| Service Learning is an instructional approach that a number of pharmacy programs are incorporating within their curriculum. This case study explored what happens as first year pharmacy students engage in working with non-pharmacy professionals as their preceptor and relating to patients in various healthcare environments. In this study, a Student Assessment of Learning and Decision-making (SALAD) focus group process was used to gather data from pharmacy students enrolled in the introduction experiential education course. The participants are intentionally selected because the assumption that they would provide the best information for learning about the phenomenon. In addition, the researcher conducted a document review of online discussion board entries and journal entries. The participants involved in the SALAD focus groups reported that the service learning experiences provided them with new skills, attitudes and abilities. The data from the online discussion board entries and journal entries revealed similar learning outcomes derived from the SALAD focus groups. However, the data from the content analysis provided more in-depth information on how they will apply what they learned from their service learning experiences in their future role as a pharmacist. This study concludes with recommendations for improving the quality of the service learning course related to the critical reflection processes. Recommendations for additional research is to add a quantitative component for a mixed method approach that would generate valuable information that would confirm findings from this study and or offer new insights. |
