Abstract
We previously reported the results of a questionnaire survey indicating that it would be feasible for training pharmacy students from general hospitals to take part in group practical training conducted in the pharmacy departments of psychotherapeutic hospitals. In the present study, we conducted a group hospital internship for pharmacy students from five psychotherapeutic hospitals and one general hospital. Having the practical training at psychotherapeutic hospitals significantly increased the students' knowledge of psychotherapeutic drugs and enabled any prejudice concerning psychiatric therapy to be quickly dispelled. However, since there were certain aspects of general pharmaceutical training that could not be covered by the psychotherapeutic hospitals, their pharmacists requested the pharmacists at the general hospital to conduct training in such aspects at a later date. Upon evaluating their pharmacy students, the pharmacists at the general hospital concluded that the group hospital internship had not reduced the knowledge or practical skills gained by the students. We would next like to develop a method for quantitatively evaluating such group internships.
