Introduction and Evaluation of the Efficacy of Community-based On-site Learning of Pharmacist Services

Abstract

Hokkaido Pharmaceutical University School of Pharmacy provides students with on-site learning of pharmacist services (OSL, hereafter) in which they learn about the roles of local medical institutions, and collaboration between such institutions and pharmacists. Our aim is to train students to become highly qualified pharmacists as desired by the community.
We provided our 3^rd-year students with OSL at seven local medical institutions in Yubari City. A collaboration agreement was established between Yubari Medical Center, one of the institutions, and our College. The aims of the OSL were to teach students about the roles of pharmacists in the community and to give them a better understanding of the different types of pharmacist jobs. The students were surveyed by questionnaire before and after the OSL to examine changes in their understanding as well as the extent of their knowledge.
Almost all degrees of their understanding as well as recognition of the necessity for the content of the OSL were significantly improved after OSL as compared to before OSL. Although they had already understood the tasks of physicians, nurses and pharmacists very well, the OSL seems to have raised their awareness of pharmacists' services as a whole in the local community especially by offering OSL in local medical institutions, nursing homes for the elderly and welfare facilities. We think that educating pharmacy students about community-based team medical care can be helpful for training them to become pharmacists who are capable of providing appropriate services in collaboration with society.