Education and Training PRN Focus Session — Cracking the Code: Critical Thinking and Clinical Reasoning Skills in Didactic Pharmacy Education

The Education and Training PRN Educational Programming Committee presents an evidence-based session focused on elevating the development of clinical reasoning and critical thinking within didactic pharmacy education. Practicing pharmacists, preceptors, and employers consistently identify these competencies as essential to success in contemporary clinical practice. In alignment, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards emphasize problem solving, critical thinking, and clinical decision-making as foundational requirements for the Pharm.D. curriculum. Despite this emphasis, educators continue to encounter persistent challenges in intentionally teaching, scaffolding, and assessing these skills in the classroom. This session will translate the evidence into practical, actionable strategies for integrating and evaluating clinical reasoning and critical thinking across didactic instruction. Presenters will highlight research-supported approaches to course design, active learning, and assessment—equipping faculty and preceptors with tools to better prepare learners for the complex, nuanced decision-making required in real-world pharmacy practice.

Teaching & Assessment Strategies for Critical Thinking & Clinical Reasoning Skills in Pharmacy Education 10:15 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. Speaker: Jennifer Babin, Pharm.D., BCPS

Critical Thinking & Clinical Reasoning in Large Group Settings 10:40 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. Speaker: Julie A. Murphy, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio   View Biography

Critical Thinking & Clinical Reasoning in Small Group Settings 11:05 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Speaker: Anthony Hawkins, Pharm.D., FCCP, FCCM, BCCCP   View Biography

Facilitated Q&A Panel 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.