An advanced pharmacy practice experience in inpatient medication education

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Clinical Pharmacy Practice
• Patient Education

Background:

• Traditional pharmacy education models may not fully prepare students for direct patient care.
• There is a need for innovative advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) to bridge the gap between academic learning and clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel APPE focused on inpatient medication education delivered by pharmacy students.
• To evaluate the impact of student-led medication education on patient care and student development.

Main Methods:

• Pharmacy students received training in patient assessment, identification of drug-related problems, and medication education delivery.
• Students provided direct patient education and medication therapy management under pharmacist supervision.
• A comparative analysis was conducted on the number of patients educated before and during the APPE.

Main Results:

• Student involvement significantly increased the number of hospitalized patients receiving medication education and therapy management.
• Students reported enhanced abilities in patient care, self-assessment, and skill critique.
• The APPE demonstrated a positive impact on patient education and medication management services.

Conclusions:

• The inpatient medication education APPE successfully provided students with direct patient care responsibilities.
• This APPE model offers mutual benefits to students, hospital systems, and educational institutions.
• The program underscores the value of experiential learning in developing competent and accountable future pharmacists.