Curricular and financial implications of PharmD clerkship placements

The purpose of this study was to reassess curricular and financial aspects of PharmD clerkship programs. Questionnaires were mailed to clerkship coordinators at the 64 U.S. colleges of pharmacy offering PharmD degree programs during academic year 1994-95. The response rate was 91 percent. Increased numbers of schools reported difficulty in maintaining training sites, with required ambulatory care rotation sites the most difficult to find. The number of schools using student-based fees increased from 18 to 28. Ten schools reported using site-based fees compared to two schools in the 1992 survey. Results indicate that the increasing enrollments and the new program offerings are promoting competition for sites. Research is needed to determine the role of individual preceptors and sites in the acquisition and retention of training sites, the effects of inter-school competition, and creative structuring of clerkship rotations.