Influencing the future of rural-focused pharmacy education: Identifying factors pertinent to pharmacy practice in rural health environments

Introduction To identify themes regarding the skills used on a regular basis by pharmacists practicing in rural areas. Methods A cross-sectional qualitative survey was administered to pharmacists working in a non-clinical capacity in rural community and hospital practice. Pharmacists were identified in conjunction with departments of experiential education, boards of pharmacy, and other rural health experts. Contacts were interviewed using a semi-structured approach with thematic saturation determining the number of interviews. Themes were identified by reviewing interview notes and transcripts for repeated phrases, concepts, and ideas then compared with the literature. Results Fifteen pharmacists practicing in rural areas were interviewed. Themes related to practice environment, patient population, skills used by rural pharmacists, preparation of students, and continuing education needs were identified. Many of the identified themes are corroborated by published literature. One pharmacy-specific theme not corroborated was “pharmacy specialization is not helpful”. Discussion and conclusions The results of this study coupled with data from rural medical education may be useful for educators developing rural-focused coursework via reverse design.