Primary Care Pharmacy Competencies of Graduates from a Community-Focused Curriculum: Self- and Co-Worker Assessments

Primary Care Pharmacy (PCP) plays a vital role in healthcare systems. This study evaluated the competencies of pharmacy graduates from a community-focused curriculum, emphasizing their skills and personal traits. A structured questionnaire assessed four domains: general characteristics (11 items), PCP skills (16 items: 13 home visit and 3 community engagement skills), PCP personal traits (7 items), and readiness for PCP practice. Two sets of questionnaires were distributed in 2018 to recent pharmacy graduates: one for self-assessment and the other for evaluation by supervisors or co-workers. A 5-point scale (1 = least competent, 5 = most competent) was used. Co-workers gave higher scores than the graduates themselves. In home visit skills, “providing medicine advice” scored highest (4.4 ± 0.6 by graduates; 4.5 ± 0.2 by co-workers), while “performing essential physical exams” scored the lowest (3.5 ± 0.7). For co-workers, the lowest score was “working with a multidisciplinary team” (3.9 ± 0.9). Among community engagement skills, “solving health-related problems” rated highest (3.4 ± 0.7), and “identifying community health needs” rated lowest (3.2 ± 0.7). “Being friendly” and “responsibility” were top-rated personal traits by graduates and co-workers, respectively. The lowest was “coordinating with local organizations.” Graduates showed strong PCP traits and home visit skills but moderate community engagement. Community-based exposure is recommended to enhance these competencies.