An advanced pharmacy practice experience in Melbourne, Australia: practical guidance for global experiences

With increasingly multicultural and diverse patient populations and a growing emphasis on global health, pharmacy educators must adapt to this new dynamic. In December 2008, as part of a new collaboration, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy sent two students to The Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia to take part in a renal transplant advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) elective. The objectives of this article are to describe the rationale and the benefits of an international APPE, to provide strategies and lessons learned from the Australia experience, and to outline the benefits and challenges that were encountered by the students during their experience. The experiences and lessons learned by the students, preceptor, and both the foreign and domestic administrators involved in the initiation, construction, and implementation of a global rotation are reported. When designing and implementing such programs, it is critical to promote fair, rigorous, and safe processes that are communicated effectively to students and partner institutions. The students benefited by acquiring a broader perspective on pharmacy practice and improved clinical skills and motivation to be agents of change moving forward. The logistics of sending students overseas are not easy; however, our experience has shown that the benefits to the students, as well as to the institutions involved, are worth the effort.