A Qualitative Study Designed to Build an Experiential Education Curriculum for Practice-Ready Community Pharmacy-Bound Students

Abstract

Objective. To design an experiential education curriculum that sequentially and deliberately prepares community pharmacy-bound graduates to practice at the level of the care provider and display the skills needed to be a pharmacist-in-charge. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with community pharmacy stakeholders. Transcriptions from the interviews were analyzed to identify common themes in needed community pharmacy training for core and elective advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). The themes were used to distinguish key elements of a community pharmacy experiential education curriculum that would meet the project objective. Results. Forty-two individuals were interviewed: 11 were interviewed individually and 31 in focus groups, with each group comprising two to six individuals. There were 11 focus groups. Theme analysis allowed differentiation of activities and performance levels for the community pharmacy introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) and the core APPE as well as the goal of the core APPE for all program graduates. Participants identified two important elective APPEs for students planning to practice in community pharmacy after graduation: an advanced patient care experience and a management experience. Participants emphasized the importance of sequencing the core and advanced elective APPEs so that the advanced electives could build upon the skills demonstrated in the core APPE. Participants identified knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for practice-readiness upon graduation. Conclusion. The identified experiential education curriculum for students planning to practice in the community pharmacy setting upon graduation will prepare them to provide care to complex communitydwelling patients and function as a pharmacist-in-charge in this setting.

A nationwide cross-sectional survey of student experiential practice at community pharmacies in South Korea

“…Experiential practice outcome assessment is an essential part of measuring the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of students in terms of the requirements of a qualified entry-level pharmacist [34]. Therefore, it will be useful to measure their capability in becoming a pharmacist [34–36]. The majority of students agreed that their capability improved through CPEP; in particular, their professionalism and “inter-professional collaboration” saw the best improvements.…”

Experiential community pharmacy training: Assessment of students’ perceptions in the United Arab Emirates

“…(Brown et al, 2009;El Hajj et al, 2014;Gelayee et al, 2018;Baral et al, 2019;Almetwazi et al, 2020). This structure usually helps students apply the skills, attitudes, and knowledge they have developed in classroom and laboratory settings (Radigan, 2009;Al-Haidari & Al-Jazairi, 2010;Al-Qadheeb et al, 2010;Avalere Health, 2014;McElhaney & Weber, 2014;O'Sullivan et al, 2017;El Hajj et al, 2014;Baral et al, 2019;Almetwazi et al, 2020).…”

“…Their role has evolved and expanded to provide a variety of health services, which gives them more opportunities to make a substantial impact on the people they serve (Adams & Blouin, 2017). The communities of clinical practice represent major sites for clinical curriculum delivery, where the clinical students can learn not only clinical skills but also how to be health professionals (Egen & Jaye, 2009;O'Sullivan et al, 2017).…”

Essential Attributes for the Community Pharmacist as Care Provider

“…Results and conclusions arising from analysis of these subsequent questions were the subject of a separate report. 31 The first author conducted all of the interviews, and the second author recorded the session and took notes. All interviews were conducted in private locations at community pharmacies, regional management offices, or other locations convenient to the participants.…”