Changes in pharmacy students' perceptions of underserved populations after a six-week clinical rotation in a federally qualified health center clinic.

Background And Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to assess changes in pharmacy students' attitudes and perceptions toward providing care to underserved populations after a six-week clinical experience within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) clinic.

Educational Activity And Setting: A pre-post survey design was utilized to evaluate third- and fourth-year pharmacy students' attitudes and perceptions before and after a six-week clinical rotation providing direct patient care to underserved patients in FQHC clinics. Results were collected via self-administered online surveys that collected information on participants' (1) demographics, (2) past experiences interacting with underserved populations, (3) type of clinical activities completed during the rotation, and (4) personal opinions and perceptions of providing care to underserved populations.

Findings: Responses to seven of the 18 attitudinal questions showed a statistically significant positive change from baseline, with three questions being related to educational satisfaction. Changes in attitudes for questions related to domains of personal impact and perceptions/barriers were also significant.

Discussion/summary: Clinical rotations within an FQHC clinic can positively impact pharmacy students' attitudes towards underserved populations. If more students are exposed to direct patient care with underserved populations throughout their experiential training, the number of graduating student pharmacists that explore job opportunities within underserved areas may increase. Clinical rotations within an FQHC clinic can positively impact pharmacy students' attitudes towards underserved populations. If more students are exposed to direct patient care with underserved populations throughout their experiential training, the number of graduating student pharmacists that explore job opportunities within underserved areas may increase.