Abstract
Objective. To investigate what factors influenced students to study pharmacy and determine in which
sector they hoped to gain employment, both in the short and longer term.
Methods. First-year pharmacy students (n5124) were invited to complete a paper-based, self administered
questionnaire consisting of 4 sections. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests
were conducted.
Results. One hundred (96.8% response rate) students completed the questionnaire (22.5% male; 77.5%
female). Key influential factors for choosing pharmacy included: enjoyment of science at school,
a desire to improve people’s health and wellbeing, and to work in health care. Career aspirations were
to work in a hospital or in community practice rather than in industry or academia.
Conclusions. Students choose pharmacy as a career primarily for altruistic and clinical reasons. This
research provides information for pharmacy schools about the career aspirations of students and data
from future pharmacists is potentially helpful to pharmacy professional organizations and potential
employers.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 150 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education |
Volume | 80 |
Issue number | 9 |
Publication status | Published - 25 Nov 2016 |