Ryan S. Ades

Background: Experiential education accounts for a third of pharmacy education in the United States, bridging the gap between didactic material and practical application. Despite its prevalence in programs, variability exists in the structure and delivery of experiential learning. Sharing current practices can improve the quality and consistency of experiential learning worldwide. Objective: To determine the current standard operations of experiential education units in United States colleges or schools of pharmacy. Methods: A 16-item survey with four categories: participant demographics, IPPE and APPE structure, monetary policies, and preceptor benefits was used. The survey was sent via e-mail, was completed by all AACP Experiential Education section members. Descriptive statistics were used to quantify responses to closed-ended questions, and qualitative analysis was completed with open-ended questions, identifying common themes. Results: The survey had a 67% response rate (95/141 programmes). Diverse programme implementation strategies among the academy were highlighted. Oftentimes, colleges of pharmacy offer four-year programmes, provide professional liability insurance for students, conduct IPPEs in a block format, utilise preceptor assessment in determining grades, and do not cover housing expenses. Conclusion: The study provided valuable insight into common practices that have not been easily accessible in the past and may help inform practices in experiential education units moving forward.

Community pharmacists’ scope of practice is expanding to include hormonal contraceptive prescribing. Prior to introducing statewide legislation, it is important to assess the perceptions of future pharmacists. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to 651 third- and fourth-year professional students enrolled at three colleges of pharmacy in Indiana. Data were collected between September and October 2019 to assess students’ attitudes about prescribing hormonal contraceptives, readiness to prescribe, perceived barriers, and desire for additional training. In total, 20.9% (n = 136) students responded. Most (89%, n = 121) believe that pharmacist-prescribed hormonal contraceptives would be beneficial to women in Indiana, and 91% (n = 124) reported interest in providing this service. Liability, personal beliefs, and religious beliefs were the most commonly cited perceived barriers. Most students felt they received adequate teaching on hormonal contraceptive methods (90%, n = 122) and hormonal contraceptive counseling (79%, n = 107); only 5% (n = 7) felt ready to provide the service at the time of survey completion. Student pharmacists in their final two years of pharmacy school are interested in prescribing hormonal contraceptives and believe that this service would be beneficial. This expansion of pharmacy practice would likely be supported by future pharmacists who feel the service could provide benefit to women seeking hormonal contraceptives in Indiana.

This study assessed pharmacists’ perceptions, barriers, and potential solutions for implementing a policy allowing pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives in Indiana. A mixed-method survey (n = 131, 22.3% response rate), using Likert-type scales, dichotomous responses (yes/no), and open-ended questions, was distributed to pharmacy preceptors in Indiana. Pharmacists felt prescribing contraceptives would be beneficial (79.1%) and were interested in providing this service (76.0%), but only 35.6% reported having the necessary resources. Participants with a PharmD were significantly more likely to feel the service would be beneficial (odds ratio [OR] = 10.360, 95% confidence interval [CI: 1.679, 63.939]) and be interested in prescribing contraceptives (OR = 9.069, 95% CI [1.456, 56.485]). Reimbursement (86.4%), training courses (84.7%), private counseling rooms (69.5%), and increasing technician responsibilities (52.5%) were identified as ways to ease implementation. Women had significantly greater odds of being more comfortable than men prescribing injections (OR = 2.237, 95% CI [1.086, 4.605]), and intravaginal rings (OR = 2.215, 95% CI [1.066, 4.604]), when controlling for age, degree, and setting. Qualitative findings reinforced quantitative findings.