January/February 2004 - Ontario College of Pharmacists

We have been contacted by a few preceptors wanting
to discuss a student or intern’s performance that was not
meeting the required level of competence. When these
situations occur we encourage the preceptor to discuss
their concerns with the student or intern as soon as
possible. In most of these cases the student or intern
simply required additional time to gain the required proficiency.
The delay in achieving the required competence
was often the result of the student/intern having little or
no previous pharmacy experience.
ceptors
On rare occasions a student or intern calls to say that
they feel they are not receiving the kind of training experience
that best enhances their knowledge and skills.
These situations are often resolved by the student/intern
having an open discussion with their preceptor to explain
their concerns and to find ways to improve the situation.
Preceptor Feedback
Most preceptors report that they benefit from and enjoy
the two-way learning they experience in their role, but
some feel they would benefit from more information and
practice with assessment and feedback, more guidance in
assessing student/intern Activities, and more up-to-date
clinical knowledge.
Preceptor Training and Availability
During 2003, 22 preceptor workshops (14 Orientation
and 8 Advanced) were conducted with 441 pharmacists
across Ontario.
In 2003, we also offered two seminar topics for the
Advanced Workshops: Pharmaceutical Care and Intercultural
Communication. The latter workshop included a
section on the International Pharmacy Graduate Program
as well as information on the challenges of communicating
through diversity.
Matching Preceptors with
Students/Interns
While the College does not match students/interns with
preceptors, we are able to provide a list of potential
preceptors to students or interns upon request. Students
and interns can contact the SPT secretary at 416-962-
4861 x 297 with their request, specifying the cities in
which they are seeking a preceptor.
Workshops in 2004
The next Orientation Workshop is scheduled for Thursday,
February 26th. Future workshop dates and venues will be
posted in our website www.ocpinfo.com.
Please contact the SPT secretary if you are interested
in attending.
What’s in the Future?
The need for good preceptors continues as enrollment in
both the undergraduate program at the University of
Toronto and the International Pharmacy Graduate
program increases.
Give us a call. We continue to seek pharmacists who
want to provide a positive training experience for the next
generation of pharmacists!
Pharmacy Connection January • February 2004 33