Building Clinical Reasoning Skills in Student Pharmacists and Residents

CEimpact Podcast

In this episode, Kathy Schott sits down with Dr. Kate Smith, clinical faculty and pharmacy education expert, to explore one of the most critical and challenging aspects of training student pharmacists and residents: developing clinical reasoning skills. Drawing from over a decade of experience in both clinical practice and education, Dr. Smith discusses nuanced differences between clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving and offers preceptors practical, classroom-tested strategies to support learners. From using patient cases and SOAP notes to applying the "One Minute Preceptor" model, this episode is a must-listen for any pharmacy educator or preceptor aiming to foster confident, capable, and patient-centered practitioners.

Host
Kathy Schott, PhD
Vice President, Education & Operations
CEimpact
Guest
Kathryn (Kate) Smith, PharmD, BCACP
Associate Professor of Instruction
University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
Get CE: CLICK HERE TO CPE CREDIT FOR THE COURSE!
CPE Information

Learning Objectives
At the end of this course, preceptors will be able to:
1. Differentiate clinical reasoning from critical thinking and problem-solving
2. Identify practical strategies to teach and assess clinical reasoning skills in student pharmacists and residents in experiential settings.

0.05 CEU/0.5 Hr
UAN: 0107-0000-25-215-H99-P
Initial release date: 6/18/2025
Expiration date: 6/18/2028
Additional CPE details can be found here.
The speakers have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.
This program has been:
Approved by the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy as education for Minnesota pharmacy preceptors.
Reviewed by the Texas Consortium on Experiential Programs and has been designated as preceptor education and training for Texas preceptors.

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Chapters

1. Introduction to Clinical Reasoning (00:00:00)

2. Defining Clinical Reasoning vs Critical Thinking (00:08:45)

3. Expert-Novice Gap in Teaching (00:14:11)

4. Practical Teaching Strategies (00:19:59)

5. Assessment Challenges and Solutions (00:26:51)

6. Creating Trust and Giving Effective Feedback (00:31:47)