Development of a Remote Public Health Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience in Response to COVID-19

Student Pharmacist Perspectives of a Remote Ambulatory Care and Community Pharmacy Dual-Cohort APPE

OBJECTIVE

The primary aim of the study is to describe the development and implementation of a remote required ambulatory care and required community pharmacy dual-cohort Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotation from the student pharmacist perspective. The secondary objective is to identify elements of a remote APPE to integrate into traditional onsite rotations.

METHODS

An electronic post-survey was developed to evaluate rotation effectiveness based on the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) outcomes, and to identify rotation attributes to inform future rotations. Students from different graduating classes on rotation between April and June 2020 participated in the survey. Likert-scale, ranked-response, and fixed-answer-choice questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and comparisons between cohorts and rotation groups were completed using the Chi-squared statistic (alpha .05). Open-ended questions were assessed for recurring themes. Study was exempted by university's Institutional Review Board.

RESULTS

Twenty-four of 45 invited students completed the survey (53% response rate). Of the surveyed CAPE outcomes, agreement was highest (95.7%) that the rotation improved students' abilities within 1.1 Learner, 2.2 Manager, and 4.4 Professional subdomains. Diversity of experiences and topic discussions were elements most frequently identified for inclusion in future rotations.

CONCLUSION

Student feedback was largely positive and indicated the remote APPE rotation experience was meaningful and improved abilities on key CAPE outcomes. Although remote rotations are unique, aspects including diverse learning experiences and preceptor collaboration may be considered for integration into traditional onsite rotations.

Students' Perceptions and Lessons Learned From Virtual APPE Rotations: A Multi-Institutional Perspective

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption in pharmacy experiential learning as clinical practice sites restricted student access to onsite rotations. Therefore, colleges of pharmacy across the country likely included virtual advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) to fulfill experiential education requirements. The objective of this paper is to evaluate students' perceptions of virtual APPEs during the 2020-2021 academic year. Methods: Experiential directors and faculty at 3 colleges of pharmacy in the south Florida region developed a survey to assess students' perceptions of their virtual APPE rotations during the 2020-2021 academic year. Students who took at least one fully virtual APPE rotation were asked about their perceptions of these rotations. Results: A total of 349 students were invited to take the survey and 92 (26.3%) completed the survey. Of these, 77 students (83.7%) completed at least one virtual rotation. These students completed a total of 152 virtual rotations, with elective and ambulatory care rotations being the most frequent. Most students agreed that rotation objectives were clear, and preceptors offered resources needed to be successful during the rotation. Responses regarding engagement during virtual rotations, rotation expectations being met, and rotations expanding students' knowledge were mixed. Conclusions: Virtual rotations may present unique experiential opportunities for students. Colleges of pharmacy and preceptors can benefit from additional guidance regarding how to incorporate virtual rotations into the experiential curriculum. Best practices for virtual rotations include high frequency of interactions with preceptors, clear objectives and responsibilities, and the use of a rotation calendar.

The Benefits and Challenges of Precepting Pharmacy Students Virtually in Interprofessional Primary Care Teams

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to identify pharmacists' perspectives on the benefits and challenges of precepting pharmacy students during circumstances that require using virtual care in team-based primary care practices.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was disseminated through Qualtrics software from July 5, 2021, to October 13, 2021. We used a convenience sampling technique to recruit a sample of pharmacists working in primary care teams across Ontario, Canada, who were able to complete a web-based survey in English.

RESULTS

A total of 51 pharmacists participated in the survey and provided complete responses (response rate of 41%). Participants noted benefits at 3 levels of precepting pharmacy students in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) benefits to pharmacists, (2) benefits to patients, and (3) benefits to students. Challenges of precepting pharmacy students were: (1) difficulty training students virtually, (2) students not being ideally prepared to begin a practicum training during a pandemic, and (3) reduced availability and new workload demands.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacists in team-based primary care highlighted substantial benefits and challenges for precepting students during a pandemic. Alternative mechanisms of experiential education delivery can provide new opportunities for pharmacy care yet can also restrict immersion into interprofessional team-based primary care and diminish pharmacist capacity. Additional support and resources to facilitate capacity are critical for pharmacy students to succeed in future practice in team-based primary care.

COVID-19-Driven Improvements and Innovations in Pharmacy Education: A Scoping Review

The COVID-19 pandemic led to many colleges of pharmacy having to make major changes relating to their infrastructure and delivery of their curriculum within a very short time frame, including the transition of many components to an online setting. This scoping review sought to summarize what is known about the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacy education and the effectiveness of adaptation strategies which were put in place. PubMed, Web of Science, OVID Medline, and MedEdPortal were searched to identify pharmacy education-related articles published since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. For article inclusion, the following criteria had to be met: described original research, related directly to PharmD or PharmBS education, related to the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacy education, and was available in English. Out of a total of 813 articles, 50 primary research articles were selected for inclusion. Our review of these identified four domains relating to the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacy education and/or effectiveness of adaptation strategies: (1) lab-based courses and activities (including interprofessional education activities), (2) experiential education, (3) didactic education, and (4) student well-being. The key research findings are summarized and discussed. While the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly brought many challenges to pharmacy education, it has also led to key improvements and innovations.

Development of a Campus-Wide Community Service Initiative during a Pandemic

Community service serves as a major aspect of pharmacy education; however, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented a significant disruption to student involvement. The College of Pharmacy student council, which serves as the local student government organization for the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Jacksonville campus, developed a community service initiative to offer more consistent opportunities for students to participate in community service events, while adapting to COVID-19 restrictions. A retrospective, qualitative review of this initiative demonstrates the potential value of this model. Prior to this initiative, students relied on individual student organizations to provide service opportunities to their members. This excluded portions of the student body and led to sparse and inconsistent events, with limited variation in the types of service events available. Furthermore, de-centralized planning of service opportunities increased the difficulty of ensuring that COVID-19 safety restrictions were followed appropriately. This initiative resulted in 39 students logging over 200 service hours through nine events in the first seven months after its development. Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, our centralized initiative serves as a model for improving community service involvement.