The Redesign of a Community Pharmacy Internship Program.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacy internships provide students with practical experiences that lead to enhancement of clinical skills and personal growth. OBJECTIVE: To describe the design and implementation of a structured 10-week summer pharmacy internship program in a supermarket chain pharmacy. METHODS: The pharmacy leadership team developed and piloted a new format of the pharmacy internship during the summer of 2013. Pharmacy students in professional year 1 (P1), 2 (P2), and 4 (P4) were invited to apply for a paid internship. Pharmacy students were recruited from all colleges of pharmacy in the state of Michigan. The goal of the new program was to create a focused learning opportunity that encouraged students to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities about patient care, pharmacy management, and working within a team. RESULTS: A total of 19 interns were recruited (P1 = 7, P2 = 7, and P4 = 5). Students practiced 40 hours per week and participated in the medication dispensing process and employee biometrics screening program. Interns provided approximately 500 assessments on pharmacy employees and all P1 and P2 interns completed a patient care project. CONCLUSIONS: The restructured internship program provided pharmacy students with a 10-week program that exposed them to many aspects of community pharmacy practice. The program needs future refinement and assessment measures to verify interns improve skills throughout the program.

The development of a patient care center in a supermarket chain pharmacy.

PURPOSE: The objective of this manuscript is to describe the development and implementation of a patient care center in a grocery store supermarket chain pharmacy. METHODS: A clinical pharmacist and shared faculty member between Wayne State University and Kroger Pharmacy developed a patient care center and rotation site for P4 PharmD advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). The site was developed to provide advanced pharmacy services to patients and as a practice site for students to learn how to deliver care. Preliminary outcomes observed include the number and types of patients that utilized the patient care center and the educational experiences provided for student pharmacists practicing in this setting. RESULTS: Since implementation, 160 patients visited the patient care center. The pharmacists involved in the clinic performed 30 biometric screenings and 47 comprehensive medication reviews. CONCLUSIONS: Establishing a patient care center in a supermarket pharmacy provides important care for patients and valuable learning experiences for student pharmacists. The collaborative efforts of both Wayne State University and Kroger Pharmacy demonstrate commitment to providing clinical care to patients and strong clinical community practice experiences for students. Future goals include creating more clinical services in the community and practice experiences for students.