Pharmacists’ earnings determination: are part-time practitioners homogeneous in their response?

Abstract

Background Evidence suggests that part-time pharmacists possess different characteristics from those exhibited by full-time pharmacists. Practitioners working fewer hours per week are driven almost exclusively by pay, whereas full-time practitioners show a more comprehensive approach to their work experience. Objective Compare wage-and-salary responses to the number of hours worked, human-capital stock, job-related preferences and job-opinion variables across three employment-status groups: full-time and two kinds of part-time pharmacists. Methods The study was based on self-reported survey data collected from a random sample of licensed pharmacists practicing throughout the USA. The analysis sample consisted of 411 full-time pharmacists, 119 part-time pharmacists working an average of 30–39 h per week and 78 part-time pharmacists working an average of <30 h per week. Using ordinary least squares, the model estimated, separately for each employment-status group, annual wage-and-salary earnings as a function of ten explanatory variables. Key findings Responses to earnings determinants varied not only between full-time and part-time pharmacists but also across part-time practitioners. The responsiveness of wages and salaries to an additional hour of work per week drops as pharmacists work more hours. Full-time and both types of part-time practitioners differ in the way they transform human-capital stock, job-related preferences and job-opinion variables into wages and salaries. Conclusion The empirical evidence reported here is expected to be used by healthcare managers and policymakers to facilitate communication, promote teamwork within pharmacy and foster better relations with other healthcare professionals.