An Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience in Community Engagement

Objective. To implement a 5-week advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) in community engagement and assess the impact of the APPE on students' confidence and ability to provide community-based services. Design. Working with community partners, students provided medication reconciliation, attended interprofessional healthcare meetings, developed health-promotion activities, and conducted medication-therapy reviews. Assessment. Responses to pre- and post-APPE 10-item surveys, preceptor and practice-experience evaluations, and the documented number of pharmacy student recommendations were determined. Conclusion. This APPE provides students opportunities in nontraditional community settings to increase their confidence and enhance their skills in health-promotion activities, medication-therapy management, and interprofessional care of patients, all of which are essential to the practice of pharmacy.