Student pharmacist perceptions of community advanced pharmacy practice experiences and the impact on professional...

This study was conducted to investigate the clinical experience that student pharmacists are exposed to during their core community Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) and how this affects their professional development.

Cross-sectional survey.

A national survey of student pharmacists in their APPE year was conducted using the American Pharmacists Association broadcast e-mail system. The electronic survey consisted of 22 total items with 7 items pertaining to professional development, which focused on advanced professional learning intended to improve knowledge, competence, and skill. Students were included in this study if they were in their APPE year at the time of the study.

The outcomes of interest in this study were to identify student pharmacist exposure to clinical services on their core community APPE and the impact these clinical exposures had on their professional development.

Responses were collected from 429 students across the United States with a response rate of 11%. Of those results, 325 participants responded as having completed their core community APPE or currently completing with more than 50% completed. Student self-reported sufficient exposure in performing educational, patient care, and wellness services improved the professional development composite score. Comparatively, student pharmacists who self-reported "None" to the exposures had a lower professional development composite score.

Student pharmacists who self-reported sufficient exposure to clinical services on their core community APPE had statistically higher professional development composite scores than those who did not report sufficient exposure. Experiential educators in community pharmacy practice nationwide may benefit from the results of this study as a tool to supplement their mentorship and enhance student pharmacist professional development.