Instruction on compounded sterile preparations at U.S. schools of pharmacy

The extent of didactic and laboratory instruction related to compounded sterile preparations (CSPs) provided by U.S. schools of pharmacy was studied. A nine-item survey was developed and mailed to the deans of 82 U.S. schools of pharmacy in 2005. The survey instrument was designed to gather basic demographic information about the school of pharmacy, identify availability and characteristics of instruction offered on the compounding of sterile preparations, identify which of 20 topics were covered in either a didactic or laboratory setting, determine how students' skills in sterile preparation were assessed, and identify the compounding environment at the school of pharmacy. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 53 surveys were returned, yielding a response rate of 65%. All schools included some instruction on CSPs; however, only 70% required students to compound on their own (rather than in groups or not at all), and only 21% offered a stand alone course on this topic. Most schools (88%) taught students about U.S. Pharmacopeia chapter 797 standards for sterile compounding. Only 13% of schools felt that their students had adequate training in compounding sterile preparations before graduation; however, most (88.7%) believed that students could only become fully competent in these skills over time in actual practice. A survey sent to deans of pharmacy schools revealed that instruction provided to pharmacy students in preparing CSPs varied widely. Only about a sixth of respondents believed that their students were adequately trained in compounding sterile preparations before graduation.