American Pharmacists Month: Evolution of Experiential Learning for Pharmacy Students

According to Brad Phillips, PharmD, BCACP, clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, pharmacy students receive the core functions of their pharmacy school curriculum through real-world, experiential learning.

From introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) to advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) later in their academic journeys, students are often equipped with a significant amount of real-world training in the pharmacy before they even graduate pharmacy school. With the help of more diverse rotations and increased use of technology, pharmacy students are even better positioned to receive the proper pharmacy experience compared with past pharmacist prospects.

“As their pharmacy preceptors’ role evolves, the student role evolves right there with it. There's also a growing emphasis on telehealth, transitions of care, population health initiatives,” Phillips told Drug Topics. “All these things that are rapidly growing, our students are getting exposed to. So looking forward, experiential learning is likely to expand into more digital health platforms, rural health outreach, interdisciplinary care teams, and this shift towards technology-driven health care delivery.”

In part 1 of our interview with Phillips, who joined Drug Topics to celebrate American Pharmacists Month, he tapped into his experiences with the next generation of pharmacists through his role as a professor of pharmacy at the University of Florida. He dove specifically into the evolving pharmacy school curriculum and how today’s student experiences are covering so many different aspects of pharmacy roles and the industry itself.

“We have more students that are asking for more of those direct shadowing experiences during school or applying for a little bit more of those non-traditional rotations, such as within industry programs,” continued Phillips. “We have an industry organization, we have an independent pharmacy organization, we have those student-driven leaders that are also helping out, not only themselves, to get a better idea of what they want to do, but also that next class of pharmacists.”

READ MORE: American Pharmacists Month: Technology Helps Pharmacists Expand Into More Clinical Roles

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