Expanding the Horizon: Global Health Management for Pharmacy Students

The advancement of global engagement opportunities will promote pharmacy students’ cultural awareness and sensitivity, expose students to treatment of diseases not commonly seen in modern Western medicine, and cultivate future leadership for the growth of global pharmacy practice. At Purdue University College of Pharmacy (PUCOP), limited opportunities exist for student pharmacists. As a result, identifying the needs and expanding student pharmacist access to global engagement experiences are critical to meet the changing needs of the US population. A survey was developed and distributed to 460 students at PUCOP, and 148 of them participated. Of those students, 89.2% were interested in global health and/or international clinical rotations or an elective course coupled with an experience abroad. The majority of students were interested in going to London, UK (56.3%), whereas 24.4% were interested in traveling to Eldoret, Kenya, 13.1% to Colombia, and 6.9% to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The top three reasons for participation were “to explore differences in medical care outside of the US” (13.0%), “challenge myself” (12.5%), and “work in an interdisciplinary team including attending physicians, residents, and medical students” (11.5%). For students who were not interested, top reasons were “time away from family and friends” (40.0%), “scheduling conflicts” (20.0%), “safety” (20.0%), and “financial constraints” (20.0%). This article demonstrates PUCOP student pharmacists’ desire for participation in global engagement opportunities and describes the potential impact on various members of the community through innovative implementations