Improving a hospital pharmacy externship program

The revision and implementation of a pharmacy student externship program at a cancer treatment and research facility are described. The Department of Pharmacy Academic Programs evaluated the student externship program of the Division of Pharmacy at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and identified a variety of weaknesses. These included scheduling conflicts, insufficient supervision and feedback, excessive task orientation, lack of defined roles and responsibilities of program participants, and generally poor organization. As a result, the program was revised by establishing specific goals, defining program participants and their roles, setting specific responsibilities for externs and encouraging self-initiated learning, developing standardized evaluation forms and documentation requirements, and educating the pharmacy staff about the program. Since the revised program was implemented in June 1988, 21 students have completed externship rotations. Their evaluations of the program suggest greater satisfaction with this important educational experience than was realized before the revision was undertaken. A more organized approach to the externship program gave pharmacy students a better opportunity to experience the range of professional activities and challenges that occur in the institutional practice setting.