(324) Prevalence of 2023-2024 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences in Medically Underserved and High Social Vulnerability Areas

Objective : The purpose of this study was to determine student exposure to patients from medically underserved areas (MUAs) during their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) to determine diversity of experiences and enhance student readiness for promoting health equity.

Methods: Geospatial analysis was employed to characterize the APPE sites utilized in the academic year 2023-2024. The count of sites located within Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-designated Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) or situated in census tracts with moderate to high or high social vulnerability using the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) was determined. The percentage of student experiences completed at these sites was calculated.

Results: In the 2023-2024 academic year, 209 students completed 1,092 APPE’s across 221 unique rotation sites during the initial 6 of 8 APPE’s. When examining individual APPE sites, 53% (n=117) were located in HRSA-designated MUAs, while 95% (n=210) were situated in census tracts with moderate to high or high social vulnerability. Evaluating the APPE's, 49% (n=536) were in HRSA-designated MUAs, and 98% (n=1075) were in areas with moderate to high or high social vulnerability. Every student participated in at least one APPE within either an HRSA-designated MUA or an area with moderate to high or high social vulnerability, with at least 262,080 student hours dedicated to serving patients in these communities.

Conclusions: Nearly all APPE sites were in a MUA and/or area with moderate to high or high social vulnerability with every student completing at least one APPE within one of these areas. An important area of future study is investigation of longitudinal experience patterns and evaluation of comprehensive student experiences at these sites.