Comment on “Preparing Future Pharmacists for an AI ‐Enhanced Health Care Environment: Educational Strategies and Implementation Challenges”

We read with great interest the recent article by Nguyen et al. entitled “Preparing Future Pharmacists for an AI-Enhanced Health Care Environment: Educational Strategies and Implementation Challenges.” 1 The authors provided a comprehensive discussion of the challenges and strategies for incorporating AI into pharmacy curriculum. The authors acknowledged the need for faculty development in AI, but we believe this warrants greater emphasis. To properly educate students to be proficient with AI upon graduation, high priority should first be placed on faculty proficiency. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) does not provide guidance on AI implementation in pharmacy curricula 2; thus, schools and colleges of pharmacy (S/COP) have been independently tasked with incorporating AI training for students and faculty at the institutional level. Expanding access to both AI-related literature and professional development opportunities to include pharmacy preceptors, as well as incorporating professional development seminars at the institutional level, are some examples of ways to build AI proficiency among pharmacists and, in turn, in pharmacy students. The original article referenced the work of Gustafson et al. 3 in which 1363 practicing pharmacists were surveyed regarding utilization of AI, receipt of training in AI, and thoughts of AI enhancing efficiency and productivity in practice. A majority (60.8%) of respondents reported never having used AI software and 87.8% reported not having sought or received AI training. Despite this, 64.1% believed AI software could enhance practice efficiency, highlighting a significant knowledge gap among practicing pharmacists, including experiential preceptors 3. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on strategies for faculty and preceptor development. We propose strategies to expand access to AI training in Table 1. Given that the majority of clinical faculty may have never used AI or received AI training, proactive preparation will lay the foundation for faculty and student success. Several organizations offer professional development seminars aimed at building AI competency. However, many of these programs are limited to S/COP full-time faculty. Given that experiential learning accounts for approximately one-third of traditional 4-year PharmD program curricula, professional development initiatives that include preceptors are needed. Several national platforms address AI readiness, but participation costs may be prohibitive for preceptors. An additional way to increase accessibility would be if journals made relevant AI publications open access. Furthermore, implementing professional development programs within S/COP or leveraging pre-existing ones to include hands-on training, interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical considerations, data integrity, AI use disclosure, and case-based applications of AI in clinical settings can increase AI readiness. We agree that faculty preparedness is important and by redefining “faculty” to include preceptors, we hope to broaden access and increase readiness for integration of AI into PharmD education. By implementing targeted preceptor development strategies, pharmacy institutions not only equip these essential mentors with the skills needed to navigate AI technologies but also ensure that our graduates are well-prepared to deliver high-quality patient care. AI-competent preceptors play a vital role in shaping a workforce that is not only proficient in emerging technologies but also committed to improving patient outcomes. ChatGPT was used to modify the drafts of the manuscript to align with the suggestions provided from JACCP correspondence. Persia S. Tillman-Nelson declares no conflicts of interest. W. Anthony Hawkins has received honoraria as speaker and advisory board member for Fresenius Kabi. Dr. Hawkins is an associate editor for the American Journal of Health-Systems Pharmacists.