Introduction to surgical and perioperative clinical pharmacy for third-year pharmacy students: A pilot study of an elective course

The objective of this study was to implement and assess an elective course that exposes pharmacy students to clinical pharmacy in the surgical and perioperative setting. A blended-design elective that included synchronous and asynchronous learning was developed and offered to third-year pharmacy students. Students’ knowledge and perception regarding clinical topics in perioperative pharmacy was assessed using pre- and post-course assessments, online quizzes, a journal club, and course assignments. Knowledge of pharmacy operations was assessed using course assignments and reflective journal entries. Pre- and post-course assessment improvement was seen in the categories of perioperative optimization of pharmacotherapy (29.1–70.1%, p=0.006), common surgical complications (45.8–91.7%, p = 0.001), and anesthetic agents (25–71.9%, p