Exploring pharmacy students' internship experiences during a five-year pharmacy programme: A qualitative study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2026.261.281290Keywords:
Internship, Pharmacist, Pharmacy education, Qualitative study, Student pharmacistAbstract
Background: Although a comprehensive study on whether the internship practices of pharmacy faculties in Türkiye comply with the standards, no qualitative study has been found on the internship experiences of pharmacy students. This study aimed to obtain information on pharmacy students’ internship experiences to improve the quality of undergraduate education and internships.
Methods: This qualitative study employed an inductive thematic analysis approach. The inclusion criteria for this study, conducted using purposive sampling, included senior pharmacy students who had completed all four semesters of their internships. The participants were 18 senior pharmacy students, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted between May and July 2024.
Results: Based on the data analysis, three themes emerged: contributions of internships, factors affecting the internship experience, and recommendations.
Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of internship experiences in shaping pharmacy students’ career development and learning processes. The findings suggest that improving internship structure, enhancing pharmacist engagement, and considering students’ perspectives may strengthen pharmacy education.
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