Essentials for Practice & Care
 Patient care
Demonstrate the provision of patient-centered care by participating in the continuum of care by
o COLLECT subjective and objective patient data;
o ASSESS patient data;
o FORMULATE evidence based care plans;
o IMPLEMENT patient care plans;
o MONITOR/EVAUATE patient care; and
o DOCUMENT patient care related activities

Medication use systems management
o Compare and contrast the components of typical medication use systems in different pharmacy practice
settings.
o Describe the role of the pharmacist in impacting the safety and efficacy of each component of the typical
medication use system
 procurement
 storage
 prescribing
 transcription
 dispensing
 administration
 monitoring
o Describe the management of factors as patients are transitioned through differing levels of care
o Describe the standards, guidelines, best practices, and established processes related to safe and effective
medication use
o Demonstrate the ability to employ performance improvement techniques to improve the medication use
process

Health & wellness (health promotion)
o Provide prevention, intervention, and educational strategies.
o Participate with inter-professional health care team members in the management and health promotion for
all patients.
o Recognize and appreciate the need to contribute to the improvement of health beyond those served in
traditional practice settings.1
o Embrace actions directed at strengthening the skills and capabilities of individuals
o Embrace actions directed towards changing social, environmental, political and economic conditions to
alleviate their impact on populations and individual health.2
o Apply determinants-of-health framework to the analysis of health issues.
o Apply health promotion principles in context to roles and responsibilities of public health organizations.
o Describe range of interventions available to address public health issues.
o Identify behavioral, social, environmental and organizational factors that promote or compromise health.3
o Understand systematic preventive care, using risk assessment, risk reduction, screening, education and
immunizations.

Population based care
Demonstration of the ability assess the healthcare status and needs of a targeted patient population, develop an
evidence-based approach and intervention to attend to the needs identified, and provide, evaluate, and adjust
that intervention to maximize health in both preventive and responsive manners. Central to the development of
this skill is an overall understanding of how population based care influences patient centered care and
influences the development of best practices and practice guidelines.
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Approach to Practice & Care
 Clinical reasoning (problem solving, critical thinking, EBM)
Demonstration of the an individual’s standardized process of suspension of clinical judgment and subsequent
action until such time as the challenge at hand can be fully and deeply considered outside of the biases of
empiricism, anecdotal experiences, and stakeholder interest, followed by a period of reflection in light of the full
assessment of possible alternatives, alternative explanations, and consequences – a process that leads to
crafted solutions.

IP collaborative practice
Exhibit interprofessional collaborative practice
o Engage complementary team members to meet patient-centric needs
o Define clear roles and responsibilities for team members
o Leverage the expertise of each team member
o Ensure accountability of each team member
o Communicate effectively with team members
o Create and implement collaborative decisions
o Perform quality improvement

Professionalism
Personal responsibility for patient care and societal wellness are central tenets of professionalism. Pharmacists
demonstrate professionalism through:
o Personal behavior that reflects altruism, integrity, respect, empathy, initiative, accountability, flexibility, and
a commitment to continuing professional competence.
o Practicing pharmacy in a manner consistent with the provision of ethical, legal, and compassionate patient
care.
o Exhibiting the outward appearance of a professional by being well-groomed/dressed, punctual, and
courteous.
The covenantal relationship between pharmacy and society dictates that the personal conduct of pharmacists
reflects professional values and preparedness for patient care at all times.

Communication & interpersonal
o Read, write, speak, listen, and use media to communicate effectively when interacting with an individual,
group, or organization.
o Establish rapport to build relationships using a patient-centered approach to provide care
o Counsel patients using an appropriate structure to organize the message and assess learning
o Tailor messages and the use of medical terminology to the audience (patient, family member, patient’s
advocate, health care team)
o Deliver messages using the best method, channel, and urgency level
o Communicate assertively, confidently, clearly, and with empathy
o Deliver and obtain feedback to promote goal setting and goal attainment
o Identify the components associated with the use of motivational interviewing.
o Be able to implement motivational interviewing skills/techniques to influence patient outcomes.
o Advocate for patients to ensure optimal health outcomes
o Document patient care activities clearly, concisely, and accurately (eg., SOAP notes)
o Deliver educational programs at level appropriate for a target audience
o Develop professional documents pertinent to organizational needs (e.g., monographs, MUE)

Educator
Applies pharmacist-as-educator abilities to patient care
 Could be accomplished via SPA, OSCI, simulation, etc.
Displays pharmacist-as-educator aspects during patient care activities
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 Could be accomplished via SPA, OSCI, simulation, etc.
 Note: this is an “affective” descriptor and could prove harder to quantify
Explains various care activities to a patient (or health provider) in a manner consistent with pharmacist-aseducator model
 Could be accomplished in Communications course as well as via SPA, OSCI, simulation, etc.

Cultural sensitivity
o Identify/recognize health disparities and inequities related to age, race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic
status, health literacy, religious beliefs, disability status, medical status (e.g. HIV, STD, psychiatric disorders,
etc), LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) status, and geography.
o Identify unique aspects of care related to age, race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, health literacy,
disability and medical status, religious beliefs, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) status, and
geography.
o Demonstrate behavior, attitudes, policies, and implementation of administrative structures that enable one
to respond respectfully to provide culturally competent health and pharmacy care.
o Identify areas of potential conflicts between health care pharmacists/providers and a patient’s cultural
beliefs and values that could affect the relationship between healthcare providers and patients.

Patient advocacy
Display patient advocacy
o Employ a patient-centered approach to care
o Empower patients to take control of their health
o Assist patients with navigating the complex health care system
o Ensure patients obtain the resources and care required in an efficient and cost-effective manner
o Promote care that is in the best interest of the patient
Personal & Professional Development
 Integrated habits of mind in routine activities
(couldn’t tell what to put in here)

Embrace innovation / engage in opportunities for innovation
o Embrace the role innovation has in advancing the pharmacy profession
o Demonstrate inventive medical decision making when solving healthcare problems such as resource issues.
o Assess personal strengths and weaknesses in the 8 competency clusters related to the skill of
entrepreneurship: decision making, strategic thinking, risk taking, confidence building, communicating ideas,
motivating team members, tolerance of ambiguity and internal locus of control.
o Using an actual or simulated entrepreneurial experience, outline the risks and responsibilities associated
with implementing innovations
o Using an actual or simulated entrepreneurial experience, practice and apply the entrepreneurial skills of
decision making, strategic thinking, and risk taking.
o Identify at least 1 professional practice or activity innovation opportunity and create a business plan for the
innovation.
o Engage in opportunities for innovation in activities such as IPPE or APPE.

Assume responsibility for self-directed learning
o Use reflective thinking skills to identify needs for professional and personal improvement.
o Use self-directed learning skills to accomplish daily learning needs.
o Demonstrate the ability to apply the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) model as a strategy for
self-directed learning (ie, identify learning needs, develop a plan for accomplishing learning needs, and self‐
assess achievement of personal learning goals).
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
Demonstrate self-efficacy, self-confidence, & self-esteem
Demonstrate self-efficacy, self-confidence & self-esteem
Demonstrate self-confidence in the practice of pharmacy
Understand the role of self-confidence in patient-centric care activities
 Not an applied outcome, but could be germaine to their awareness of the construct
Understand how self-esteem relates to successful pharmacy practice
 Not an applied outcome, but could be germaine to their awareness of the construct
Explain how self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy change over time
 Achieved via reflections in a personal portfolio on various experiences

Demonstrate leadership through engagement in formal & informal activities
o foster collaboration, delegate and strengthen others to contribute to the achievement of the
interprofessional health care team goals (Argus 2009)
o assume responsibility in future health care delivery systems (Argus 2009)
o model the behaviors expected of future pharmacists (Argus 2009)
o constantly seek opportunities to innovate, grow and improve and to challenge the status quo (Argus 2009)
o show appreciation for health care team member’s contributions and create a culture of celebrating values
and victories (Argus 2009)
o apply knowledge, skills and ability to address unmet health care needs of our patients and society (Argus
2009)
o provide leadership that enhances team functioning, the learning environment and/or health care
system/environment with the ultimate intent of improving care of patients (from the AAMC Draft)
Foundational knowledge
Preamble for Sub-domain: Pharmacy is a profession grounded in science. Among health professionals, pharmacists are
uniquely prepared to apply concepts in foundational sciences to evaluate and predict drug actions, analyze interactions
of drugs with other chemical entities or disease processes, and support wellness. Critical strengths in sciences
developed within professional pharmacy programs are only achieved if students matriculate with an equally solid
understanding of pre-professional biological, chemical, mathematical, sociological and biomedical sciences. Pharmacy
students must be prepared to 1) Expand on and excel in sciences that are the foundation of, and integrated throughout,
clinical practice; and 2) Articulate and exploit the value of foundational sciences in shaping behavior necessary to
support pharmacists as critical thinkers, innovative problems solvers, and evidence-based providers of quality patient
care.
Competency statements related to sub-domain:
 Develop and demonstrate depth and breadth of knowledge in pharmaceutical, social/behavioral/administrative,
and clinical sciences.
 Articulate how competency in foundational sciences is integral to the practice of the profession, specifically to
the development of clinical reasoning; evaluation of future advances in medicine; supporting health and
wellness initiatives; and delivery of contemporary pharmacy services.
 Utilize knowledge from foundational sciences to understand how specific drugs or drug classes work and
evaluate their potential value in individuals and populations.
 Advance patient care through the application of knowledge in foundational sciences to elucidate and solve
therapeutic problems.
 Critically analyze scientific investigations related to drugs and disease to educate the healthcare team and lead
evidence-based risk/benefit and cost/benefit clinical decision making.
 Identify and analyze emerging theories, studies, and technologies that may impact patient care.
 Exploit scientific strengths to regularly engage in a pattern of lifelong discovery, analysis, and application of
scientific information to professional practice.
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
Reflection – not sure where this goes
Demonstrate reflection during introductory pharmacy practice experiences
 Can be assessed using a portfolio
Demonstrate reflection during advanced pharmacy practice experiences
 Can be assessed using a portfolio
Describe impact of patient care activities on perceptions of patient care
 Can be assessed using a portfolio
Performs reflective activities during experiential or simulation activities
 Can be assessed using a portfolio
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