Creating a Pharmacy Internship: A Toolbox for Success

Abstract


 Objective: To describe available compensated student internships and provide guidance for new program development.
 Methods: A search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google with the following search terms: pharmacy, intern, internship, and student. All English language publications were considered for inclusion. Articles describing IPPE or APPE student utilization were excluded.
 Key findings: Pharmacy student internship programs are common in practice, though there are few with published outcome data. Most often, interns serve as pharmacist extenders and participate in activities that center around extension of pharmacy services within the institution. Development of new programs should include partnering with nearby pharmacy programs and state boards of pharmacy to develop a well matched curriculum and allow for interns to practice at the top of their license. Lastly, outcomes should be measured and disseminated for the benefit of the academy. Additional considerations for developing a student internship program and guidance are provided.
 Conclusions: Although in existence for decades, minimal published reports showcase institutional outcomes associated with student internships. No data is available to show the downstream effect an internship can have on direct patient care activities.
 
 Article Type: Note

Pharmacy Students’ Professional Skill Development through a Scaffolded Internship

“… 6 In the same issue, they published a toolkit with suggestions on how to design, implement, and assess student internship programs. 7 The present study is in response to this call and designed with suggested concepts and innovations.…”

Pharmacy Internships: We Can Do Better

“…Measuring a cost-analysis for the program, tracking research accomplishments of participants, and identifying direct patient care activities completed are just a few examples of metrics highlighted in the toolbox provided in this issue. 5 Additionally, analyzing direct patient care pharmacist activities that highly integrated interns are able to accomplish could showcase the downstream effects of a wellrun program. Whatever you define as outcomes for program success, make sure you capture those outcomes and reflect on needed changes.…”

“…Too often, pharmacy interns primarily fill a technical or distributive need within the pharmacy department, simply shadow pharmacists, and fail to be utilized to their fullest potential. The complementary toolbox in this issue 5 summarizes the sparse literature surrounding student internships and their role within the profession. We suggest the following considerations to utilize interns as pharmacist extenders, expand the reach of our profession, and build leaders.…”

What is an Internship Report? Contributions to the Construction of its Meaning

“…Besides the internship process, the final product or result, usually in the written form of an internship report, seems to us worthy of further analysis that goes beyond the various casuistic normative formulations, but which may vary greatly (Ellis and Childs, 2019) either from one institution to another (Nisly et al, 2018) or in the area of scientific training and in the trainees", mentors" and host institutions" standpoint. Furthermore, it should be taken into account that "The issue of influence of mentoring style to the development of mentees" pedagogical and didactic competencies is still not sufficiently investigated" (Ciučiulkienė and Mičiulienė, 2019) and that "Mentoring is a process when a more qualified and experienced person teaches, supports, promotes, advises" (p. 131).…”