Preparing Future Pharmacists for an AI-Enhanced Health Care Environment: Educational Strategies and Implementation Challenges

Abstract

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has fundamentally transformed health care delivery, creating an urgent need to integrate AI education into pharmacy curricula, yet significant implementation challenges persist despite professional organizations establishing frameworks for AI education in health professions. This paper examines the current landscape of AI integration in pharmacy education through a literature review of recent surveys and an analysis of implementation challenges at a single college of pharmacy. Survey data reveal significant knowledge gaps, with approximately half of pharmacy faculty reporting limited AI familiarity and students expressing inadequate preparation for AI use in practice. Key implementation barriers may include a lack of institutional policies, curriculum overload, faculty development needs, varying student AI literacy levels, and challenges keeping pace with rapid technological advancement. Successful AI integration requires establishing a dedicated team with multidisciplinary representation, developing clear AI competencies and student learning outcomes, implementing active learning opportunities with hands-on AI experiences, and maintaining ongoing faculty development and curriculum review processes.