Influence of an ambulatory care elective on career interest and perception of ambulatory care practice

Background and purpose: Ambulatory care is a growing area of pharmacy practice. Previous studies have shown that an ambulatory care elective course may improve student understanding and interest in ambulatory care, but it is unknown if an elective course may impact a student's intended career choice. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of an ambulatory care elective on student understanding of ambulatory care pharmacy practice, career interest, and interest in residency training. Educational activity and setting: A three-credit-hour ambulatory care elective course was offered to pharmacy students in their third professional year of a four-year program at a private school of pharmacy in Fall 2015. All students in their third year of pharmacy school, including those enrolled in an ambulatory care elective course, were surveyed electronically at the beginning and end of the fall semester. Elective student responses were compared to non-elective student responses, and student responses were compared pre-versus post-semester within each group. Findings: Twenty-five of 72 non-elective students and 13 of 14 elective students responded to both surveys. Significantly more elective students felt they understood the daily responsibilities (p = 0.003) and the role of the ambulatory care pharmacist (p = 0.001) in comparison to nonelective students post-semester. Interest in residency training or a career in ambulatory care pharmacy was not significantly different among groups pre-or post-semester. Summary: An ambulatory care elective course increased perceived understanding of ambulatory care pharmacy but did not have a significant impact on student interest in residency training or a career in ambulatory care.