An advanced pharmacy practice experience in public health

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Public Health
• Pharmaceutical Care

Background:

• Traditional pharmacy curricula may not adequately prepare students for public health roles.
• There is a growing need for pharmacists to address public health issues within their practice.
• Integrating public health concepts into pharmacy education is crucial for developing well-rounded practitioners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) focused on public health.
• To improve students' awareness, acceptance, and application of public health concepts in pharmaceutical care.
• To assess student perceptions of the effectiveness of the APPE in enhancing public health competencies.

Main Methods:

• A 6-week APPE was developed incorporating diverse activities: written assignments, role-play, direct patient care, reflective writing, and community outreach.
• The curriculum focused on exploring public health issues and their relevance to pharmacy practice.
• Student perceptions were evaluated using a 5-question survey administered post-experience.

Main Results:

• Students reported high satisfaction with the APPE across multiple domains.
• Key areas of satisfaction included pharmaceutical care provision, patient education, cultural competency, community resource referral, and medication assistance program utilization.
• The survey data indicates the APPE effectively met its objectives in enhancing student skills.

Conclusions:

• The APPE offers a valuable platform for pharmacy students to develop essential public health skills.
• The experience expands students' understanding of the pharmacist's role in public health initiatives.
• This APPE model can be a benchmark for future pharmacy education programs aiming to integrate public health principles.