My passion for teaching started at my first job as a swim instructor in high school.

In this
young role, I was able to assume all four preceptor roles: direct instruction (explaining to
the swimmers how to perform the next skill/swim stroke), modeling (allowing the
swimmers to watch an instructor perform the skill/swim stroke), coaching (physically
supporting the swimmers and providing feedback), and facilitating (allowing the student
to swim solo and de-briefing afterwards). Watching my swim students progress in their
knowledge and confidence at the end of the two-week long swim lessons sparked my
passion for educating others. It came as no surprise that I sought out educational
opportunities as I began my pharmacy career.

As a professional pharmacy student, I served as a teaching assistant. One desire I had

in this role was to interact and get to know the students in these courses. In my
experience, professors and mentors that have gotten to know me outside of my role as
a learner were the ones that sparked my drive to learn. This is something I continue to
do in my teaching roles so my learners know I see them not only as learners, but as
people. When precepting students, I will ask them about their background and interests
in pharmacy. I like to get a sense of what interests the student to tailor the experience
as much as possible to keep the student engaged and motivated throughout.

At the beginning of a rotation, I will lay out the progression of the experience based off
the precepting roles to ensure transparency of expectations for the student. For
example, with a community rotation in the retail pharmacy setting, the first week will be
using direct instruction by getting the student acclimated to the pharmacy system,
where medications are, etc. The second week, I will utilize modeling by having the
student work on pre-verification/verification steps with me while I outline my steps out
loud when checking medications. The third week, I utilize coaching by having the
student instruct me on what steps I need to take to check the medications by having
them ask similar questions that they learned from me the week prior. On the final week,
I have the student review the medication while I do and tell me if the prescribed
medication should be approved or not, wrapping up the experience using facilitation.
Letting the student know this progression of learning helps to set expectations and
ensure a clear transition throughout the rotation.

As I get to know my learners, I find value in expressing that I am a learner just as they
are. Having an official teaching role may set an intimidating hierarchy to the learner, but
the truth is that we are all life-long learners. When facilitating in front of pharmacy
students in the classroom setting, I am not afraid to admit if I do not know the answer to
a question I am asked. I use this as an opportunity to show that while I may not know
the answer right then, I know where I can go to look for the answer. When working with
APPE students in my clinical practice, if asked a question that I do not know, I use this
as a learning opportunity for both myself and the student; I will encourage the student to
look for an answer while I do and plan to reconvene when we have found an answer so
we can discuss further. Humanizing the role as an educator lets the student know that it
is okay to not know the answer to every question, but it is never okay to guess when
unsure.

Education is a shared experience between the educator and the learner. This is why I
treat my teaching roles as a collaborative effort. While I have previous experiences and
knowledge to share, I find it most beneficial for learner(s) to get to the answers on their
own, primarily enacting the facilitation role. During student topic discussions, I will ask
for their answers with explanations. If not at the correct answer, I ask mini questions to
assist the learner in getting to the correct answer, enacting the coaching role. Then, I
will supplement the discussion to fill in identified knowledge gaps if needed, enacting
the direct instruction and modeling role. For topic discussion preparation, I will vaguely
ask my learners to prepare for the specified topic without providing material for them to
review to encourage self-driven learning. To me, learning should be primarily driven by
the learners with the educator there for support.

Education is something each pharmacist will always be pursuing whether it is formal or

informal. My teaching philosophy aims to model this life-long learning for my learners,
promote learners to always ask themselves the “why,” and embrace the vulnerability
that comes with not knowing every answer in the pharmacist role. My teaching goal is to
foster clinical curiosity in my learners.