Introduction: Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) provide ample opportunity for students to acclimate into pharmacy roles and experience professionalization through authentic practice. A structured APPE self-reflection process improvement was implemented to assist students in writing higher quality reflections, and to better capture themes of student professionalization.Objectives: The purpose of this paper was to describe experience with the structured self-reflection format and (a) determine the most impactful APPE professionalization themes derived from student self-categorization; and (b) analyze self-reflections for inclusion of actionable professional development plans.Methods: A four-step structured APPE self-reflection format, abbreviated IDEA (Identify, Describe, Evaluate, and Actionable Plan), was created to standardize the reflection process. For each APPE, students (N = 211) completed the IDEA by selecting a theme of professionalization impact (from 15 predetermined choices) and crafting a self-reflection. For the APPE annual cycle, themes of professionalization impact were compiled and grouped into overarching categories spanning development in practice or communication skills, student professional development, and collaborative teamwork. A rubric was developed for faculty to evaluate levels of reflection with a goal of critical reflection (evidence of transformative behavior or perspectives) described in actionable professional development plans.Results: Two hundred eleven students completed 1473 IDEA self-reflections (6.9 per student). All 15 themes of impact were selected for self-reflection, with "practice skills development/experiencing new curricular discipline" being most prevalent. Critical reflection was attained in 968 (65.7%) of reflections. A decline in criticality over time was noted, with the first six APPE modules averaging 73% and dropping to 54% and 34% in the final two modules, respectively. Conclusion:The IDEA structured APPE self-reflection enables students to readily identify professionalization themes and reflect upon their impact. Two-thirds of reflections indicated actionable professional development plans, indicative of professionalization and transformative learning.

Background Pharmacists and pharmacy interns were instrumental in vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: To identify pharmacy intern involvement in COVID-19 immunization practices in New York State (NYS) and explore interns’ perceptions of experiences. Methods A 34-item survey was developed and administered at 5 pharmacy programs in NYS. Data collected included: perceptions of immunization readiness, participation in immunizations, description of experiences, and perceptions on the role of pharmacists. Respondents also reported on their preparedness to participate in the immunization process and the types of questions received from patients. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Questions regarding student experiences before and after participating in immunization efforts were analyzed using a two-sample t test. Results A total of 460 interns participated in the survey with 398 (87%) reporting participation in COVID-19 immunizations. Of those, 231 (58%) participated at work, 146 (36.7) during experiential rotations, and 98 (24.6%) during volunteer experiences. Respondents participated in various components of vaccine delivery including administration ( n = 246, 61.8%). Respondents administered an estimated 57,100 COVID-19 vaccines from December 2020 to April 2021 resulting in significantly higher mean scores for comfort level (5-point Likert scale) administering vaccines after participation (mean score 4.08 ± 1.31) compared to before (mean score 3.61 ± 1.42) ( p < .0001). Themes which emerged regarding student perceptions of their experience are described. Conclusion Pharmacy intern involvement in NYS COVID-19 immunization practices contributed to public health vaccination efforts. Additionally, interns improved comfort levels with immunization administration and recognized pharmacists’ emerging roles within the U.S. healthcare system.