The impact of pre-clinical pharmacology and pharmacotherapy training on students’ abilities and perceptions during clinical rotations

BACKGROUND: Due to curricular changes at Leiden University Medical School, students have been exposed to different amounts of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy education. Cohort 1999 received little training; whereas cohort 2000 was provided with self-study materials preclinically and extra attention to pharmacotherapy during rotations. This study compares the cohorts by performance in and perception of pharmacotherapeutic abilities during the internal medicine rotation. RESULTS: Preclinically, both cohorts were unable to adequately complete therapeutic plans. While cohort 1999 did not improve during the rotation, cohort 2000 did. For both cohorts the percentage of students feeling confident about various pharmacotherapeutic abilities increased significantly during rotations, but only 25% felt secure about their overall ability. CONCLUSIONS: The extra education helped cohort 2000 perform better, but did not improve their confidence in their pharmacotherapeutic ability. Thorough preclinical training and compulsory practice with feedback and assessment are necessary for students to develop competence in pharmacotherapy.