Virtual Pharmacy Programs to Prepare Pharmacy Students for Community and Hospital Placements

Objective. To explore and evaluate pharmacy students' perceptions of the value and relevance of virtual community and virtual hospital on-campus placement programs. Methods. Students enrolled in a Master of Pharmacy program completed the required Virtual Community Placement (VCP) program and/or the Virtual Hospital Placement (VHP) program. A six-item questionnaire was administered to students after completion of each of the virtual programs to elicit students' perceptions of the value and relevance of the virtual programs. Additional data related to the relevance of specific workshops were collected, including students' self-reported confidence levels to undertake placement in a real-world setting following completion of the virtual programs. Results. Surveys were completed by 61 students in the VCP program and 50 students in the VHP program. Students perceived the virtual programs to be beneficial, with the majority (84% of the VCP students and 98% of the VHP students) reporting that the programs should be an essential component of any pharmacy degree. The majority of students (72%) self-reported an increase in their confidence levels in undertaking a real-world experiential placement after they completed their virtual hospital placement. Conclusion. Completing virtual placement programs prior to pharmacy students beginning their first "real world" pharmacy placements had a positive effect on student learning and confidence levels. Pharmacy students' feedback from this study regarding the relevance of specific learning modules and laboratory sessions will inform future curriculum development of the virtual placement programs.