Development of a direct observation of procedural skills rubric for fourth-year pharmacy students in ambulatory care rotations.

Purpose: The development and implementation of a pilot program requiring direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) assessments of fourth-year pharmacy students during ambulatory care rotations are described.

Methods: All fourth-year pharmacy students at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy who engaged in a required advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) in ambulatory care during the period January-May 2015 participated in a DOPS pilot program. The DOPS process required students to select a patient for a medication-focused "workup," evaluate the selected patient case, present the results to a preceptor, and conduct a preceptor-supervised patient interview.