Student and preceptor perspectives on expanding ambulatory introductory pharmacy practice experience hours

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Experiential Learning
• Ambulatory Care Pharmacy

Background:

• Accreditation standards mandate experiential learning in PharmD programs.
• Ambulatory care is a required Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) but not always an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE).
• Optimal structure and impact of ambulatory IPPEs require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of increasing ambulatory IPPE hours from 20 to 30 for third-year pharmacy students.
• To assess changes in student self-perceptions of confidence, skills, and APPE-readiness.
• To compare preceptor-observed student performance between different IPPE hour cohorts.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental survey design was employed.
• Pre- and post-surveys assessed student self-perceptions.
• Preceptors evaluated student performance for both 20-hour and 30-hour ambulatory IPPE cohorts.

Main Results:

• Students in the 30-hour cohort reported greater gains in confidence and APPE-readiness (75% vs. 47%, p=0.0047).
• Preceptor evaluations showed no significant differences in observed competency between the cohorts.
• Only 45% of preceptors perceived benefits from the increased hours, citing logistical challenges.

Conclusions:

• Extending ambulatory IPPEs to 30 hours enhanced students' perceived self-efficacy and readiness for APPEs.
• The lack of change in preceptor-rated competency may indicate limitations in assessment tools or observation opportunities.
• Further research is necessary to determine the optimal duration of IPPEs for measurable performance improvements.