Shared learning experiences: Pilot study of an online exchange project between pharmacy students in South Africa and the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Internationalisation enhances students' understanding of social, cultural, and ethical differences, preparing them to be global-minded, socially accountable healthcare practitioners. Traditionally, internationalisation of education involves international student travel. Online tools provide opportunities for international, peer-driven learning and collaboration without costly travel. This research described the experiences of pharmacy students from South Africa (SA) and the United States (US) that participated in a virtual peer exchange project during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The virtual peer exchange project allowed students in SA and the US to establish connections within the global pharmacy community and compare healthcare, pharmacy education, and pharmacy practice between the countries. Students engaged in facilitated dialogue through video recordings, video conferencing, and a group discussion board. Student introduction video comments and discussion board posts were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Twenty-one students participated in the pilot project that met some of the intentions and goals of internationalisation via a virtual platform. Two over-arching themes of Practice of Pharmacy and Pharmacy Education emerged from both the introduction video and discussion board comments. Students described lessons learned about similarities and differences in socioeconomic determinants of health as well as structure, functioning, and financing of the different healthcare systems. CONCLUSIONS: This project was a unique way to conduct exchange programmes via a virtual platform, and bypassed challenges of traditional exchange programmes. Through technology, more students in diverse geographic locations can be exposed to various perspectives and healthcare experiences with international students.

Impact of an International Service Trip on Pharmacy and Medical Learners' Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an interprofessional medical service trip to rural Honduras on pharmacy and medical learners' attitudes toward interprofessional learning.Methods. In this mixed-methods research, 19 participating students and residents from medicine and pharmacy completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) before and after the service trip in fall 2017 and spring 2018. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants following each trip to better understand which aspects of the experience shaped their interprofessional learning.Results. Following the service trip, a significant improvement was found for the Teamwork & Collaboration subscale and the Negative Professional Identity subscale of the RIPLS. Several themes emerged from interviews, including that face-to-face interaction promotes collaboration; limited resources encourage team-based problem-solving; time together outside of work strengthens interprofessional connections; participating in another profession's patient care activities fosters appreciation of individual roles; interprofessional care takes time; and participants felt a greater desire to pursue interprofessional practice in the future.Conclusion. Interprofessional learning during a medical service trip improved participants' attitudes toward collaboration. This study highlights which aspects of this experience contributed most to interprofessional learning, and our results may guide future efforts to design effective interprofessional education experiences.