Assessment of core knowledge during ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experiences using online modules and pre- and post-testing

Objectives: To evaluate whether knowledge on core ambulatory care topics, as measured by pre- and post-testing, improved during ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) after completing online modules and topic discussions individualized to specific student needs. Methods: Preceptors for eight ambulatory care APPE sites developed a 54 question pre-post-test and online modules for 10 knowledge areas, which include guidelines, algorithms, literature, clinical pearls, special populations, lecture handouts, patient education resources, and a self-assessment quiz. Online modules and individualized learning experiences were required for content areas with a score of <60% on the pre-test. Results: Overall, 70 students were evaluated. The mean overall pre- and post-test scores were 65.1% and 86.3%, respectively [mean change 21.2% (< 0.0001)], and improvement in each content area was significant. Conclusion: The use of individualized online modules and topic discussions based on pre-test scores significantly improved student knowledge in core ambulatory care content areas during APPEs.