An introductory pharmacy practice experience emphasizing student-administered vaccinations

To introduce a requirement for second-professional year (P2) and third-professional year (P3) students to administer vaccinations to adults in community pharmacy-based immunization clinics.

Second-professional year students were trained to administer influenza, pneumococcal, and other vaccinations to adults following the American Pharmacists Association's standards. All P2 students in fall 2004 and all P2 and P3 students in fall 2005 were assigned to 2 community pharmacy-based immunization clinics in the metropolitan Denver area under the supervision of immunization-certified staff pharmacists. An evaluation of the experience was conducted using retrospective preceptor and student-based survey data.

In 2004 and 2005, the students administered approximately 5,000 (30-50 immunizations per student) and 15,000 (60-70 per student) immunizations, respectively. Students and preceptors agreed that the requirement to administer vaccinations was an appropriate activity for students and that it increased the students' self-confidence. When asked to rate the value of the students' work administering adult immunizations in the fall 2004 semester, the mean score given by the P2 students' immunization-certified preceptors was 9.2 on a 10-point Likert scale (1 = no value and 10 = great value).

Consistent with accreditation standards for students to have direct patient care responsibilities in introductory pharmacy practice experience courses, a requirement for P2 and P3 students to administer vaccines to adult patients in community pharmacies was successfully introduced.