Pharmacy Students’ Views on the Inclusion of Immunisation Training in the Pharmacy Curriculum

Introduction: Immunisation services are usually provided by healthcare workers who receive training in the field of immunisation. In Malaysia, limited exposure of pharmacy students in receiving immunisation training is partly due to lack involvement of pharmacists in immunisation programme. This study aimed to explore the insights of pharmacy students who received introductory training on the role of pharmacist in immunisation and the feasibility of introducing immunisation modules in the pharmacy curriculum.   Materials and method: Five focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with undergraduate final year pharmacy students who participated in an immunisation workshop. A guide was used to explore students’ experiences, challenges faced, learning perceived, perception, and suggestions for improvement from participants. Data were extracted from interview transcripts, sorted, and coded using Atlas.ti® version 9 and subjected to thematic analysis.   Results: There were four themes emerged from the FGDs: 1) Acquisition of new learning and skills, 2) Challenges in competency development, 3) Applicability of knowledge in practice, and 4) University initiatives on immunisation training. Conclusion: Pharmacy students who received introductory training on the role of pharmacist in immunisation perceived its importance and suggested introducing immunisation modules into pharmacy curriculum.