Purpose
Medical students often have little time allocated to understanding principles of rational use of medicines and prescribing assessments. This is mainly due to challenges of time in the curriculum during their training. This abstract describes the therapeutic sub-specialty clinical posting introduced at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Medical School, Nigeria, to bridge this gap.

Methods
Fifth-year medical students who have passed their pre-clinical, pharmacology, and pathology professional exams are eligible for this therapeutic sub-specialty program offered by the Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics department of the UNIBEN medical school. The course runs for 24 weeks with groups of students rotating every 3 weeks for daily clinical teaching and a 2-hour didactic lecture weekly. Competencies required include: prescribing skills, rational use of medicines, chart reviews, and identification and reporting of medication errors and adverse drug reactions, among others. The course was patterned on the WHO/CIOMS guide for good prescribing. There is a summative assessment at the end of the 24 weeks and at the final MBBS exam.

Result
Four hundred and forty-seven (447) students have completed the posting since introduction in 2019. The students prepared and presented therapeutic case reports with emphasis on medicines available in the Nigerian essential medicines list, understood the process of evidence-based prescribing. They also understood the legal basis of prescribing. With the increased allotment of time to the course, the students go through simulated prescribing sessions, medication reconciliation, chart reviews, and medication administration programs. According to student feedback, the course was well-designed and beneficial for their next clinical postings.

Conclusion
A posting in therapeutics is essential in enabling students understand underlying principles guiding prescriptions and outcomes from medication use. This will aid the development of lifelong skills for the medical graduate.