2019 IPPE Preceptor of the Year

Eric Augustin, PharmD, pediatric pharmacist at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, has been awarded the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) School of Pharmacy Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) Preceptor of the Year. The IPPE Preceptor of the Year Award recognizes MCW School of Pharmacy preceptors in the IPPE program who embody the qualities, skills and values of the ideal preceptor and exhibit a commitment to excellence in teaching and practice.

Dr. Augustin was nominated by third-year student, Becka Anton. “Dr. Augustin ensured that I was engaged in whatever task he was completing so I was able to learn something at every opportunity, which was a key part of why my rotation with him was such an amazing experience,” she says. “I’ve learned so much from him and will continue to apply the critical thinking skills he’s helped me develop in my future career as a pharmacist.”

Dr. Augustin has precepted four students from the MCW School of Pharmacy. “I like that they have integration with other health professions. The students already know who to go through when they have an issue. That’s where medicine is headed and that’s where it should be.” The MCW School of Pharmacy has an emphasis on interprofessional education, with students experiencing approximately 200 hours of interprofessional education in their two years of the didactic curriculum.

Dr. Augustin says that the main benefit of precepting is that it’s a two-way street. “They are not only learning from me, I’m learning from them. They learn the updated guidelines and new therapies. As pharmacists you keep up with continuing education for licensure or for professional organizations, but you can’t see everything.”

He has three pieces of advice for current IPPE preceptors. His first suggestion is to make sure to let your students know what your expectations are early on. “If you don’t tell your students what you’re expecting them to do and they don’t do what you’re hoping, it’s hard for not only you as a preceptor to evaluate them, but it’s hard for the students.”

The second is to get to know your students. “That’s a huge way to figure out how you’re going to set up a rotation. If someone already knows that they’re going into outpatient pharmacy, you can find ways to relate what they’re doing in pediatric clinical pharmacy to how someone would work in a community pharmacy or what they would expect to see in an outpatient setting. They’ll get much more out of that rotation.”

The last is to keep up constant communication. “Explaining things out loud does a lot for students. They can’t read your mind when you’re staring at an order. Say what you’re looking at and what your thoughts are. This simple thing instructs students what their thought process should be ,” says Dr. Augustin.

Dr. Augustin accepted his award at the MCW School of Pharmacy Pinning Ceremony for the Class of 2020, where he also gave the keynote address and led the students in the Oath of a Pharmacist. The Pinning Ceremony was held to commemorate the MCW School of Pharmacy’s inaugural class as they move on to their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience rotations in their third and final year of their academic education.