Perception of Libyan Pharmacy Students toward their Community Pharmacy Training Experiences

Background. Because pharmacists are on the front lines of patient care, it is critical to prioritize education and training for pharmacy students to develop 'patient-centered' clinicians. Regrettably, pharmacy education in Libya has fallen behind the actual practices provided by pharmacists. This study was carried out to assess undergraduate pharmacy students' perceptions of their current pharmacy training practices and experiences. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacy students studying at the University of Tripoli Alahlia from October to December 2024. During the study period, a questionnaire was distributed to the pharmacy students to collect information regarding the pharmaceutical care services provided by them during their experiential training, their perceptions of training sites and their training outcome experience. Results. A total of 70 pharmacy students responded to the questionnaire. The majority of them reported counseling patients on OTC, counseling on prescription medications, and training in calculating the required drug dose (91.4%, 84.3%, and 82.9%, respectively). Most of the students (78.6%) assessed patient compliance with their treatment, and 74.3% identified patient-specific factors that affect health pharmacotherapy and/or disease state management. In addition, the students provided positive feedback regarding the results of their training experience, indicating that it improved their social skills (median = 5, IQR = 1), enhanced their academic and thinking skills, and improved their participation in the pharmacy profession (median = 4, IQR = 1). Conclusion. Although the students had done well with some training competencies during their training, they were not given adequate opportunities to meet other competencies, such as responding to drug information inquiries and performing physical assessments for patients when needed. Training programs should strive to strike a balance between promoting student satisfaction and achieving rigorous educational outcomes.