An exploration into student pharmacists' experiences of practice-based interprofessional education during experiential learning placements.

Depasquale, Clare; Arnold, Amy; Cunningham, Scott; Kerr, Aisling; Jacob, Sabrina Anne; Boyter, Anne; Boyd, Matthew; Power, Ailsa; Addison, Brian

Abstract

This study aimed to explore student pharmacists' experiences of interprofessional education (IPE) during experiential learning (EL) placements. A paper questionnaire was used to collect data; distributed to all penultimate/final year student pharmacists enrolled on the Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) programs at Robert Gordon University (RGU) or the University of Strathclyde (UoS) (n=485). Data collection took place between January-March 2023, shortly after student pharmacists attended EL placements in various practice settings. Participation in the research was voluntary; questionnaires were completed anonymously. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from responses to open-ended questions; aligning to the research aim. Ethical approval was granted by the RGU School Ethics Research Committee. The questionnaire was completed by 328 (67.6%) student pharmacists. Themes identified included (1) Nature of IPE experiences: mostly unplanned/informally planned, with few examples of formally planned IPE; opportunities varied across areas of practice; professional groups varied with medicine and nursing most represented.(2) Factors influencing interprofessional learning: related to EL facilitator (preceptor), student pharmacist, placement and cultural factors. Facilitators included prioritization of IPE/positive role modeling by mentors; barriers included student pharmacists' perceived lack of preparedness for IPE, lack of specific IPE learning outcomes and sector specific limitations. (3) Student pharmacists' perceived value of IPE: experiences supported the development of collaborative competencies, personal, professional and interprofessional identity development. More focus on the relevance of IPE in the EL curriculum and wider MPharm curriculum could maximize learning from opportunistic IPE. The lack of formally planned IPE opportunities demands further attention.

Citation

DEPASQUALE, C., ARNOLD, A., CUNNINGHAM, S., KERR, A., JACOB, S.A., BOYTER, A., BOYD, M., POWER, A. and ADDISON, B. [2025]. An exploration into student pharmacists' experiences of practice-based interprofessional education during experiential learning placements. American journal of pharmaceutical education [online], Articles in Press. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpe.2025.101418

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 7, 2025
• Online Publication Date: May 13, 2025
• Deposit Date: May 12, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: May 14, 2025
• Journal: American journal of pharmaceutical education
• Print ISSN: 0002-9459
• Electronic ISSN: 1553-6467
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Article Number: 101418
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpe.2025.101418
• Keywords: Interprofessional education; Interprofessional learning; Pharmacy education; Experiential learning
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2836027