Physician assistant student exposure to the long-term care setting by working with a consultant pharmacist

Physician assistant (PA) students need exposure to a wide range of clinical settings including long-term care (LTC); however, finding consistent educational LTC opportunities is difficult. This article describes a unique, replicable, educational opportunity for PA students to get exposure to the LTC setting by working with a consultant pharmacist.

Pairs of students spent 4 hours with the pharmacist, reviewing and copresenting two to three patient charts. Students completed a questionnaire that asked them to describe what they had learned.

Students indicated they had an increased appreciation of having strong knowledge of medication prescribing and monitoring and avoiding polypharmacy, as well as disease prevention, the importance of interprofessional care, and preventing medication errors.

Although LTC settings vary, consultant pharmacists may provide a reliable gateway to the LTC setting for PA students. Gains in skills were not directly measured; however, students reported an increased appreciation for aspects of geriatric care related to all six of the competencies outlined in Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession.