Clinical clerkships in professional education: a study in pharmacy and other ancillary professions

An empirical study of the dynamics of clinical clerkships in professional education is offered, with particular attention to ancillary professions. For students to eventually establish innovative practices within professional organizations, they need skills in the technical aspects of their fields, as well as in role-making and interprofessional negotiation. In examining a clinical clerkship in pharmacy, it was found that faculty overwhelmingly focus on technical matters, and assume that technical competence alone is enough to attain role expansion. The experiences of students, simulating participation in a complex organization as members of clinical teams, give good reason to question this and other assumptions constituting the structure of clerkships. Several recommendations issue from the analysis for strengthening the objectives of professional training.