Silos to systems: three models for developing geriatric interprofessional education.

OBJECTIVE: To describe three interprofessional education (IPE) programs in geriatrics and to encourage senior care pharmacists' innovation and participation in IPE teaching. DESIGN: Description of three geriatric IPE programs showing how pharmacy faculty along with colleagues in other health professions established, conducted, and evaluated their respective IPE programs. SETTING: Schools of pharmacy and their affiliated interprofessional geriatric clerkship sites. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Reported are program histories, participating health professions, teaching objectives, program designs and operations, outcomes, funding sources, challenges and barriers encountered, and strategies to overcome problems. Learning activities to enable students to achieve competencies recommended by the Institute of Medicine and the Partnership for Health in Aging are described for each of the three IPE programs. RESULTS: All three programs provide learning activities that help students achieve core interprofessional competencies. The two programs in which students, with preceptor supervision, have provided direct patient care services have long histories, despite challenges and barriers. The third program has established curriculum plans that will be implemented upon resolution of challenges. CONCLUSION: Successful geriatric IPE programs can be established and conducted in various practice settings. Program sustainability requires participation and interaction of faculty, site preceptors, and students of multiple health professions; administrative and funding support of collaborating partners; and a curriculum that fosters teamwork, shared responsibilities, and joint decision-making while delivering patient-centered care. Senior care pharmacists need to be proactive partners in establishing and conducting IPE in geriatrics.

The capacity ratio as a measure of solvency in experiential education.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the utility of the capacity ratio to measure and compare solvency in experiential education in 6 colleges and schools of pharmacy in the Northwestern United States. METHODS: The 6 colleges and schools of pharmacy combined data on student placements needed, site availability, and changes made to placements during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years and calculated capacity ratios for the advanced and introductory experience programs in the region. Comparisons also were made to previously published capacity results to determine whether the capacity ratio was useful in identifying trends and guiding preceptor and site development. RESULTS: Capacity ratio calculations were successful in facilitating comparison of capacity within and across regions. Experiential education is solvent in the Northwest overall, but specific parts of experiential programs were found to have more capacity than others. Trends in the Northwest were consistent with capacity in other regions. CONCLUSIONS: The capacity ratio can determine and facilitate comparison of solvency within and across colleges and schools of pharmacy and thereby inform decisions about resource management in experiential education.

Geriatric pharmacy education: a strategic plan for the future.

The aging of the US population will have a major effect on the future practice of pharmacy. By 2030, 20% of Americans will be aged 65 years and older, an increase from 12.4% in 2000. A challenge to colleges and schools of pharmacy in the 21st century is to prepare students and practitioners to meet the growing pharmaceutical care needs of the older adult population and to meet these needs in a variety of care settings. This paper reviews the present state of geriatric pharmacy education and training, including strategies for ensuring that practicing pharmacists will have adequate knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to provide this care. Secondly, this report provides strategic directions and recommendations for successfully implementing geriatrics curricula at an institutional level.