A community-based partnership collaborative practice agreement project to teach innovation in care delivery

Background and purpose To explore students' perceptions (self-assessment) of their preparedness to develop collaborative practice agreements (CPAs) before and after delivery of one CPA-focused classroom lectures and 2) a CPA development student project in partnership with a local community-based pharmacy. Educational activity and setting A CPA-focused didactic lecture and subsequent project were given to second-year (P2) pharmacy students enrolled in a community pharmacy elective course at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. Pre- and post-surveys were administered using an online survey platform to assess student perceptions. Responses for each survey question were summarized using frequencies, and chi-square analysis was conducted to assess the association between pre- and post-scores on each question. Findings Students were significantly more likely to rate themselves as prepared or completely prepared to develop a CPA in a community pharmacy setting (χ²=61.21, p<0.01) after the course and project. Students also noted that they felt they were prepared or very prepared to work within a team to develop and implement a CPA in a community pharmacy setting (χ²=37.60, p<0.01). Summary This study demonstrated that a didactic classroom lecture series followed by a student project partnered with a local community pharmacy improved perceived knowledge, preparedness, and ability to implement CPAs in a community pharmacy. Through intentional exposure of students to scope-of-practice expanding opportunities like CPAs, pharmacy educators can potentially accelerate the evolution of community pharmacy practice.