Objectives: In order to perform effective experiential education placement site visits, there should be a standard set of key indicators to assess quality assurance (QA). The objective of our study was to generate a consensus among experiential education faculty of Canadian pharmacy schools for the most important key QA indicators to be considered during APPE site visits. Methods: We surveyed members of the Pharmacy Experiential Programs of Canada (PEP-C) using an online two-round Delphi questionnaire, with a focus on four main categories of key QA indicators for APPE site visits, which included: (1) indicators that contribute to a learning-centered environment; (2) preceptor-related indicators; (3) student-related indicators; and 4) indicators that demonstrate placement/rotation organization. Results: Through consensus generation among PEP-C members, we identified the top three indicators for each category of key QA indicators. For category (1), the top-ranked indicators were: (i) defined roles for students; (ii) student access to drug information and patient records; and (iii) adequate physical space for student work. For category (2), the top three indicators were: (i) regular and consistent feedback provided to students by preceptor; (ii) preceptor availability; and (iii) preceptor's professionalism. For category (3), we found that (i) student involvement in pharmaceutical care processes; (ii) student providing counselling to patients; and (iii) student involvement in expanded-scope practices were the highest ranked indicators. For category (4), (i) clear learning objectives; (ii) specific examples used in the midpoint and final evaluations; and (iii) activities planned to meet learning objectives were considered to be the most important indicators. Conclusions: Implementing a checklist of the above key QA indicators in assessing APPE sites for the entry-to-practice Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum in Canadian institutions is of high priority as we develop and advance our experiential education programs for training new pharmacy professionals.
