Virtually there: An innovative approach for training oncology pharmacy residents in gynecologic oncology

To develop an alternative approach to provide oncology pharmacy practice residents’ education and training in the management of gynecologic malignancies in the absence of a specialist in this area at their institution. Gynecologic oncology is a unique specialty in oncology. There is a need for more oncology clinical pharmacy specialists to participate in the care of patients with gynecologic malignancies as many do not have specific education in this area. A virtual learning experience was developed that included all aspects of a typical experience with the exception of direct patient care. Postgraduate year 2 oncology pharmacy residents from 3 different programs were included. Although the number of oncology clinical pharmacy specialists who are subspecialized in gynecologic oncology has grown, it is difficult to find experienced preceptors in gynecology oncology. We set to offer a virtual learning environment for programs that did not have a dedicated or highly specialized pharmacist in this area. A pre- and postlearning assessment of the resident’s knowledge of gynecologic malignancies was administered. Each trainee independently completed a validated 20-question gynecologic oncology knowledge assessment tool before and again after completion of all sessions. Midpoint and end-of-experience evaluations were completed via the phone with each resident. All evaluations were documented in PharmAcademic (McCreadie Group, Ann Arbor, MI), a required software program for postgraduate residency training programs. To date, 7 oncology pharmacy practice residents completed the virtual experience. A 42% improvement in scores pertaining to gynecologic oncology knowledge was identified. Residents were also satisfied with the overall virtual experience. Based on the assessment tool, all the residents gave positive evaluations with “always true” for 6 of the 7 questions. This pilot of a virtual experience was a successful platform to provide clinical knowledge and skills for oncology pharmacy residents in gynecologic oncology.