Educational outcomes associated with early immersion of second-year student pharmacists into direct patient care roles in health-system practice

Abstract

Background and purposeTo assess the educational impact of engaging second professional year student pharmacists in active, direct patient care experiences in health system practice. Educational activity and settingStudent pharmacists in their second professional year completed a redesigned, skill-based four-week introductory pharmacy practice experience in health system practice. The immersion consisted of experiences in both operational and clinical pharmacy environments. Students were assessed with skill development checklist assessments. Pre-post surveys were also collected. Data were analyzed using a mixed methods approach. FindingsTwenty-eight student pharmacists were included; of those, 26 completed both surveys (92.9% response rate). Survey results revealed significant increases in 81.8% of operational and 100% of clinical self-efficacy statements (p<0.05) and positive perceptions of the program overall. Overall, findings suggested that student pharmacists developed skills in health system practice while identifying additional areas for emphasized learning. SummaryStudent pharmacists engaged in early, hands-on, direct patient care experiences enhanced their skill development in operational and clinical pharmacy practice.