Integration of Pharmacy Students Into Family Medicine Residency Clinics

As interprofessional education opportunities become more prevalent within family medicine residency clinics, the benefit of the integration of pharmacy students is unclear in the current literature. Our study objective was to determine the impact of pharmacy student integration into a family medicine residency clinic on family medicine residents' attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration and satisfaction.

Twenty-two pharmacy students on clinical rotation were individually paired with family medicine residents for approximately 4-5 half days per week over a 10-month period. Residents and students were given a pre/post-validated survey on attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration. Satisfaction surveys were also administered to the residents at the end of the study period. Written components of satisfaction surveys were evaluated for commonly occurring themes.

Matched survey responses were available for over 80% of the residents. Both pre- and post-survey responses showed positive attitudes toward physician-pharmacist collaboration. A statistically significant positive change was seen for one item in the family medicine resident surveys. Favorable written comments revealed positive themes toward pharmacy students providing mediation reviews, therapeutic recommendations, and patient education.

Pharmacy students can be integrated into family medicine residency clinics while maintaining positive levels of interprofessional collaboration and providing a perceived benefit to the family medicine residents.