The community pharmacy internship programme, which is integrated in the fourth academic year, aims to expose students to health services and the delivery thereof at the community level. Observations of the functioning of a community pharmacy and the interaction of interns with health service users help the students to develop a deeper knowledge of the health services and medicines provided by community pharmacies [3]. It also allows the students to learn about the functioning of community pharmacies and the nature of interactions between health service users and community pharmacists [3].

The students (both students together) were posted in the pharmacy from 8 AM to 6 PM with two 30-minute refreshment breaks. The students were posted in the pharmacy outlet unit, pharmacy store unit, and pharmacy office where the documentation and pharmacy services were provided. Each day’s session begun with a briefing on the learning objective, following which students were allowed to go to their respective unit and carry out their assigned activities. At the end of each day, a discussion and question-and-answer session were carried out. The internship programme included an orientation session, an observation and hands-on training session, a case presentation session, a discussion session, a presentation by students, and an active discussion session with 2 senior pharmacists. At the end of the entire session, a roundtable discussion and feedback session were carried out. After completing the internship, students prepared and submitted a report to the Pokhara University and Sankalpa Pharmacy.

In this community pharmacy internship, the students received an opportunity to learn about various pharmacy services and to be trained in various community pharmacy-related skills. They received hands-on training on blood pressure and blood glucose measurements, body weight measurements, and measuring the respiratory rate and body temperature. They were also trained on the use of devices such as nebulizers, pressurized meter-dose inhalers, dry-powder inhalers, and other medication aid devices. Furthermore, they also observed the logistics and management process of medicines, pharmacist-managed medication management programmes, and drug information including adverse drug reaction provisions and operations. However, the students had to complete the entire internship module in 2 weeks, and the time limit may have affected their learning. Given the number of different topics and the range of clinical skills, observational sessions, hands-on training, and feedback/discussion sessions covered in this internship, students would benefit from a longer duration of the internship (3 to 4 weeks).

“Posting at Sankalpa Pharmacy as a community pharmacy practice trainee was truly a learning experience, where I acquired different skills related to pharmacy practice. It has provided me with both insights and practical skills related to running a community pharmacy. The exposure to different activities within a community pharmacy has improved my performance as a community pharmacist as well as health care provider.” Intern #ab2.

The community pharmacy internship format is much more rigorous and covers a longer period in countries that have a well-established pharmacy practice, especially in the developed Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development countries [6]. However, the overall pharmacy sector is still in its evolving phase in Nepal and much of South Asia, meaning that the community pharmacy sector is not well established. Most pharmacies are run as a drug shop or a retail shop, most often by a person with only basic training in drug dispensing [7,8]. This has negatively affected the outlook of the pharmacy profession. Community pharmacies are seen as sales-oriented drug sellers, not as pharmacy service providers. Thus, the community pharmacy sector currently faces multifactorial problems in the South Asian context.

The socioeconomic and sociopolitical circumstances of South Asian countries have affected the development and delivery of healthcare services. For example, appropriate legislative reforms and regulatory institutions to ensure quality pharmacy services are lacking in Pakistan, which affects the functioning of community pharmacies in the country [9]. Likewise, the quality of medicine use in Bangladesh has been negatively affected by private drug shops, as many of them are unregulated and managed by non-pharmacists (persons who learn to dispense through an apprenticeship), and the regulatory processes governing them are complicated [10]. The overall healthcare spending by government is inadequate in countries such as India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Furthermore, the regulatory environment is diluted by both the lack of resources and governance problems in much of South Asia. Most community pharmacies do not follow good pharmacy practice guidelines and are sales- and product-oriented, instead of focusing on pharmacy services [8,11]. Pharmacists and pharmacy assistants are often unable to enter the community pharmacy sector due to a lack of jobs in the field and the inability of a new community pharmacy to penetrate the existing market.

On the academic front, the curriculum of pharmacy schools that train pharmacists and pharmacy assistants do not cover the theory and practice of community pharmacy well. For example, in much of South Asia, pharmacy students at both the undergraduate and diploma level do not undergo enough practical training on managing symptoms in pharmacy, extemporaneous preparation, and simulated patient counselling sessions, and the educational programme lacks a format that guides students’ learning during community pharmacy internships [3,11].

Finally, the healthcare system is still in its evolving phase in South Asia in comparison to developed Western countries in terms of healthcare financing, health policy, management, and delivery. Likewise, the social perception and recognition of pharmacists is very low, especially in the community pharmacy sector, due to the business- and sales-oriented outlook of the sector [12]. Thus, pharmacists and pharmacy assistants are very reluctant to join the community pharmacy sector, as they do not see a viable future in the area.

To improve the standard of practice of community pharmacy in South Asia, the pharmacy sector must work through the existing healthcare system and gradually improve existing retail pharmacies. Pharmacy stakeholders, such as pharmacy councils, pharmacy schools, and pharmacy professional associations, should join hands with government and retailers’ associations and develop a mechanism through which pharmacy students can complete community pharmacy internships in retail pharmacies. This will create an environment that facilitates mutual appreciation, in which students can learn about the existing circumstances of retail pharmacy and try to practice their community pharmacy knowledge and skills. Thus, pharmacy schools should develop a simple format that provides learning goals and activities that students can do during the internship. We believe that the proposed experimental community pharmacy internship module may be used as a basis for the development of training modules in South Asian countries and other countries that do not have well-defined modules.

Only 2 pharmacy students were involved in the community pharmacy internship. The small number of internship students is a limitation of this study, as it affected the feedback and reflections provided by the participants.