A Survey of Advanced Community Pharmacy Practice Experiences in the Final Year of the PharmD Curriculum at US Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Abstract

Objective. To assess the current state of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) in the community setting in US PharmD programs accredited under Standards 2000. Methods. Two surveys were conducted to assess the current state of core advanced pharmacy practice experiences in the community setting in US PharmD programs accredited under Standards 2000. Results. Two surveys were conducted of 45 experiential program directors and 227 preceptors of community pharmacy experiences. A variety of quality assurance mechanisms were used to review sites and preceptors, including student evaluations, preceptor interviews, and the use of review councils. The majority of programs had a 1:1 preceptor-to-student ratio. The criteria used to identify preceptors and sites for the core community APPE were diverse. Required orientation/training sessions for preceptors were reported by 50% of experiential directors. Twenty percent of experiential directors indicated that interactions with preceptors focused on unprofessional student conduct some of the time. Conclusions. Experiential directors have done well to identify preceptors and practice sites that offer students the ability to engage in activities consistent with achieving the competencies outlined in the standards, but continued quality improvement is needed.

Educating Students for Practice: Educational Outcomes and Community Experience

“…Zarembski, Boyer, and Vlasses found that students in community APPEs were most frequently engaged primarily in dispensing prescriptions at these sites. 11 The ACPE standards require that ''students devote some time to other activities that foster the development of professional care competencies.'' 4 Preceptors reported that students were less often involved in designing and implementing drug therapy plans.…”

“…Preceptors identified barriers such as third-party billing and lack of staff, patient lack of interest, and private areas that impede student involvement in development and implementation of drug therapy plans. 11 Colleges and preceptors will have to overcome these barriers to provide the opportunities for students to achieve the outcomes expected. The subsequent articles in this supplement will help preceptors navigate these barriers and will provide concrete examples of how to design rotation activities to meet students' educational needs.…”

An Enhanced Community Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Model to Improve Patient Care

“…One of the greatest challenges has been recruitment of preceptors and sites within the community pharmacy setting that are able and willing to provide students with opportunities to hone skills, knowledge, and attitudes related to patient-centered care/pharmaceutical care. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Despite the formidable work done to move practice education forward, in most situations, student activities continue to focus on the technical aspect of medication dispensing and less on designing/implementing drug therapy plans with patients and providing continuity of care through follow-up. 1,6 Community-based experiential sites face a number of challenges that make attaining the desired educational outcomes difficult.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Despite the formidable work done to move practice education forward, in most situations, student activities continue to focus on the technical aspect of medication dispensing and less on designing/implementing drug therapy plans with patients and providing continuity of care through follow-up. 1,6 Community-based experiential sites face a number of challenges that make attaining the desired educational outcomes difficult. Some of these challenges include time-consuming third-party billing, lack of reimbursement models to allow pharmacy staff members to engage in direct patient care activities, insufficient staffing to handle high prescription volume, inability to access patient information, lack of adequate software, lack of private areas for confidential patient consultations, and lack of education programs to support preceptors in their new role as educators.…”

“…Some of these challenges include time-consuming third-party billing, lack of reimbursement models to allow pharmacy staff members to engage in direct patient care activities, insufficient staffing to handle high prescription volume, inability to access patient information, lack of adequate software, lack of private areas for confidential patient consultations, and lack of education programs to support preceptors in their new role as educators. 2,[6][7][8] Based on these findings, the question is: How do colleges and schools of pharmacy gain buy-in from managers to commit their pharmacists' time to providing students with the much-needed comprehensive patient care experience?…”