Evaluation of pharmacy students' experience toward internship practices in community pharmacy: A cross-sectional study from Türkiye

Introduction: Community pharmacy settings are considered the front line to provide effective patient care and safe use of medicines. A pharmacy internship program imposes considerable responsibility on pharmacy students to prioritize their education and training to become patient-centered healthcare providers and to support their further professional development. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and the experience of undergraduate pharmacy students who had their training practices in community pharmacies and to identify the related barriers during the internship training program in Türkiye. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacy students who had received their training in community pharmacy settings in Istanbul, Türkiye. The study was conducted using validated online questionnaires consisting of five sections during the period from March to October 2024. Results: A total of 231 pharmacy students responded to the questionnaires with a mean age of 22 ± 2.66 years. The majority of the students reported that the community pharmacy offered a practical setting that facilitates students' communication with patients (82.7%, mean 4 ± 0.86, p < 0.0001), the community pharmacy had the necessary resources for drug information (92.2%, mean 4 ± 0.75, p < 0.0001), their internship experience had increased their involvement in the pharmacy profession (92.2%, mean 4 ± 0.71, p < 0.0001), and 87.4% (mean 4 ± 0.77, p < 0.0001) showed that the pharmacy internship program alleviates the stress of direct patient contact. However, most of the trainees reported that there were difficulties in finding a pharmacy for internship training (53.7%, mean 4 ± 1.4, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The current study revealed that the pharmacy students acquired experience and knowledge during their internship and were equipped with the skills they needed to practice their future pharmacy profession effectively and efficiently. The learning outcomes related to these skills should be addressed during pharmacy degree courses and to implement structured preparation programs before the start of the internship or systematic training for preceptors in community pharmacies that could develop their skills required for the internship process.