A didactic community pharmacy course to improve pharmacy students’ clinical skills and business management knowledge

Abstract

Objective. To create, implement and evaluate a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) course on clinical services in community pharmacy settings. Methods. A 2-credit hour elective course was offered to second- and third-year pharmacy (P2 and P3) students. The course was developed using integrated course design principles. Community pharmacists were featured prominently in the course. Student performance on quizzes was evaluated and compared between groups (2014 and 2015 cohort). A survey with a pretest posttest design was used to assess students’ self-rated knowledge and self-efficacy. Results. Twenty students enrolled in the elective course and 18 students completed the pre/post survey. There was no difference in performance scores on each of the three quizzes between students in the 2014 and 2015 courses. There was a significant increase seen for knowledge of the majority of course competencies. Students indicated improvement in their confidence to perform a variety of clinical services after course completion. Conclusion. Participation in this elective course allowed students to improve their knowledge of community pharmacy practice competencies and increased their ability to deliver clinical services in community pharmacy settings.