Female pharmacists' career perceptions in Saudi Arabia: A survey at an academic center in Jeddah

Understanding Australian pharmacy degree holders' job preferences through the lens of motivation-hygiene theory

Increasing the contribution of pharmacists to primary care has been long discussed, particularly in the context of health workforce shortages and the push to better integrate all providers across primary care. This study examines the employment preferences of Australian pharmacy degree holders (PDHs) elicited through a discrete choice experiment (DCE), to better understand the drivers of current labour force choices. A labelled DCE was developed incorporating the six employment sectors: hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy, primary healthcare settings, pharmaceutical industry, government/academia, and non-pharmacy-related sector. Each alternative was described by five attributes using Herzberg's Two Factor Theory as a conceptual framework. They include motivators - role and career opportunities, and hygiene factors-flexible work schedule, geographic location, and salary. Unforced choice data were analysed using conditional logit and mixed logit models. Based on a sample of 678 PDHs in Australia, our findings indicated pharmaceutical industry is the least preferred sector, followed by non-pharmacy-related sector. Motivators in the form of role and career opportunities are the most important attributes in hospital pharmacy while hygiene factors - geographic location and salary significantly drive the choice of community pharmacy and primary care settings. We provided evidence of a willingness to adopt expanded roles in community pharmacy. This unique interpretation of the key drivers of employment preference in light of motivators and hygiene factors provides policy makers with important information when designing policies to attract and retain PDHs across employment sectors.

An analysis of the intention of female pharmacy students to work in community pharmacy settings in Saudi Arabia using the theory of planned behavior

Objective

This study aimed to determine the intention of female Saudi pharmacy students to work in community pharmacies and the factors associated with this intention.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2022 and June 2022 and included female students from pharmacy colleges in Saudi Arabia. The survey was created based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. It included items that measure student intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control regarding working in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia. The study also included items that assessed sociodemographic characteristics, pharmacy program degrees, training, and job preferences of students.

Results

A total of 407 participants completed the survey. The average age was 21.8 (±1.6) years, and most participants were Saudi nationals (97.79 %). The intention of participants to work in community pharmacies after graduation was low (mean = 3.2 ± 1.8; range: 1-7). Slightly positive attitudes toward working in a community pharmacy after graduation were revealed as participants showed an overall attitude mean of 4.5 ± 1.6 (range: 1-7). Furthermore, the participants perceived a low social pressure toward working in a community pharmacy after graduation (mean of 3.3 ± 1.9; range: 1-7). The intention of female pharmacy students to work in community pharmacies was significantly predicted by attitudes (p-value < 0.0001), perceived behavioral control (p-value = 0.0017), nationality (p-value = 0.0151), residence in the Saudi Arabian region (p-value = 0.0013), monthly income (p-value = 0.0231), pharmacy degree program (p-value = 0.0035), training received in community pharmacies (p-value = 0.0145), had a relative working in a community pharmacy (p-value = 0.0257), and preference to work in community pharmacies after graduation (p-value = 0.0001).

Conclusion

Female pharmacy students in Saudi Arabia had a low intention to work in community pharmacies, a positive attitude toward working in community pharmacies, and perceived no social pressure to work in them. A positive attitude and behavioral perception of control toward working in community pharmacies were demonstrated among pharmacy students who study at a university outside Riyadh, undertaking a bachelor's degree in pharmacy, have a monthly income higher than 5000 Saudi riyals (USD 1,333.3), previously received training in community pharmacies, having a relative working in a community pharmacy, prefer to work in community pharmacies after graduation.

Community pharmacists' perspectives towards automated pharmacy systems and extended community pharmacy services: An online cross-sectional study

Background

Private sector partnerships through community pharmacies are essential for effective healthcare integration to achieve the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. This partnership can provide significant clinical outcomes and reduce health system expenditures by delivering services focused on patient-centred care, such as public health screening and medication therapy management.

Objectives

To assess the understanding of the proposed strategic and health system reform in Saudi Arabia by exploring community pharmacists' perspectives towards the capacity and readiness of community pharmacies to use automated pharmacy systems, provide extended community pharmacy services, and identify perceived barriers.

Materials and methods

This multicentre, cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia (October-December 2021). Graphical and numerical statistics were used to describe key dimensions by the background and characteristics of the respondents, and multiple ordinal logistic regression analyses were sought to assess their associations.

Results

Of the 403 consenting and participating community pharmacists, most were male (94%), belonged to chain pharmacies (77%), and worked >48 h per week (72%). Automated pharmacy systems, such as electronic prescriptions, were never utilised (50%), and health screening services, such as blood glucose (76%) and blood pressure measurement (74%), were never provided. Services for medication therapy management were somewhat limited. Age groups ≤40 years, chain pharmacies, >10 years of experience and ≥ 3 pharmacists in place with <100 daily medication prescriptions and Jazan province were significantly more likely to provide all medication therapy management services than others. Operational factors were the barriers most significantly associated with the independent variables.

Conclusion

The results showed that most services and automated pharmacy systems remained limited and well-needed. When attempting to implement these services to drive change, community pharmacies face numerous challenges, and urgent efforts by private and government sectors are essential to improve pharmaceutical care in community pharmacy settings.

A cross-sectional study on Saudi pharmacists working as medical representatives: What attracted them and what is keeping them in this sector—Misconceptions and reality

Background

The government in Saudi Arabia issued a labor reform initiative to renationalize the pharmacy profession in pharmaceutical companies to generate more employment for Saudi pharmacists. Considering the nationalization of the pharmacy workforce employed in this sector, as well as the pharmacists' preferences toward working in this setting, the current study was conducted determine the reasons to choose this career pathway, to clarify the common misconceptions about this sector and to assess job satisfaction, work commitment, and intentions to leave.

Methods

An online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from pharmacists working as medical representatives across Saudi Arabia. A total of 133 medical representatives participated in the study.

Results

The main factors that motivated study participants to join this sector included performing a socially important job, receiving a high salary, and further career development. The common misconceptions about the sector, such as lacking honor and value and considering commercial values to be accepted, were found to be incorrect by the medical representatives. A high job satisfaction level, high work commitment, and low intentions to leave the sector were reported by participants.

Conclusion

Working as a medical representative in a pharmaceutical company is an appealing career choice that fulfills pharmacists' career ambitions and may help in creating more jobs for the increasing numbers of pharmacy graduates.

Factors influencing future career interests of pharmacy interns in Saudi Arabia: a survey from 25 colleges of pharmacy

BACKGROUND

Hundreds of pharmacists graduate from pharmacy colleges in Saudi Arabia, and various factors influence their choice of career pathway. Very few single-institution studies assessed career choices of pharmacy students with or without evaluating the influencing factors. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate career choices and the associating factors of pharmacy interns from multiple colleges in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study that surveyed pharmacy interns from 25 pharmacy colleges in Saudi Arabia using an online questionnaire. The survey was sent during the last rotation month in the internship year (May-June 2022).

RESULTS

Of 454 participants, 411 (90.5%) were enrolled in Doctor of Pharmacy programs. While most participants were interested in becoming clinical pharmacists (n = 183; 40.3%), a considerable number were also interested in working in different sectors of pharmaceutical companies and industry (n = 127; 28%). Internship training significantly correlated with selecting clinical pharmacy specialist career (r = 0.19; P = 0.0001), whereas salary/financial incentives significantly influenced the choice of working as sales and marketing representatives and pharmacy product specialists in pharmaceutical companies (r = 0.29 and 0.24; P < 0.0001 for both). College courses correlated with choosing academia in pharmaceutical sciences (r = 0.20; P < 0.0001), whereas summer training correlated with the community pharmacy career (r = 0.11; P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Pharmacy colleges should utilize results from this study to enhance the exposure of pharmacy students during their academic years to different pharmacy career pathways by allowing the opportunity to shadow pharmacists from different sectors as part of college courses, inviting previous graduates, and activating the role of academic advisors in career orientation.

Current state of career placement and employment opportunities for Doctor of Pharmacy graduates: A cross-sectional analysis from a college of pharmacy, Saudi Arabia

Background

Traditionally, graduates from colleges of pharmacy in Saudi Arabia work mainly in hospital settings, and only a few graduates work in other practice settings. However, several initiatives and national plans have recently been introduced to facilitate employment in community pharmacies and the pharmaceutical industry/companies. Consequently, the objectives of this study were to explore the current state of career placement, type of employment sectors, and practice settings that Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates join based on recent developments in the profession.

Methods

This study is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The target population was PharmD graduates from Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. Consequently, all 162 graduates from three recent cohorts (2018–2020) were contacted to participate in this survey.

Results

A total of 157 graduates participated in this study, yielding a response rate of 96.91 %. Of the participants, 92 (58.6 %) were female graduates. The overall rate of employment was 84.7 %. Moreover, a higher proportion of male graduates than female graduates (97.1 % versus 73.7 %, P = 0.006) were employed. In this study, the three main sectors that the graduates joined were the pharmaceutical industry and companies (41.2 %), community pharmacies (29.4 %), and medical cities, hospitals and clinics (23.5 %). In addition, almost the same proportions of male and female graduates joined the pharmaceutical industry and companies (40.3 % versus 42.1 %). However, a higher proportion of male graduates than female graduates joined community pharmacies (32.3 % versus 26.3 %). Conversely, a higher proportion of female graduates joined medical cities, hospitals and clinics compared to male graduates (28.1 % versus 19.4 %).

Conclusion

The current employment of PharmD graduates in the job market is generally high, but further improvement could be made, especially for female graduates. Moreover, the study findings showed that jobs are shifting toward community pharmacies and the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, we believe that decision-makers in pharmacy education and curriculum developers must consider these trends and ensure that there is adequate preparation for careers in community pharmacy practice and other sectors of the profession in the curriculum.

Pharmacy-related research for health in the Arab region: An analysis informed by WHO's global strategy on research for health

In 2012, WHO (the World Health Organisation) published a strategy on research for health based on the premise that policies and practices in support of health worldwide should be grounded in the best scientific knowledge derived from high-quality research. This strategy focuses attention on five interrelated goals: organisation, capacity, priorities, standards, and translation.1 Whilst knowledge production and publication in many Arab countries have been on the rise, the overall global share of the Arab region in health research publication is smaller than its global share of population or wealth.2 Inspired by the five WHO goals on research for health, this commentary shares factors and recommendations for consideration to enhance pharmacy-related research in the Arab region. These recommendations include establishing strategies for pharmacy-related research to address the context and local needs of the host country, creating intranational and intraregional collaborative research avenues, investing in research capacity, and fostering a culture of research in the workplace.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Pharmacy Students' Career Choices in the Light of Saudi Vision 2030: Will Community Pharmacy Continue to Be the Most Promising, but Least Preferred, Sector?

INTRODUCTION

The Saudi Arabian healthcare divisions that recruit and hire pharmacists include hospital pharmacy, community pharmacies, universities, and research centres. Local studies showed that hospital pharmacy is the most preferred sector, while community pharmacy is the least preferred. However, jobs in hospital pharmacy are limited compared to community pharmacy. Hence, to accommodate the increasing numbers of pharmacy graduates and to facilitate the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030, which promotes primary healthcare and the participation of both private and non-governmental organisations in healthcare delivery, community pharmacy ought to be Saudised. This study was conducted to assess the career choices made by Saudi pharmacy students and the enablers that influence their career choice, especially in community pharmacy.

METHODS

A prospective cross-sectional approach was used. A total of 437 final year pharmacy students were recruited from 15 pharmacy schools around the country.

RESULTS

Salary and advancement opportunities as well as geographical location, benefits, and work environment were found to be "very important" enablers when making career decisions. Hospital pharmacy was selected as the most preferred sector by 242 (55.4%) of the participants, while community pharmacy was the least favoured pharmacy sector (17% or 6.2%). The enablers that might influence the consideration of a job in community pharmacy included career aspiration and social accountability. On the other hand, the barriers were personal beliefs about the sector and the nature of the work.

CONCLUSIONS

The community pharmacy sector was found to be the least preferred sector to work in. The study revealed a list of enablers that the participants found to be relevant or of high relevance when choosing community pharmacy as a career pathway. Some of the enablers contribute to the role of the pharmacist towards the local community, social accountability, and towards the country's Vision, such as interaction with the general public and educating them. Other enablers are related to the pharmacists' career aspirations, such as owning a business. Some of the barriers that were found relevant include high workload, inflexible working hours, and limited opportunities for professional development. Localisation of community pharmacies would help to create more jobs for national pharmacists, increase the participation of female pharmacists in the workforce and support the achievement of Vision 2030. The barriers should be tackled on several levels: undergraduate curriculum, regulatory, and actual practice. Undergraduate education needs to include primary pharmaceutical care services in its curriculum. Regulatory changes include enforcing the renationalisation of the community pharmacy sector and permitting females to work in community pharmacies without location restrictions.

Assessing factors influencing pharmacy interns career choices in Saudi Arabia

Background

The number of students enrolled in the colleges of pharmacy in Saudi Arabia is high, and the number of pharmacy graduates expected to join the workforce in the coming years is expected to grow. There are limited number of studies that assess factors influencing pharmacy students’ career choices in Saudi Arabia in the literature. The aim of this study was to assess the factors that influence career goals and to investigate students’ perceptions about their career goals.

Methods

This study was a prospective cross-sectional survey targeting PharmD students in their last year (i.e. interns) in the academic year of 2018 – 2019. A questionnaire containing four parts and total questions of 32 was completed by interns. Data collected and analyzed using Qualtrics. This study was reviewed and approved by the Unit of Biomedical Ethics Research Committee at King Abdulaziz University.

Results

93 were reachable via email and all of them attended the interview and completed the survey (100% response rate). The most important job considerations were: work environment (67.7%), advancement opportunities (55.9%), salary (52.7%), benefits (40.9%), flexible work schedule (34%), and finally geographic region (29%). The top ranked career goal upon graduation were in industry and drug company (35.5%), clinical pharmacy (26.9%), (14%) academics/research and hospital pharmacy setting (inpatient/outpatient) (14%) each, and regulatory and community pharmacy (3.2% and 4.3%, respectively)

Conclusion

This study showed that work environment, advancement opportunities, and salary were the most important job consideration for pharmacy interns. The top ranked career goals were industry and drug company followed by clinical pharmacy. Further studies across Saudi Arabia are needed to confirm our results.

Implementation of an ACPE-Accredited PharmD Curriculum at a Saudi College of Pharmacy

Objective. To establish an academic curricular collaboration between the newly established college of pharmacy at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Saudi University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and a US college of pharmacy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and assess measures of success. Methods. Criteria for selecting a college for collaboration were established. A systematic approach was followed in negotiating legal, logistical, and financial issues with the selected collaborating institution. Course materials were transferred and implemented and minimal changes were made to the alignment and sequencing of lectures. The faculty at KSAU-HS developed and implemented research and seminar courses. Pharmacy practice experiences were designed and rubrics were developed. Results. All courses were implemented successfully. The PharmD students scored significantly higher in all academic levels in a benchmarked progress test than did students in other programs. Students' evaluation of 43 first-, second-, and third-year courses in 2017-2018 using a survey that assessed numerous aspects of each course showed significantly higher overall satisfaction than the institutional averages. Also, female students indicated significantly higher satisfaction with the PharmD program than did male students. Conclusion. The transfer and implementation of an accredited PharmD curriculum to the KSAU-HS College of Pharmacy went smoothly and the program was launched on time. Learning and teaching success was facilitated by the KSAU-HS faculty. Program outcomes were verified by students' high scores on a benchmarked examination and by their satisfaction with the courses.