Factors influencing the learning experience in pharmaceutical internships: A qualitative interview study

experience-based learning (EBL) is the chosen educational strategy in the Master of Pharmacy curriculum at Leiden University. This strategy contributes to the development of the competence profile of a pharmacist by offering multiple internships. However, it is conceivable that what students learn during their internships may vary. This variability is an important issue that has not yet been investigated in literature. Therefore, the aim is to explore factors influencing learning experiences during pharmaceutical internships.

we performed a descriptive qualitative study. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 25) with Master of Pharmacy students (n = 12), pharmaceutical internship supervisors (n = 8), and curriculum stakeholders (n = 5). The interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded in ATLAS.ti®, followed by thematic analysis.

we identified five themes influencing the learning experiences at pharmaceutical internships: (1) learning goals and experience (2) commitment, (3) diversity of the internships, (4) importance of the assessment, and (5) role of the curriculum. All three perspectives of the participants on the themes were aligned except for a discrepancy between the perspective of the curriculum stakeholders and the students about the safe learning environment.

EBL reveals factors, (e.g. the student's dedication, the supervisor's involvement, uniformity in assessment and role of the curriculum) influencing learning experiences at pharmaceutical internships. The EBL strategy leads to variability between students' learning experiences that may lead to differences in competency development and may ultimately affect their readiness to work as a pharmacist. The factors that emerged from our research help to optimize the students' learning experiences during pharmaceutical internships.