Perception towards the Standardization of Competency Assessment Tools among Clinical Pharmacists in the Philippines

Background: Clinical Pharmacists are dependent on assessment tools to evaluate the competency skills of student interns. Aim: This study aims to examine the perception of Clinical Pharmacists towards the standardization of competency assessment tools in the Philippines. Methods and Material: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 115 clinical pharmacists from 5 urban areas using a 20-item selfadministered questionnaire through online survey. Results: Results showed that 25% of the preceptors had used assessment tools from their respective hospitals, whereas 62.5% used university rubrics. Respondents mentioned that students were assessed using Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) (69.2%), Clinical Presentations (74.4%), Oral Examinations (59%), Patient Management Problem (48.7%), Directly Observed Short and Long Cases (46.2%), Short Essay Questions (43.6%), OSCE (33.3%) and OSPE (10.3%). Respondents believed that actual competency assessment tools for student evaluation were necessary (89.7%), with actual clinical competencies clearly identified for proper assessment (87.2%) and engagement at first year level (71.8%) incorporated in the curriculum. The majority (94.7%) believed in the role of partnership between hospitals and universities in the assessment of students’ clinical skills. Most of respondents (81.6%) believed that competency guidelines for clinical pharmacists in the Philippines should be developed. Conclusion: The development and standardization of clinical competency assessments early in the clinical pharmacy curriculum is important in the students’ actual future clinical practice.