A Comparison of Healthcare and Non-Healthcare Service-Learning Environments on Interprofessional Learning in First-Year Pharmacy Students’ Experiential Curriculum

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify and compare interprofessional skills among first year pharmacy students who participated in healthcare and non-healthcare setting service-learning experiences. This was a survey-based pre/post comparison of interprofessional attitudes among student pharmacists during a first professional year service-learning course comparing two cohorts at healthcare-related sites versus non-healthcare sites. The Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (IPAS) was administered to students in fall 2021 and spring 2022. Healthcare and non-healthcare sites were compared using unpaired t-testing comparing the mean sums of Likert scores. This longitudinal cohort survey encompassed a total of 110 of 117 eligible first-year pharmacy students completed the pre-survey, (96% response rate), and 78 of 112 eligible students completed the post-survey (71% response rate). From pre to post survey, there was a positive increase of the mean Likert scores in all five IPAS subsections. There was no significant difference of mean Likert scores displayed between the sample of healthcare and non-healthcare students from the pre-survey to the post-survey in each of the five IPAS subsections. There was no difference in pre/post mean Likert scores of the five subsections of the IPAS in first-year pharmacy students, regardless of placement at healthcare or non-healthcare related sites.