Exploring pharmacy students chosen career path: a year-on-year perspective

Abstract

There are many factors that motivate students to choose a particular academic major, whether it is due to interest, salary, or family. Government policies and the curriculum imposed on students may also have an impact. The education and training of future pharmacists offered in various universities should include the skill set necessary for fitness to practice in all the different areas of pharmacy, and not focused on one particular area as this would adversely affect student’s perception or interests. In our study, we investigate pharmacy students’ views to why they chose to study pharmacy, their chosen future career path, and whether these choices change moving from years 1 to 4. Our results revealed key deciding factors for the profession of pharmacy, include the desire to help improve the populations’ health and well-being, the desire to work within healthcare, and salary. These factors remain consistent going from first-year to fourth-year students. Career aspirations consistently highlight hospital pharmacy, with community pharmacy second, with a lower interest in academia and industry. As a conclusion, our data revealed pharmacy students consistently prefer hospital and community pharmacy as a chosen career path, with a stronger preference for hospitals. These figures remain consistent at all levels, and pharmacy students remain committed to their chosen degree, with more than 85% of final year students continueing to look forward to a career in pharmacy. These results are parallel with pharmacy students’ applications to their pre-registration or pupillage training, which are predominantly in hospital pharmacy. If this trend continues, the hospital sectors would soon be saturated, while other pharmacy sectors sidelined.