Student pharmacist competency and confidence following a pharmacy technician-led community pharmacy role simulation

Understanding community pharmacy roles and responsibilities is critical for safe pharmacy practice, yet teaching these concepts is challenging because scopes of practice evolve. Limited evidence exists regarding skills-based community pharmacy roles and responsibilities instruction in U.S. PharmD curricula. This study evaluated a pharmacy technician-led simulation designed to improve first-year student pharmacists' understanding of community pharmacy workflow, delegation, and team member responsibilities.

Pharmacy technician-trained instructional lab managers developed and facilitated a simulation in a mock community pharmacy. Students rotated through pharmacist, pharmacist intern, pharmacy technician, pharmacy cashier, patient, and observer roles. Using realistic scenarios, students assigned tasks to the least-credentialed qualified team member while considering workflow and scope-of-practice requirements.

Among 212 students across three cohorts, the mean assessment score was 90.0%, exceeding the expert-derived competency benchmark (p < 0.001). Student satisfaction was high (mean 4.83/5). Students reported the greatest confidence in the pharmacist role and the least confidence in the pharmacist intern role. Qualitative analysis identified strengths in realism, teamwork, engagement, and application of knowledge, with concerns related to instruction clarity, role passivity, and performance anxiety.

The activity supported competency in community pharmacy roles and responsibilities while promoting understanding of workflow, delegation, and team-based practice. Findings support the use of technician-led simulation activities to enhance role clarity, pharmacy workforce awareness, and practice readiness.