Five-Year Review of a Pediatric Pharmacy Internship Program.

Abstract

Pharmacy internship programs improve job readiness for pharmacy learners. Pediatric-focused programs are not well described in the literature and represent only a small subset of pharmacy internships; furthermore, they offer unique experiences for learners with a strong interest in pediatrics. To better meet this need, a paid pediatric pharmacy internship was implemented in 2017 for rising second- and third-year professional pharmacy students. The program provides high-quality inpatient experience to pharmacy students with a strong interest in pediatrics via a 10-week, full-time summer program and ongoing weekend shifts throughout the academic year. Key focus areas of the internship include clinical shadowing and topic discussions, completing medication histories, research activities, and inpatient pharmacy triage. This program offers a multifaceted approach to providing interns with health-system experience and prepares learners for future careers in clinical and health-system pharmacy. To date, 100% of the 6 former interns who have graduated from pharmacy school have obtained residency positions. Furthermore, a permanent medication history technician role was created secondary to the positive response to interns providing this service.