A Paradigm Shift in US Experiential Pharmacy Education Accelerated by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus identified in 2019 (COVID-19) has caused dramatic disruptions in pharmacy experiential education. Administrators and programs have worked to help external preceptors, faculty members, and students cope with the new realities of virtual or remote experiences and new or increased use of telemedicine. Clear and effective lines of communication as well as well-reasoned and resourced alternative plans are necessary to help manage the current issues and prepare for future challenges. Doctor of Pharmacy programs should enhance their focus not just on the physical health and well-being of students, faculty members, and external preceptors, but also on their mental and emotional health. The full scope of the impact of the pandemic on experiential education in pharmacy is still unclear, but this situation should serve as a stimulus for innovation and rethinking the paradigm of how pharmacy programs educate and prepare students for pharmacy practice.

Losses and gains in experiential education in a university pharmacy in Brazil: Lessons from a pandemic

“…The activities of pharmacists have changed in response to the drop in face-to-face services and the reduction of the workforce. The safety of students and faculty members is another important consideration (Fuller et al, 2020).…”

“…The disruption occurred literally overnight, requiring pharmacists to demonstrate significant adaptability and resilience (Fuller et al, 2020) to manage continuing and, in some cases, expanding needs of patients to access their medicines in a context of social distancing. Important outcomes to be highlighted include medication dispensing was maintained for all patients; the dispensation time was reduced; no staff member or student has yet been infected; students developed management skills; and students also learned how to manage patient care remotely.…”

Leading a Digital Transformation in Pharmacy Education with a Pandemic as the Accelerant

“…Ten of the articles were about pharmacy practice and were not reviewed ( Figure 1 ). Of the remaining 28 [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], most were solely focused on addressing the challenges presented by current events, with only a few describing seizing opportunities that represent the needs of the future. In “Pharmacy Education Crosses the Rubicon”, the authors stated that “the pre-COVID-19 global response of the Academy to [technological] changes around us might have been described as incremental” and “the pandemic has forced us into a state of out-of-the-box thinking and creative problem-solving” [ 24 ].…”

Adapting ambulatory care learning environments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Not only did the pandemic create a paradigm shift for ambulatory care pharmacists and patients, it created one for pharmacy learners as well. 4 At the time of pandemic escalation in the United States, pharmacy students and residents in the ambulatory care environment experienced a multitude of changes to their clinical environment. In some cases, pharmacy learners were prohibited from being onsite to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk and conserve resources, such as personal protective equipment (PPE).…”

“…While the adaptation to the new learning environments undoubtedly strengthened pharmacy learners in many ways, there are unknown downstream consequences to the disruption of their learning experiences. 4 As pharmacy preceptors, we have the responsibility to ensure that education in the clinical environment—albeit altered by the pandemic—allows learners to “advance their own practice long term.” 5 …”