Patient care services provided at primary community pharmacy residency sites

Objective: To describe the types of services provided at primary community pharmacy residency program (CPRP) sites and the levels of intensity devoted to different levels of patient care. Design: Descriptive nonexperimental study. Setting: United States during May and June 2012. Participants: 120 key informants from CPRPs. Intervention: Key informants from CPRPs were surveyed. Main outcome measures: Proportion of residency sites providing selected patient care services, proportion of each service provided by residents, estimates for the number of repetitions needed for a typical resident to become proficient in each service, and services provided at other practice sites. Results: Of the 120 respondents, 70 identified themselves as preceptors/ directors, 45 identified themselves as residents, and 5 did not identify their position. Variation was achieved for representation from different practice settings and geographic locations. The findings revealed variability in the types of services provided at CPRP practice sites and the experiences offered for residents. Collaboration with other practice sites, in order to enhance residents' training and experiences, also appeared to be occurring. Conclusion: The results showed that the types and intensity of services provided at CPRP sites gave residents opportunities for advancing patient care services training, directing patient contact, and creating opportunities to be engaged in practice innovation.