Preparing pharmacy students for their future roles with Better Meds

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At Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), Better Meds has played a crucial role over the past three years in preparing pharmacy students for their future careers in healthcare with our EDU programme. With pharmacists now on track to become independent prescribers at the point of registration, the electronic prescribing and medication management platform has not only enhanced students’ learning experiences but also equipped them with critical real-world skills. This shift in pharmacy education is shaping a new generation of healthcare professionals who are ready to take on prescribing responsibilities right from the start of their careers. We spoke with Kate Shemilt (KS), Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, and Jonathan Davies (JD), Principal Teaching Fellow in Experiential Learning from LJMU, about the impact and their experience of using Better Meds and preparing pharmacy students for their changing roles. 

For the past three years, LJMU has been using our Better Meds ePMA system to teach students how to prescribe and manage medications electronically. In your opinion, how have the students been able to improve their electronic prescribing and medication management skills by using the Better Meds ePMA system? 

JD: We’ve been using the Better Meds system in the simulation rooms as well as all of the other traditional uses, which means we employ it in workshops and assessments. However, one of the key things that we’ve been keen to do is use experience in simulated practice to scaffold the students’ experience – in terms of being able to use their skills when it comes to practice placement. This means introducing them to ePMA systems in a friendly and safe space that allows them to have an understanding of what they’re looking at once they go out on their practice placements. Obviously, we’re not able to tailor our education to every single ePMA system out there, but Better Meds gives our students an insight into key functionalities and the workings of what they will be using in real-life practice.  

KS: It’s really beneficial for the students to be able to navigate the system and understand how it’s used. As Johnny said, not all ePMA systems are the same, but it’s about the fundamentals. The initial training helps them understand how an electronic system needs to be navigated. 

What about your students’ experience with the system? Do they find it beneficial for their learning? Are there any recurring themes or insights from their feedback?  

JD: Students appreciate the opportunity for authentic learning. They value that we can place them in an environment that replicates real-life practice in a safe way and that they are able to use a realistic ePMA system. That way, they naturally learn prescribing skills and how to become prescribers. They often describe an “online shopping” kind of experience in terms of the prescribing interface: it’s like “adding something to their basket” and then having the opportunity to put it into real practice. They’re naturally quite familiar with the process of adding the therapy and prescribing it, but it’s valuable that the system also replicates what they’re familiar with outside of their education or practice. 

That’s great to hear, as we work hard on our user-friendly interface. However, specifically in terms of simulating clinical practice, how does the integration of Better Meds into your simulation rooms actually look?  

JD: We have bed spaces in our simulation ward, and there’s an associated touchscreen on the walls which can be used to display vital signs and all the standard things you’d expect. However, we also have Better Meds embedded into the interface at each of those touchscreens, so that students can use those as their primary source of interaction with the ePMA system. So, the principle you see in our simulation settings is the dedicated touchscreen computer space at each bed space where students can access and interact with Better Meds.  

Can the students also access Better Meds outside of the university environment?  

JD: Yes, we give students access to Better Meds for a particular piece of coursework, where information in the system (a medication list or an ePMA record) should inform their decision-making. 

KS: We use it on several levels of coursework. That’s also where we talk about assessment. This is important because the students get a patient journey and a timeline, so they are able to see what happened on a specific day. If there have been any changes in medication, they need to understand them so they can be assessed for that piece of coursework. So, it’s quite an integral part.

When and how are the students introduced to the system?  

KS: We do an introductory workshop for them before they start using the system. Over the three years or longer that we’ve had the ePMA system, it started off with our final-year students. But as our course is changing and expanding, pharmacists have to know how to prescribe once they qualify, so we’re now introducing ePMA systems already in the second year rather than the final year because it’s really important that they get a headstart, grasp the concept of it, and develop an appreciation for the system and the patient safety features it offers. 

What do you think is the most important thing they’re gaining by using ePMA in their learning?  

KS: Ultimately, ePMA systems impact working practices. Pharmacists who have worked with paper prescriptions are moving to electronic prescribing, which is quite a change for them, but now we have our students using the electronic prescribing system straight away. Sure, they must  have knowledge of paper prescription charts because the systems can go down, but it’s crucial for them to know that once they’re in practice, they will be comfortable with these systems and able to navigate them with confidence.

Do you feel that simulated placements and ePMA experience will help students in their transition to clinical practice?  

JD: We’re yet to conduct a slightly more formal evaluation, but the simulated practice incorporating ePMA feels like a key step in the students’ journey of being able to contextualise and make sense of their learning in their practice. Their feedback is always positive, as the experience helps them understand expectations and elements involved with realistic practice.   

How do you see the pharmacy curriculum evolving as ePMA systems like Better Meds become more prevalent in healthcare, especially with the upcoming changes requiring new pharmacists to be independent prescribers at the point of registration?  

JD: As Kate was describing, the current direction is that our current final-year pharmacy students will be the first cohort of students who will be annotated as prescribers at their point of registration, and it’s a very important moment before they move into their foundation training next year. The curriculum is likely to evolve over the next years as the programme gets refined, and we’re working closely with local partners to see how they anticipate year one prescribers being utilised within the areas of hospitals, community pharmacies, retail pharmacy, and primary care environments, but also what sorts of activities and prescribing activities they anticipate that a year one prescriber pharmacist would be involved in. Having this kind of input into the development of our simulation programmes has allowed us to incorporate the prescribing activities that we’re currently anticipating into the simulation that our students are undertaking this year, giving them a solid foundation to build on. 

KS: As said above, it’s come down the levels now, and we’re being very mindful of students being “prescriber-ready”. We start emphasising the change in the workshop, and we’re making them more aware of the audit trials and the responsibilities that go with the prescribing role and having them have the foresight and the understanding of the work and the consequences. This is all important when you’re a pharmacist, but becoming a prescriber means understanding the role and knowing the limitations. I think that’s key when it comes to our new pharmacists, who can be the prescribers of the future. As Johnny said, it’s an evolving situation, but we are very mindful of the changing role that they are undertaking to ensure that we address that in their course and through the use of Better Meds.  

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Better Meds EDU

Equip students with the necessary skills in electronic prescribing and medication administration.

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