Development and Validation of National Learning Milestones for Postgraduate Pharmacist Training: A Consensus Study

Nationally calibrated learning milestone frameworks have not been reported for pharmacists. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate a national pharmacist learning milestone framework for Taiwan's 2-year postgraduate year training program using a structured, consensus-driven methodology.

This national consensus study comprised 23 certified pharmacist educators from representative teaching hospitals. These educators participated in 8 structured focus group discussions between October and December 2024. Each session involved standardized facilitation procedures, an ≥80% agreement threshold, and anonymous real-time voting. The resulting milestone framework was validated by 115 clinical preceptors through a structured survey that assessed content relevance and clarity using 4-point Likert scales. For each milestone, respondents independently assigned an appropriate performance level (Levels 1-5). Quantitative analyzes included descriptive statistics and Content Validity Index calculations supplemented by qualitative feedback for iterative refinement.

The finalized framework comprised 15 subcompetencies and 143 milestones across 5 proficiency levels, with Level 4 (proficient) designated as the expected outcome at completion of postgraduate year training. The consensus process resulted in 55 revisions, 4 performance-level adjustments, 24 deletions, and 11 additions. The findings from the validation revealed strong content relevance (Content Validity Index 0.70-1.00) and high concordance in performance-level assignment (≥75% agreement).

To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to establish and validate a national pharmacist learning milestone framework in Taiwan. The rigorous consensus and validation processes ensured contextual relevance, strengthened educator engagement, and offered a scalable model for implementing competency-based pharmacy education.