Implementation of a Student-Developed, Service-Based Internship for Pharmacy Students

Abstract

Purpose: This article describes the development, implementation, and impact of a student-created pharmacy internship program with aspects of service-learning, professional development, and ambulatory care pharmacy practice.
 Program Description: As the pharmacy profession continues to evolve, pharmacy internships present valuable opportunities for student pharmacists to explore career pathways and develop personal and professional skills. While internships in clinical and industry settings support interns’ professional development, service-based internships provide additional benefits to student pharmacists by promoting cultural awareness, community engagement, and commitment to serving underserved patients. Student leaders from the Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC) at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy created a service-learning, ambulatory care-focused pharmacy internship for fellow student pharmacists. Two rising third-year students were selected to participate in the internship in the summer of 2018. Over the two-month program, the interns participated in various program components including direct patient care activities, faculty-led workshops and topic discussions, and quality improvement projects. In addition to supporting the interns’ academic and professional growth, this program also furthered the mission of SHAC to promote positive health outcomes for underserved populations.
 Summary: The SHAC Ambulatory Care in Underserved Populations Internship represents an innovative initiative by pharmacy student leaders to develop a service-focused internship for fellow student pharmacists. Participation in the internship provides unique opportunities not often available in conventional pharmacy curricula, including engagement with underserved patient populations and exploration of strategies to mitigate health disparities. Crafted by students for fellow students, this internship provides opportunities for personal and professional growth for both student developers and interns to carry into their future pharmacy careers.
 
 Article Type: Student Project

Establishing competency based internship program through participatory action research in a private pharmacy college in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

“…This continues to be an issue, but the implementation of assignments to support intern development in cohort 2 proved to be a valuable intervention, giving students some exposure to cognitive pharmacist tasks. The use of assignments, and active preceptor involvement has been discussed as an effective way of building a successful internship by Carl et al, 2014 , Rath et al, 2019 , and Abu Blan et al 2019 .…”

Exploring the experiences and expectations of pharmacist interns in large general hospitals in China: from the perspective of interns

“…The process of linking theory with practice helped them improve their professional knowledge and skills [24]. Along with the improvement of their knowledge and skills, they also had a clearer understanding of the profession, and most of the respondents said that they gained a sense of accomplishment during the internship, which enhanced their love for their career [25,26]. Meanwhile, receiving positive affirmations from their teachers stimulated their interest in learning.…”

Exploring Pharmacy Trainee Experiential Learning in a Full Scope Collaborative Rural Primary Care Practice: A Retrospective Chart Review

“…The benefits and positive impacts captured during this study could contribute to the retention of primary care providers and pharmacists in rural community settings by: providing needed support to current rural clinicians and community pharmacies and; through experiential learning opportunities, provide pharmacy trainees the opportunity to consider practicing in these regions. Other counties, such as Australia and the United States, have created rural immersion experiential learning opportunities for their pharmacy trainees to help foster an appreciation for the expanded scope of practice many rural pharmacists experience with reported trainee benefits including significant increases in understanding and knowledge about rural health, relationship-building in the community, a better understanding of social and cultural dynamics of remote location practice settings and underserved populations, more time with faculty/supervisors, and interprofessional collaboration experience [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”