Pharmacy students' perspectives on involvement in workplace-based preventative health and wellness events

Canadian pharmacy students have varied exposure within their academic curricula and limited opportunities for hands-on preventative health experiences prior to practicums. We aimed to explore pharmacy student perceptions of readiness to engage in patient education and assessment activities in health promotion events.

Under licensed pharmacist supervision, volunteer pharmacy students delivered health promotion events to University of British Columbia staff and faculty between 2017 and 2020. Students attended a one-hour, group training session with a licensed pharmacist prior to participating in four hours of service delivery. Post-event, anonymous, electronic surveys were emailed to student participants to gauge perceived change(s) in knowledge and skill development as a result of participation. Data analysis was by descriptive statistics.

Surveys were sent to 151 pharmacy student volunteers from 2017 to 2020. A total of 69 responses were received (response rate = 45.7%), 60 of which were complete (completion rate = 39.7%). Overall, students reported a shift from feeling competent to confident in the various domains assessed as a result of participation. The majority of students strongly agreed or agreed that they were well-prepared for the event and felt supported by pharmacist supervisors.

Pharmacy students felt that participation in a brief preventative health and wellness intervention increased confidence in knowledge and patient care skills, regardless of year of study. Early exposure to health promotion activities may accelerate and enhance clinical abilities of pharmacy students while preparing them for expanding pharmacist roles.