ASHP, in conjunction with the ASHP Foundation, is seeking Case Writers for the local (preliminary) and national (semi-final) levels of the ASHP National Clinical Skills Competition (CSC). A total of two cases will be selected: one for the local competitions held each fall on college campuses around the nation, and one the national competition which takes place at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in December.
Case submissions are often based on real patient cases or the cumulative clinical experiences of the case writer and should include:
- One primary problem to be addressed during the patient encounter by the student competitors
- Problems to be addressed within one week of the patient encounter by the student competitors
Case topics run the gamut of pharmacotherapy, but the best cases focus on a core topic (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, asthma, anticoagulation) with several ancillary problems exploring the depth of the student’s acumen. Successful case writers will submit a case that involves critical thinking on the part of the students, rather than regurgitation of drugs, doses, and guidelines.
In addition to service to the profession and to ASHP, case writers receive a modest honoraria and a complimentary registration to the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting.
Timeline
Case submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, and all submissions received by March 30 will be considered for the current year. The CSC coordinators will determine whether the case is appropriate for the local or national level. After case selection, the case writers will work closely with the CSC coordinators to ensure the case and all associated materials, such as the care plan and judges notes, support the goals of the competition. Most of the work is completed in late spring and early summer and includes several conference calls with the CSC national judging panel.
- Ongoing – Call for case writers
- March 30 – Deadline to submit case summary for consideration
- April 15 – Case selections made and initial contact with case writers
- April 30 – First case draft due
- May 15 – Second case draft due
- June 1 – First case review call with national judging panel
- June 30 – Final case draft due
- July 15 – Second case review call with national judging panel
- July 31 – Finalize all case materials
Submission Instructions
Complete the submission survey and attach your case summary using the format outlined below. Case writers will be selected from the submitted case summaries. All submissions are due March 30.
SOAP Note format is preferred for case submissions. All case summaries should:
- Describe the potential patient case in less than 500 words (concepts are more important than facts).
- Note the patient’s primary problem.
- Explain how you envision student competitors addressing the primary problem.
- List the problems that should be addressed within one week for the patient, but not immediately.
Questions
Visit ashp.org/ClinicalSkills to learn more about the competition and view past competition cases and answer keys. Additional questions may be sent via email to [email protected].
