National survey of experiential learning program strategies for ensuring compliance with onboarding requirements

The purpose of this study was to characterize the processes, systems, and personnel used by colleges and schools of pharmacy to collect, monitor, and ensure compliance with experiential education onboarding requirements.

A 27-item electronic questionnaire was sent to experiential education faculty and staff at all Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited pharmacy programs in spring 2025. Questions included demographics, general onboarding questions and resources, onboarding requirements, and strategies for increasing requirement compliance. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze multiple-choice questions, and common approaches to compliance were identified through the open-ended question.

The survey had a response rate of 59.6% (84/141 programs). More than 95% of programs required hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, and Tdap vaccinations, while 90.5% required influenza vaccination. Less than 30% of programs required the COVID-19 vaccination or booster. Annual tuberculosis (TB) testing was required by 90.5% of programs. Background checks were required yearly in 63.1% of programs, and drug screening was required in 54.76% of programs. Regulatory modules and intern licenses were required by most programs. Programs used multiple compliance monitoring platforms, and consequences of non-compliance included referral to professionalism committees, course registration holds, grade deductions, or prohibition from attending rotations. Non-compliance management approaches reported include automated reminders, EE advisors, and group onboarding sessions.

Experiential program onboarding requirements showed commonality regarding childhood immunizations and background checks, with variability in other requirements and compliance monitoring platforms. Regular review of requirements and employing mechanisms for ensuring compliance will assist experiential programs with student placements.