2025 Preceptor Development Live Webinar
This preceptor development program was developed to educate and assist preceptors with effective precepting techniques, understanding statues and rules for preceptors in the state of AL and the use of AI. Engaging material will include interactive lectures and real-world examples.
This program has been approved by the Alabama Board of Pharmacy for continuing education credit to meet Preceptor licensure requirements.
Target Audience
This application-based program is intended for community or institutional pharmacists.
Learning Objectives
1. Describe the legal and professional requirements for pharmacist preceptors and training sites in Alabama.
2. Identify key responsibilities and best practices for preceptors in experiential education.
3. Apply strategies to foster student accountability, engagement, and professional growth.
4. Evaluate and respond to common precepting challenges using structured feedback and remediation tools.
5. Practice using common generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot).
6. Interpret survey data on preceptor familiarity, usage patterns, and concerns regarding generative AI to inform educational strategies and support needs.
7. Develop approaches to incorporate AI-related discussions or assignments into experiential rotations, administrative activities, and research.
8. Evaluate the ethical considerations and potential risks (e.g., plagiarism, overreliance, misinformation) associated with AI use in pharmacy education.
9. Assess the impact of AI on student critical thinking and propose methods to preserve and enhance these skills in the learning environment.
10. Summarize current initiatives at HCOP related to AI integration in the curriculum and describe how students are being introduced to and guided in the use of generative AI tools.
2025 Preceptor Development PROGRAM PACKET.pdf
1:00 - 1:05 pm Welcome
1:05 – 2:00 pm Beyond the Script: Empowering Preceptors Through Law, Leadership, and Learning - Lena McDowell
This continuing education session describes pharmacy law and regulatory expectations through the lens of real-world precepting. Designed for pharmacist preceptors, the session blends legal essentials with practical strategies to elevate experiential learning. Participants will review the Alabama Board of Pharmacy (ALBOP) rules regarding precepting externs and interns, as well as the college’s requirements and expectations for preceptors. Through interactive discussion and scenario-based learning, attendees will leave with actionable tools to enhance their teaching impact and student engagement.
2:00 - 4:00 pm Precepting in the Age of AI: Practical Tools and Ethical Insights for Pharmacy Educators - Elizabeth Covington and April Staton
This continuing education session introduces pharmacy preceptors to the fundamentals of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its emerging role in pharmacy practice and education. Through interactive demonstrations and real-world scenarios, participants will explore how tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot can support administrative tasks, communication, and student engagement. The session will also address ethical considerations, institutional policies, and the importance of maintaining critical thinking in an AI-enhanced learning environment. Attendees will gain practical strategies that preceptors can incorporate within their experiential teaching.
The need for this session is supported by recent findings from a survey of Ohio preceptors, where 84.3% indicated a need for training to use generative AI effectively in precepting activities.1 Key concerns of preceptors included the quality and accuracy of AI-generated content, lack of interpersonal skills, diminished human interaction in teaching, plagiarism, and a general lack of familiarity with AI tools. The authors emphasized the importance of targeted education to improve AI literacy among preceptors. Additionally, preliminary results from an ongoing survey at the Harrison College of Pharmacy (HCOP) suggest that most preceptors have not received any formal training on AI. Respondents expressed strong interest in live CE or workshops, particularly in areas such as general use of AI tools, ethical considerations, providing feedback to students, and organizing experiential rotations. This session is designed to directly address those needs and equip preceptors with the knowledge and confidence to navigate AI in their educational roles.
4:00 - 4:15 pm Q & A and Closing
A copy of the presentation slides are located within the course content. Once you have registered for the course, please navigate to the 'Take Course' tab and click the navy blue 'Take Course' button. Navigate to the 'Course Materials' section of the course using the left-hand menu and download a PDF version of the program presentation. Course Materials will be added to the course the week of the live event.
Participants will be provided the webinar link once enrolled in the course by accessing the course content under 'Take Course' - Course Instructions and Course Material. Please use this link to join the live webinar at the scheduled time. All registered participants will also receive an email the day before the program with program information, including the webinar link.
Elizabeth W. Covington, Pharm.D., BCIDP is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, she received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Furman University in 2012 and completed her doctor of pharmacy at the Harrison College of Pharmacy in 2016. Upon graduation, she went on to complete an ASHP-accredited post-graduate residency at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Dr. Covington joined the Harrison College of Pharmacy faculty in May 2023 as an associate clinical professor. She returned to The Plains after six years as an assistant professor at the Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy. In her position at Auburn, she teaches within the Practice Ready Curriculum in both the didactic and experiential settings. Dr. Covington is active in several state and national pharmacy organizations, including the Alabama Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). In 2019, she became a Board-Certified Infectious Disease Pharmacist. She was also recognized by AACP in 2022 with the AACP Women Faculty SIG Early Transformative Teaching Award. Dr. Covington maintains an internal medicine practice site at East Alabama Health in Opelika, Alabama, and precepts students on introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). She serves as a longitudinal research mentor for post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) residents. She also engages in clinical research and scholarship, with an emphasis on infectious disease and antimicrobial stewardship in the community hospital setting.
Lena McDowell is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. Originally from Snowdoun, Alabama, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences from Auburn University and completed her Doctor of Pharmacy at the Harrison College of Pharmacy. Upon graduation, she completed an ASHP-accredited community pharmacy post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) residency at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy in Oxford, Mississippi. Dr. McDowell serves as HCOP’s Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) Coordinator and oversees the college’s five IPPEs: community, health and wellness, health-system, clinical, and population health. In her position, she teaches within the Practice Ready Curriculum in both the didactic and experiential settings. She serves as a preceptor for PGY-1 residents for a longitudinal experiential education rotation. Her primary areas of research and scholarship are focused on experiential education and community pharmacy practice transformation. Dr. McDowell is actively involved in several state, regional, and national pharmacy organizations, including the Alabama Pharmacy Association, Southeastern Pharmacy Experiential Education Consortium, and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
April Staton, Ph.D., is the Director of Experiential Operations and Co-Curriculum, attended Auburn University where she obtained a B.S. in Healthcare Administration and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration. In 2017, she completed her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration. Dr. Staton worked for a decade in two hospital systems in North Alabama in corporate health services and occupational health prior to joining HCOP in 2000. She has served on several school committees and university committees. Between 2005-08, Staton served as a representative on the Auburn University Administrative and Professional Assembly, and then she served as Chair and Past Chair in 2009 and 2010, respectively. As a founding member of the Southeastern Pharmacy Experiential Education Consortium, she works with colleagues at the six schools and colleges of pharmacy in Alabama and Georgia. Dr. Staton is also an active member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. She has co-authored numerous educational manuscripts and posters and has presented experiential sessions at national meetings. She has also provided experiential consulting services to colleagues as other schools and colleges of pharmacy. In her role as a student services coordinator, Dr. Staton managed the APPE and IPPE schedules all HCOP student pharmacists. As the Director of Operations for Experiential Programs and Co-curriculum, Dr. Staton directs and oversees the co-curriculum as well as manages all operations of the experiential programs. Dr. Staton was the recipient of the HCOP’s Outstanding Staff Member Award in 2004 and 2016 and was the recipient of the HCOP Way of Working (WOW) Award in 2011.
Auburn University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education; credits are recognized nationwide. The Universal Activity Number for this application-based program is 0001-0000-25-019-L04-P and is intended for pharmacists.
Disclosures: There is no commercial support being received for this this program. All presenters and others in control of content have no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this program.
Available Credit
- 3.00 ACPE PharmacyAuburn University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education; credits are recognized nationwide.
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