(325) Retrospective Analysis of APPE Failures Since 2020

Objective : To describe the reasons students failed an APPE over a four-year period.

Methods: Three colleges of pharmacy identified reasons students failed a rotation within these categories: knowledge, communication, and professionalism. The data from the three colleges were then collated for a larger sample size to identify cross-sectional trends.

Results: A total of 1,081 students were included in our study throughout the 4 academic years, including 38 failed APPEs. Knowledge was one of the reasons for failing in 69.6% of failures over the whole period, professionalism was identified in 49.7%, and communication in 40% of failures. In three of the years, knowledge was the most identified category. In 2022-2023, however, more students failed professionalism (n=7) and communication (n=6) than knowledge (n=3). Additionally, students often failed an APPE rotation for more than one reason with 38.5%, 77.8%, 45.5%, and 80% failing at least 2 categories each academic year since 2020-2021.

Conclusions: Understanding the reasons for APPE failures can assist colleges of pharmacy when determining: APPE orientation content, pre-APPE readiness criteria for the institution, additional curricular and co-curricular considerations, and preceptor development. Knowledge is essential, but knowledge alone is not enough to pass a rotation. Development of professional identity and meeting professionalism expectations may help students to understand the impact of their attitudes and behaviors on their success.