Development and Assessment of Social and Emotional Competence Through Simulated Patient Consultations
Objective. To determine whether a quantitative tool could be used to measure social emotional competence and whether the development of social emotional competence through a pharmacy practicum course is possible. Design. First-year pharmacy students completed the Social Emotional Development Inventory (SED-I) online and then participated in a series of mock patient consultations on smoking cessation and nonprescription medication. Assessment. The 212 students enrolled in the course completed the SED-I. Evaluation of students’ performance in the clinical cases using a patient counseling assessment form showed that students’ social emotional competencies significantly improved. Observer ratings for “influence” and “connection” on the assessment form predicted student performance in the clinical cases. Conclusions. Role-play exercises in which students engage in patient consultations can be used to develop social emotional competence in pharmacy students, and the SED-I and a patient counseling assessment form can be used to assess learning and improvement in this area.