Student pharmacists' service-oriented learning at a camp for children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To describe advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students' active learning engagement and changes in self-reported comfort with diabetes care activities by attending an overnight camp for children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND

SETTING

Fourth-year pharmacy students spend one or two weeks at an overnight camp for children ages six to 18 years with T1DM as part of their APPE and assist with diabetes care activities while participating in daily living activities. Students complete a survey one week before and one week after camp where they self-report their comfort level performing 16 different diabetes-related tasks.

FINDINGS: Students (n = 21) participate in hands-on active learning while volunteering at a camp for children with diabetes. Before camp, 40-61% of students reported comfort with diabetes care activities related to pharmacotherapy, monitoring, and lifestyle management. After camp, the percent of students reporting comfort with these tasks increased to 78-96%. Specific items with greatest improvement were: when to monitor ketone levels (+79%), use of insulin pens and pumps (+64%), treatment of hypoglycemia (+50%), and carbohydrate counting (+50%).

SUMMARY: By attending and participating at an overnight camp for children with T1DM, APPE students self-report gain in comfort in performing many diabetes care-related tasks.