Factors That Influence Students' Selection of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience

Objective. To determine factors influencing Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students' selection of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) in one school of pharmacy. Methods. In their final year, PharmD students are required to complete a minimum of 1440 hours of experiential education, including ambulatory, community, inpatient general medicine, and hospital/health system APPEs, and elective APPEs. Third-year (P3) and fourth-year (P4) PharmD students were invited to complete an anonymous online survey to determine what factors impacted their decision process when selecting their required experiences. Students selected up to five factors that most influenced their selection of APPEs. Factors included areas of interest, size of institution, location, future employment, preceptor reputation, rotation hours, faculty rotation, non-faculty rotation, peer recommendation, cost/housing, level of difficulty, size of institution, and whether the site offered a residency program. Results. Of the 143 students enrolled, 100% responded to the survey. Students in both classes (71 P3 and 72 P4 students) selected location as the number one factor that influenced their decision when selecting required APPEs. Cost/housing was the second most important factor overall for P3 students, while peer recommendation was the second most important factor overall for P4 students. Conclusion. Location was the driving factor behind P3 and P4 pharmacy students' selection of APPE sites. Schools should consider establishing more APPE sites that offer housing to reduce cost. Further research into the factors that influence ranking on APPE electives is warranted.