Book excerpt: Fundamental Skills for Patient Care in Pharmacy Practice enables students and new pharmacists to master the skills associated with clinical care in either the inpatient or outpatient setting. In accessible steps, this valuable resource provides the tools for gaining medication histories from patients and counseling them on the most effective and safe manner to take medications. Each chapter explores the background and practice of a critical skill, tools that aid in its development and mastery, and tips for success. Students and pharmacists will come away with the knowledge to identify drug-related problems and formulate plans for solutions to these problems. Fundamental Skills for Patient Care in Pharmacy Practice prepares future pharmacists to communicate effectively in verbal and written formats with health professionals and special patient populations as they prepare and present SOAP notes, patient cases, and discharge counseling.