A Call to Action to Remove ACPE Limits on Non-Patient Care Elective Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Abstract

The terms practice ready and direct patient care are evolving as the pharmacy profession transforms into a wide-ranging field of highly trained individuals. In a crowded job market, students are seeking opportunities to utilize their training beyond traditional patient care roles. As pharmacy colleges and schools update curricula to reflect current practice and drive this transformation, they are faced with the challenge to accommodate student interest in these growing nontraditional areas with the limit of two non-patient-care elective advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). This Commentary aims to bring attention to the curricular confinement by accreditation standards on elective APPEs. The time is right as ACPE is gathering input for standards revision. This is a call to action to remove the restriction of non-patient-care elective APPEs, support nontraditional career interests, and enhance opportunities for advocacy, leadership development, and innovation without sacrificing developing proficient direct patient-care skills for all future pharmacy professionals.

Keywords: accreditation; advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE); elective; experiential education; non-patient care.

Figure 1.

Percent of Total Responses for Patient Care Versus Non-patient Care Primary Employment Categories from the AACP Graduating Student Survey 2017-2021.