The utilization of a simulated electronic medical record in an introductory pharmacy practice experience

BackgroundInstitutions are implementing electronic medical records (EMR) in response to federal initiatives. Additionally, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) states that pharmacy graduates shall demonstrate expertise in informatics. We introduced clinical technology into the simulated Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) course at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.ObjectiveTo incorporate informatics and evaluate the usefulness of a commercially available simulated EMR in the institutional practice setting components of a simulated IPPE.MethodsWe incorporated a simulated EMR into institutional pharmacy practice modules within the simulated IPPE. A questionnaire of 365 students enrolled evaluated their prior experiences with EMR, understanding of the role of EMR in an institutional practice setting, and level of confidence in utilizing EMR on their upcoming hospital rotations.ResultsOverall, 270 students responded (response rate of 74%). Only 9.6% of students had prior experience with EMR. An overwhelming majority of students felt that the simulated EMR adequately demonstrated the role of informatics in managing the simulated hospital patients and enhanced their hospital learning experiences (83.7% and 78.9%, respectively). As a result of using a simulated EMR, 72.6% of students felt more prepared to utilize EMR in upcoming hospital IPPE rotations.ConclusionA simulated EMR offers realistic hospital charting and gives the pharmacy students exposure to electronic medical records, which are important components of practicing pharmacy in a facility or institution. Utilizing a simulated electronic medical record allows pharmacy students to gain knowledge and apply skills in navigating medical records and extrapolating data for patient cases.