Development of a Longitudinal Clinical Pharmacology, Therapeutics, and Toxicology Curriculum in an Undergraduate Medical Education Program

Aim: To describe the design and integration of an enhanced longitudinal clinical pharmacology, therapeutics, and toxicology (CPT) curriculum within an accelerated undergraduate medical education programme while limiting additional curricular time and learner burden. Methods: We reviewed McMaster University’s three-year, problem-based curriculum to identify CPT gaps. Informed by curriculum development, constructive alignment, spiral learning, and cognitive load principles, we developed or restructured learning expectations, selected open-access resources, and mapped these to existing cases, activities, and rotations. Clinical pharmacology and curriculum stakeholders reviewed the proposals before integration. Results: We developed 75 pre-clerkship objectives, comprising 34 novel and 41 restructured objectives, and identified 91 clerkship high-priority topics. Pre-clerkship objectives were mapped across five Medical Foundations and clerkship topics across eight core rotations. Resources vetted by clinical pharmacology experts supported clinically applied learning, including deprescribing, stewardship, and sustainable prescribing. Integration comprised approval and curricular placement. Uptake and educational outcomes were not measured systematically. Conclusion: Longitudinal mapping offers a practical approach to making CPT expectations explicit within existing curricular structures. Further evaluation is needed to establish whether the curriculum is used as intended and improves prescribing competence.