An Academic and Health System Partnership to Prepare Practice‐Ready Pharmacy Students for Ambulatory Care Experiences

ABSTRACT Background The growth in ambulatory care positions for pharmacists demonstrates a need to recruit and train highly qualified pharmacists into the specialty. This paper describes how student skills related to patient care and practice advancement in ambulatory care pharmacy were enhanced through a partnership between one school of pharmacy (SOP) and a regional health system. Methods A concentration with didactic and experiential components created foundational learning opportunities for students interested in ambulatory care earlier in their curriculum, including a new course focused on ambulatory care pharmacy service development using real‐world cases. Student perceptions were assessed using survey data and post‐graduate outcomes are described. Results One hundred students from the classes of 2020 through 2025 have completed the concentration. Most students (95%) perceived better preparedness for ambulatory care rotations and agreed that the Ambulatory Care concentration made them more interested in pursuing a career in the field (88.2%) or a residency (82.4%). The health system perspective was assessed based on informal feedback from leadership and review of student projects. The health system described benefits in validating and informing service development. Longer term benefits are also discussed. Conclusion This unique partnership between an SOP and a regional health system creates opportunities that offer mutual benefits to the school, students, and the health system. The results of this evaluation indicate that students and health systems find immediate value from the collaboration and suggest possible longer‐term benefits regarding practice advancement and the development of future practice specialists.