Objective. To incorporate human patient simulation (HPS) into a pharmacotherapy course and evaluate its impact on students' satisfaction and mastery of course objectives. Design. Various levels of HPS were used for clinical skills assessments, reinforcement of concepts previously introduced in class, and presentation of simulated patient case scenarios requiring criticalthinking and problem-solving abilities. Pre-and post-simulation examinations and a satisfaction survey instrument were administered. Assessment. Significant improvement was seen in students' knowledge on post-simulation examinations. On problem-solving skills, the majority of student groups received a final case grade .95%. Students indicated high levels of satisfaction with the use of HPS in the course and showed increased levels of confidence in their pharmacotherapy/patient care skills. Conclusion. Human patient simulation provided a unique opportunity for students to apply what they learned and allowed them to practice problem-solving skills. Students grew in confidence and knowledge through exposure to realistic simulation of clinical scenarios. Students showed improvement in knowledge and ability to resolve patient treatment problems, as well as in self-confidence.

Simulation-based learning provides a significant advantage to patient care through the reduction of medication administration errors compared to lecture style education.

Learning was enhanced with the use of SBL compared with PBL.

Electronic health record (EHR) technology use in the educational setting to advance pharmacy practice skills with patient simulation has not been described previously in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a virtual EHR on learning efficiency, perceptions of clinical skills, communication, and satisfaction. This was a prospective study conducted in a cardiovascular therapeutics course in the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. Students were randomized to use of a virtual EHR with patient simulation or to patient simulation alone (control). The efficiency of learning was assessed by the time to optimal recommendation for each scenario. Surveys (n = 12 questions) were administered electronically to evaluate perceptions of clinical skills, communication, and learning satisfaction. Data were analyzed with the Mann–Whitney U or Wilcoxon signed-rank test as appropriate. Use of the virtual EHR decreased the amount of time needed to provide the optimal treatment recommendations by 25% compared to control. The virtual EHR also significantly improved students’ perceptions of their clinical skills, communication, and satisfaction compared to control. The virtual EHR demonstrated value in learning efficiency while providing students with an engaging means of practicing essential pharmacist functions in a simulated setting.