Perceptions of Pharmacy students about their competences for professional practice in community pharmacy

Abstract Pharmaceutical education should enable the development of competences for community pharmacy practice, which is an important field for the pharmacist workforce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the competences perceived by pharmacy interns from a Brazilian pharmacy school for community pharmacy practice. This study adopted a combined quantitative and qualitative approach. The study cohort included undergraduate students who undertook internships in community pharmacy in the final year of the pharmacy course. Students responded to an 11-item structured questionnaire according to a five-point Likert scale that included perceptions of their competences for community pharmacy practice. Among the 693 possible answers, 605 (87.3%) agreed that the course promoted the development of competences for professional practice in community pharmacy. Less than 70% of students perceived themselves as prepared to respond to symptoms and provide non-prescription medicines. Qualitative analysis of the comments revealed three themes: the need to improve patient information skills, improve practice as a member of a health care team, and improve dispensing according to legal requirements. These findings may support improvements in undergraduate pharmacy programs, such as the inclusion of experiential learning, active learning methods, interprofessional education, and development of clinical skills.

摘要 药学教育应当培养学生面向社区药房实践的核心能力，而社区药房实践是药师职业的重要从业领域。本研究旨在评估巴西某药学院药学实习生对社区药房实践所需能力的自我认知水平。本研究采用定量与定性相结合的研究方法，研究队列纳入了修读药学专业最后一年、并在社区药房完成实习的本科学生。学生们通过五点李克特（Likert）量表完成了一份包含11个题项的结构化问卷，问卷内容围绕其社区药房实践相关能力的自我认知展开。在总计693份有效作答中，共有605名学生（占比87.3%）认可其在校课程能够助力其掌握社区药房专业实践所需的能力。仅有不到70%的学生认为自己已具备应对常见症状与提供非处方药的能力。对学生的开放式评论进行质性分析后，提炼出三大核心议题：需加强患者信息沟通技能、提升作为医疗团队成员的实践能力、强化符合法律法规的药品调配操作能力。本研究结果可为药学本科培养方案的优化提供参考，例如增设体验式学习、主动学习法、跨专业教育模块，以及强化临床技能培养等。