A team-led remote ambulatory care rotation: Creating efficiency without sacrificing quality

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Experiential Learning
• Telehealth in Healthcare

Background:

• Advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) are crucial for doctor of pharmacy programs but often limited by logistical challenges.
• Geographical, transportation, and housing issues can restrict student access to traditional, onsite APPEs.
• Unexpected changes or resource limitations may disrupt students' ability to complete required rotation hours.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a remote APPE model to enhance accessibility and flexibility.
• To ensure students' continued progression towards graduation despite logistical constraints.
• To offer a viable alternative to in-person rotations without compromising educational outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A one-month remote ambulatory care APPE was created for 18 doctor of pharmacy students.
• Students utilized electronic health records (EHR) remotely via a partnership with a federally qualified health center.
• Activities included telehealth patient visits, drug information, literature evaluations, and project work.

Main Results:

• The remote APPE facilitated meaningful student-patient interactions through telehealth.
• Students engaged in various learning activities, including topic discussions and project completion.
• Summative evaluations indicated the remote rotation was a meaningful learning experience.

Conclusions:

• Remote APPEs can effectively meet educational needs while enabling patient care via telehealth.
• The virtual rotation demonstrated comparable learning outcomes to in-person experiences.
• This model provides flexibility for experiential directors and ensures student progression.