Advancing Systems-Based Patient Workup Skills Through Redesign of a Critical Care Pharmacy Elective

Developing practice-ready pharmacists requires that learners be equipped to systematically collect and interpret patient data, including complex or critically ill cases. This evaluation examined the impact of integrating a systems-based patient workup process into a Critical Care Elective Course on student learning outcomes and assessed student perceptions compared with the previous instructional model.

In Spring 2024, a 2-week critical care elective for third-year student pharmacists was revised to incorporate structured patient workup activities with instructor feedback. Following the course revision, students utilized a systems-based patient workup template to complete 5 graded systems-based workup assignments, which also served as their preparation for in-class active learning. Academic performance on examinations and quizzes in the 2024 and 2025 offerings (with workups) was compared with the 2023 course (without workups). Sequential workup scores within the 2024 and 2025 cohorts were analyzed to evaluate skill development.

Seventy-five students (25 in 2023, 21 in 2024, and 29 in 2025) were included. Mean workup scores significantly increased from 86.4% on the first assignment to 97.5% on the final assignment. Final examination scores were maintained between the systems-based workup and no-workup cohorts (85.5% vs 87.8%), as were overall final course grades (90.5% vs 91.1%).

Incorporating a systems-based patient workup process into a Critical Care Pharmacy Elective maintained student performance compared to the previous model. Following the redesign, students received formative feedback on patient workups, which contributed to the development of their clinical skills in working up patients who are complex and acutely ill.