A renal transplantation advanced pharmacy practice experience.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Nephrology
• Transplant Medicine

Background:

• Ambulatory care settings are crucial for managing renal transplant recipients.
• There is a need for specialized training for pharmacists in transplant medicine.
• Establishing dedicated educational experiences enhances pharmacy student competency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and evaluate an ambulatory care renal transplantation clinic advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE).
• To assess the impact of the APPE on pharmacy students' knowledge and skills in transplant care.

Main Methods:

• Pharmacy students completed a 5-week APPE focusing on pharmaceutical care for renal transplant patients.
• Activities included patient care, health-related topic presentations, and research.
• Paired t tests analyzed pre- and post-APPE test scores; standardized evaluations assessed learning.

Main Results:

• Post-APPE test scores were significantly higher than pre-APPE scores (88.2 vs 55.9, p < 0.001).
• Students reported increased knowledge in transplant medicine and patient care.
• Evaluations indicated the APPE was enjoyable and effective.

Conclusions:

• The renal transplant APPE effectively enhanced student knowledge and skills.
• Training pharmacy students in transplant care is imperative for all transplant programs.
• This model can guide the implementation of similar APPEs in collaboration with pharmacy schools and transplant centers.