Pharmacists are redefining their roles in patient care and stepping beyond traditional medication management to engage in diagnostic reasoning and prescribing. This evolution expands the pharmacist’s impact across diverse practice settings, from community pharmacies to health-system environments. As this shift continues, preceptors play a pivotal role in preparing the next generation of pharmacists to navigate these expanded responsibilities with skill and confidence.
Empowering Preceptors for the Next Era of Practice
The NEW Preceptor “Elevating Experiential Teaching with Diagnostic Reasoning and Prescribing” course equips you with the tools and insights needed to integrate these emerging competencies into experiential learning. You will explore the essential language and frameworks of diagnostic reasoning and prescribing, gain clarity on regulatory models that govern practice, and apply practical teaching tools such as the One-Minute Preceptor model and shared decision-making strategies to real-world learning encounters.
Through case-based discussions and hands-on application, you will discover how to create purposeful, engaging learning moments that challenge students and residents to think critically, make informed clinical judgments, and collaborate effectively within interprofessional teams.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this diagnostic reasoning and prescribing application-based CPE course, you will be able to:
- Describe key terms related to diagnostic reasoning and prescribing within the context of pharmacy practice and experiential education.
- Explain how diagnostic reasoning and prescribing are performed by pharmacists across diverse practice settings, including independent and collaborative practice models.
- Create a practical plan to integrate diagnostic reasoning and prescribing into experiential learning experiences for pharmacy students and residents.
Shaping Confident, Competent Future Pharmacists
By mastering these strategies, you will not only enhance your own teaching effectiveness but also help learners develop the competence and confidence to engage in the expanding clinical scope of pharmacy practice. Together, we can elevate experiential education and ensure that future pharmacists are prepared to deliver the highest level of patient-centered care through diagnostic reasoning and prescribing.
Listen to the Precept2Practice Podcast:
Teaching Future Pharmacists to Diagnose and Prescribe
Diagnosis and prescribing are no longer on the margins for pharmacy practice, but explicitly called out in the ACPE Standards that guide pharmacy education. Once considered out of bounds for pharmacists, diagnostic reasoning is now central to preparing practice-ready graduates. This episode explores how preceptors can support learners in applying clinical decision-making frameworks, integrating shared decision-making, and navigating prescriptive authority across diverse practice settings—equipping the next generation of pharmacists for expanded patient care.
HOST
Kathy Schott, PhD
Vice President, Education & Operations
CEimpact
GUESTS
Jennifer Adams, PharmD, EdD
Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Idaho State University L.S. Skaggs College of Pharmacy
Rachel Allen
Associate Teaching Professor
University of Washington School of Pharmacy
Cherith Smith, PharmD
Clinical Assistant Professor and Director, Experiential Education
University of Montana – College of Health Skaggs School of Pharmacy
Kathy Schott, Jennifer Adams, Rachel Allen, and Cherith Smith have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.
Get CE: CLICK HERE TO CPE CREDIT FOR THE COURSE!
CPE INFORMATION
Learning Objectives
At the end of this course, preceptors will be able to:
1. Describe key principles of diagnostic reasoning and prescribing within the context of pharmacy practice.
2. Identify evidence-based frameworks such as the One-Minute Preceptor and shared decision-making to support learner development in clinical settings.
