Pharmacy students' experiences in provision of community pharmacy mental health services.
BACKGROUND
Little information is available describing the pharmacy student's experience working in community practice with people with lived experience of mental illness. Students' perspectives as observers, learners, technical staff and future pharmacists are important.


OBJECTIVE
To gain a better understanding of the pharmacy student experience in community pharmacy-based service provision to people with lived experience of mental illness.


METHODS
We conducted a qualitative study using interpretive description and application of the Theoretical Domains Framework. Focus groups were held with third- and fourth-year undergraduate pharmacy students from one Canadian university.


RESULTS
Two student focus groups were held in the fall of 2012 with 11 students (7 third year and 4 fourth year), 6 women and 5 men, mean age 24.5 (range, 21 to 30) years, averaging 3.2 years (range, 2 weeks to 7 years) of cumulative, mostly part-time, community pharmacy experience. Three broad themes emerged from the pharmacy student experience: (1) business tension; (2) roles, responsibilities and relationships; and (3) stigma. Students discussed their own roles, responsibilities and relationships in a pluralistic identity experience (i.e., pharmacy student, technician, future pharmacist). Application of the Theoretical Domains Framework demonstrated numerous influences on behaviour.


CONCLUSIONS
From the students' description of community pharmacy-based care of people with lived experience of mental illness, significant issues exist with current practices and behaviours. Advancing the role of pharmacists and pharmacy students to meet the needs of people with mental illness will require strategies to address multifactorial influences on behaviour.
College of Pharmacy (Murphy, Gardner), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Andrea
A
Murphy
College of Pharmacy (Murphy, Gardner), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Magdalena
M
Szumilas
College of Pharmacy (Murphy, Gardner), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Denise
D
Rowe
College of Pharmacy (Murphy, Gardner), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Kathryn
K
Landry
College of Pharmacy (Murphy, Gardner), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Ruth
R
Martin-Misener
College of Pharmacy (Murphy, Gardner), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Stan
S
Kutcher
College of Pharmacy (Murphy, Gardner), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
David
D
Gardner