2022 Volume 48 Issue 11 Pages 507-515
In accordance with the revision of the model core curriculum for pharmacy education, clinical clerkship was modified to emphasize practical experience as well as the introduction of patient care from the early stages of clinical clerkship and new evaluation criteria. This may be perceived as an increased burden on pharmacists. In this study, we used a 43-item questionnaire based on a visual analog scale to investigate pharmacy pharmacistsʼ attitudes toward clinical clerkship. We obtained 105 valid respondents from pharmacists who had experience in accepting trainees for clinical clerkships at pharmacies and used factor and multiple regression analyses to evaluate their responses. The descriptive statistics revealed that the respondents were positive about accepting trainees and felt a sense of accomplishment; however, they were anxious about dealing with trainees. Using factor analysis, four factors, including “recognition of instruction contents,” “benefits of accepting trainees,” “relationship with trainees,” and “functions of universities,” were extracted from 31 items. Multiple regression analysis, with “willingness to accept trainees” as a target variable, revealed that the positive perceptions of “recognition of instruction contents,” “benefits of accepting trainees,” and “functions of universities” increased that willingness. These results indicate that countermeasures are required to improve the understanding of the revised model core curriculum and to promote information sharing about trainees between faculty and pharmacy pharmacists.
