Nontraditional Career Opportunities for Pharmacists

Motivation, satisfaction, and future career intentions of pharmacy students: A cross-sectional preliminary analysis

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, the pharmacy profession has undergone many changes that impacted pharmacy educational programs and students' needs and experiences. In Lebanon, no previous studies have addressed students' perspectives of pharmacy studies and their future aspirations.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was randomly sent to all pharmacy students at the main campus of the Lebanese International University. Questions included demographics, students' reasons for choosing pharmacy, satisfaction regarding choice of pharmacy, and future career plans.

RESULTS

Pharmacy as a study major was the first choice for 61% of respondents, and reasons for this choice were family recommendations (87%), friends' encouragement (26%), and schoolteachers' endorsements (20%). Looking for a job with various career opportunities, flexible working hours, security, good salary, and wishing to provide public service and improve health were the main incentives to join the pharmacy program. Concerning their satisfaction, 88% were proud of studying pharmacy and 66% would choose to study pharmacy if they were to select their program of study again. As for career intentions, 68% were considering community pharmacy, 66% hospital pharmacy, and 60% academic pharmacy.

CONCLUSIONS

While the attitudes, perceptions, and career intentions of the respondents were variable, the majority were aspired by family or societal factors to study pharmacy, were satisfied by their choice, and intended to work in the community pharmacy sector. Pharmacy curricula should be regularly assessed to meet students' expectations and society's needs.

Emerging Innovations and Professional Skills Needed Within Pharmacy Curricula

To ensure students are prepared for the rapidly evolving world of health care, curricula must be aligned with emerging innovations, as well as professional skills likely to influence students' abilities to be successful. At the 2019 annual meeting of PharmAlliance institutions, we asked experts to identify innovations and professional skills necessary for the future of pharmacy practice. Experts identified a wide range of topics, including personalized and precision medicine, digital health, interprofessional collaboration, clinical decision making, and overcoming complexity and ambiguity. While these findings are useful for informing curriculum content, we must also commit to ensuring our pharmacy curricula are emerging, forward thinking, and effective at preparing students for the challenges in health care.