(39) A qualitative exploration of student pharmacists' perspectives of ACPE Standard 4 key element skill acquisition

Objective : The objectives of this study were to explore student pharmacists’ perspectives on 1) ACPE-S4 key elements and 2) programs and activities for supporting skill development.

Methods: This study used focus groups with P1, P2, P3, and P4 students to collect qualitative data on perspectives regarding ACPE-S4 key element importance and skill acquisition. Content analysis was used to analyze data, with two study authors independently reviewing all transcripts and assigning open codes to text segments. Authors then met to discuss coding, iteratively organize coded segments into categories, and select representative quotes.

Results: Overall, five focus groups were conducted with a total of 12 students, with a range of two to four participants per focus group. Students ranked professionalism and self-awareness as the two most important key elements, viewing these skills as foundational to professional development. Students named a variety of activities and opportunities for ACPE-S4 development. Mentorship was broad and included both a formal mentoring program, peer mentoring, and mentoring outside the academic setting. Regarding the curriculum, practice lab and APPEs were particularly valuable, especially with non-graded activities and feedback. The co-curriculum was important for developing leadership experience, although there appeared to be high variation in S4 skill development experiences among students. Outside of the academic setting, students benefited from work experiences, including role-models and mentorship.

Conclusions: Participants articulated several opportunities for development of skills reflecting ACPE-S4 key elements. Incorporating student input into S4 skill develop may help pharmacy programs consider how to design, refine, and implement initiatives and experiences to help students develop skills across S4 focus areas.