Objective. To report the findings of how Canadian preceptors perceive and subsequently evaluate diverse levels of trainees during pharmacy clerkships. Methods. Using modified Delphi technique, 17 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) preceptors from across Canada categorized 16 student narrative descriptions pertaining to their perception of described student performance: exceeds, meets, or falls below their expectations. Results. Twelve (75%) student narratives profiles were categorized unanimously in the final round, six of which were below expectations. Out of 117 ratings of below expectations by responding preceptors, the majority (115, 98%) of post-baccalaureate PharmD students described would fail. Conversely, if the same narrative instead profiled a resident or an entry-to-practice PharmD student, rotation failure decreased to 95 (81%) and 89 (76%), respectively. Conclusion. Pharmacy preceptors do not uniformly judge the same described student performance and inconsistently apply failing rotation grades when they do agree that performance falls below expectations.
Keywords: experiential learning; preceptor judgments; workplace-based assessment.