# Examining Delineated Competencies within Blended Hospital/Health System Pharmacy and General Medicine Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences

## TL;DR

This study compares pharmacy student experiences in blended hospital and general medicine rotations to identify differences in competency development.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on how blended rotations affect the development of specific pharmacy competencies.

## Key findings

- 95–100% of students participated in sub-competency activities across all four competency areas.
- 73% of sub-competencies showed significant differences in development between rotation types.
- Results can guide pharmacy programs in designing blended inpatient experiential opportunities.

## Abstract

In the United States, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs are required to provide advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) in the core inpatient rotation areas of hospital/health system pharmacy and inpatient general medicine patient care. Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy (C/SOPs) nationwide are increasingly utilizing blended or longitudinal APPE models to offer experiential opportunities; however, there is a gap in the literature to support programs with delineating rotation-specific competencies when integrating two or more rotations together. Utilizing a survey instrument, PharmD students at two C/SOPs reported their onsite inpatient rotation sub-competency activities achieved within the four competency areas of Hospital/Health Pharmacy Systems, Medication Safety and Quality, Clinical Applications, and Professional Practice, which are listed in Appendix C of the 2016 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards Guidance Document. Unpaired two-sample t-tests were performed to compare proportions of sub-competency activity occurrence in the two rotation settings. In total, 168 students reported inpatient activities related to the four competency areas, with 95–100% reporting their involvement in one or more sub-competency opportunities within each area. Of the 26 sub-competencies compared, 73% significantly facilitated the development of competency to a greater extent for one APPE inpatient rotation type over the other (p < 0.05). The findings can be utilized by C/SOPs to support the delineation of rotation-specific competencies when blending inpatient experiential opportunities.