(1064) Exposure of Pharmacy Students to Medically Underserved or Low Socioeconomic Status in Critical Care

Introduction: Health disparities are prevalent in the critical care environment. Accreditation Council for Pharmaceutical Education Standards for Doctor of Pharmacy programs require schools to expose students to diverse patient populations. One strategy to provide diverse experiences and better prepare students to embrace health equity is to ensure broad exposure to hospitals that care for patients from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those from medically underserved areas (MUAs) during Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs).

Methods: The authors used geospatial analysis and indicators of hospitals that care for patients from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those from MUA to describe critical care/emergency medicine APPEs and sites utilized at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy during the academic years 2021-2023. They determined the proportion of sites that were in Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-designated MUAs. They also identified the proportion of sites and experiences at institutions that were 340B or Safety Net hospitals.

Results: During the 2-year study period, 66 unique sites hosted 263 critical care/emergency medicine APPEs. When evaluated by APPE site, 59% (n=39) were in an HRSA-designated MUA, 56% (n=37) were designated 340B institutions, and 30% (n=20) were Safety Net hospitals. When evaluated by APPE rotations, 63% (n=167) were completed in an HRSA-designated MUA, and 65% (n=171) were conducted at a 340B-designated institution, and 41% (n=108) were conducted at a Safety Net institution. During the study period, 91% (n=239) of students had a critical care/emergency medicine APPE in an institution that was HRSA-designated MUA, 340B or Safety Net institution. Of these rotations, 53% (n=127) were adult critical care, 29% (n=68) were adult emergency medicine, and 18% (n=44) were pediatric critical care or emergency medicine rotations. This accounted for a total of 57,600 student hours in these institutions.

Conclusions: The findings identified a substantial portion of critical care and emergency medicine APPE sites and rotations during 2021-2023 were in MUAs or 340B or Safety Net institutions with considerable student exposure time. Future research is needed to examine student experiences at APPE sites in MUA, and 340B or Safety Net institutions.