assessment, and four were preferable. Consensus on assessment methods and suitable assessors was achieved for these patients. Four competencies were feasible to assess but lacked consensus on the method or assessor. A multimodal assessment approach, including preceptee surveys, self-assessments, and peer observations, was identified as suitable.

Using a Delphi consensus method, by expert opinion, our study supports the perceived feasibility of assessing pharmacy preceptor competencies via a multimodal approach and clarifies who should assess each competency and how. Implementing these assessments can enhance preceptorship quality, facilitating consistent experiential placements for preceptees. The incorporation of preceptor assessment into accreditation standards should be considered essential to promote high-quality preceptorship and support the ongoing professional development of preceptors.