Centro Escolar University-Manila virtual community pharmacy internship: Evaluation on the achievement of learning outcomes and satisfaction of students

Part of the pharmacy education curriculum in the Philippines is the completion of a 300-hour experiential pharmacy practice or internship in the community pharmacy to provide students with expertise and competence in promoting the role of pharmacists in the healthcare setting. To ensure continuity of learning amid the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, onsite pharmacy internships shifted to a remote setting. This study aims to evaluate the achievement of learning outcomes and satisfaction of Centro Escolar University-Manila students on virtual community pharmacy internship. The study utilizes Cross-Sectional Correlational research methods, a web-based questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 128 through purposive sampling. The results revealed that there was a very high positive correlation between the achieved learning outcomes and student satisfaction on the virtual internship (r=0.820, p<0.001). This means that if learning outcomes increase by an additional unit, the student internship satisfaction level will also increase by 82%. The students showed a positive attitude towards their experience, learning outcomes and satisfaction during the virtual internship program despite the limitations of the pandemic. It is recommended that periodic evaluation of internship programs be conducted to allow educational institutions to improve and adjust the program to meet the standards of pharmacy education and demands of the pharmacy profession.