Adapting the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process for Faculty to Effectively Support and Meet Student Needs

Abstract

Positive interactions between students and both faculty and staff, including those focused on student well-being, career advising, academic advising, and learner accountability, are key to student success in PharmD education and beyond. Many faculty and staff members lack formal training in student support initiatives, resulting in the absence of structured methodologies for addressing student needs. The Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners' Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP) provides a standardized approach for pharmacists to deliver patient care in any setting. Utilizing an adaptation of the PPCP framework, this manuscript proposes a novel Faculty-Student Care Process that incorporates both the PPCP and the diagnostic elements that the new 2025 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards outlined to create a systematic process for effective engagement with and support of students. The Faculty-Student Care Process provides faculty and staff with a methodology to support students and/or programmatic needs, whereby they collect, assess, plan, implement, and follow up/monitor challenges or opportunities. By applying this approach, faculty and staff can better understand students' unique circumstances and provide tailored support, embracing the idea of meeting students where they are and addressing their needs in the most effective ways.

Keywords: Faculty; Pharmacist patient care process; Staff; Student advising; Student support.