Objective
This sample demonstrates the following MCST Terminal Performance Objectives:
- TPO 1 (primary) — Apply knowledge of pharmacology, pathophysiology, clinical assessment, and traditional management strategies of pain and other physical symptoms to identify appropriate candidates for medical cannabis therapy.
- TPO 2 (primary) — Apply concepts of pharmacology, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutics, and pharmacokinetics to determine appropriate cannabis dosing, dosage forms and routes of administration for optimal treatment.
- TPO 3 (primary) — Develop monitoring plans to determine effectiveness of medical cannabis therapy and to detect adverse effects of medical cannabis use.
- TPO 9 (secondary) — Identify areas for future research related to science, health effects, and policy of medical cannabis, and describe the challenges associated with such research.
- TPO 10 (secondary) — Demonstrate a commitment to excellence through continuing professional development and the education and training of patients, healthcare professionals, regulatory bodies, and other relevant stakeholders.
Context
This Provider Communication Form and recorded mock counseling session were co-created for MCST 605: Advanced Cannabis Therapeutics for Somatic Conditions, Module 8, the final group project of the course. The assignment asked groups of 2–3 students to design and record a mock patient counseling scenario for an oncology patient and to produce a single Medical Cannabis Communication Form for the prescriber, integrating patient assessment, evidence appraisal, dosing, and monitoring skills built throughout the course. Mutual consent for portfolio use was documented in a WhatsApp message exchange between Morvarid Rezaie and me prior to 2026-04-19.
Description and Rationale
This two-part project (a Provider Communication Form and a recorded mock counseling session) was a collaboration between Morvarid Rezaie, DO, and me. Morvarid handled the elements requiring clinical expertise, contributed the de-identified patient case from her palliative care practice, led the dosing and monitoring decisions, and took the provider role in the recorded session. Across both deliverables, I centered patient experience through patient-advocacy and trauma-informed framing. For the mock session, I wrote the initial counseling script and played the patient role in the recorded session. The script outlined the patient assessment, treatment goals, and education plan. For the form, I wrote the introduction and framing that positions patient educators and prescribers as partners, designed a dedicated section for cannabis experience as a clinical consideration, and grounded the language in a trauma-informed approach.
I chose this sample because patients with complex conditions deserve access to cannabis treatment grounded in expertise missing from standard medical training. Collaborating with a DO trained in palliative care on an advanced oncology case sharpened how I work with clinicians to translate emerging cannabis evidence into patient-centered care.