Educational outcomes associated with early immersion of second-year student pharmacists into direct patient care roles in health-system practice

Background and purpose: To assess the educational impact of engaging second professional year student pharmacists in active, direct patient care experiences in health system practice. Educational activity and setting: Student pharmacists in their second professional year completed a redesigned, skill-based four-week introductory pharmacy practice experience in health system practice. The immersion consisted of experiences in both operational and clinical pharmacy environments. Students were assessed with skill development checklist assessments. Pre-post surveys were also collected. Data were analyzed using a mixed methods approach. Findings: Twenty-eight student pharmacists were included; of those, 26 completed both surveys (92.9% response rate). Survey results revealed significant increases in 81.8% of operational and 100% of clinical self-efficacy statements (p< 0.05) and positive perceptions of the program overall. Overall, findings suggested that student pharmacists developed skills in health system practice while identifying additional areas for emphasized learning. Summary: Student pharmacists engaged in early, hands-on, direct patient care experiences enhanced their skill development in operational and clinical pharmacy practice.